RELATIVITY THEORY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 16 June 1923, Page 8

RELATIVITY THEORY

At Lick Observatory, California, on 12th. April last, AY. AA ; . Campbell, director of Lick Observatory and newly elected president of tho University of Calilornia, declared, says the Daily Californian, that tho results of the Crocker expedition sent to photograph an eclipse of the sun at AA’allal, Australia, September 21, 1922, are in exact accord with the'requirements of the Einstein theory. The result of the Einstein eclipse problem has just been deduced from the photographs secured at YValln 1 on the north-west coast of Australia last year, by the AV. H. Crocker eclipse expedition.

Mr Campbell states, “This result is in exact accord with the Einstein theory. Several years ago Einstein said that his theory of relativity must stand three astronomical tests successfully or ho revised. One of the three tests was the eclipse problem just completed.” Positive proof of the Einstein theory of relativity is declared through the medium of photographs taken by Dr W AA r . Campbell six lfionths ago at AVollal, Ninety Mile Beach, Australia. Notwithstanding the statement of Captain T. J. See, government astronomer, that ho vigorously contested the announcements of Dr Campbell, astronomers throughout' the United States and England have accepted tho work of California’s next

president after subjecting his discovery to a most rigid inspection. Dr Robert Trumpler, assistant astronomer at Mount Hamilton, using one of the four pictures taken in September 1922, the date of the sun’s total eclipse, has outlined in a long aiticlo the exact reasons which go to prove tho correctness of the Einstein predictions. According to tho theory of Professor Einstein tho gravity of the sun has the effect of bending light rays slightly. This statement constitutes one of the three tests, all of which must be cor root to substantiate the claims of Einstein. When the light rays enter tho camera they • should not point to the spot in the sky from which they originated, but to a point situated a. trifle farther a wav from tho sun.

Other than a normal position of stars is then sought and this displacement has been found in all four photographs taken at Wollal. Measured with the most delicate measuring instillments to bo had, Dr Campbell and scientists under him have found tuo displacements to be in perfect accord with tho Einstein prediction.

I'll addition to checking the work of other astronomers and confirming the studios of Professor Einstein, the photographs taken by tho University party, under Dr Campbell, are declared tho most successful ever taken cf an eclipsed sun and surrounding corona. For tho first time faint stars of the sixth magnitude have been seen.