MAN’S PROBING OF THE SPACE ROUND THE EARTH UNCOVERS MYSTERIES

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 February 1949, Page 4

MAN’S PROBING OF THE SPACE ROUND THE EARTH UNCOVERS MYSTERIES

AUCKLAND, Last Night (PA).— Use of radio in exploring the regions of space surrounding the earth is uncovering new mysteries, as well as providing means whereby scientists can solve some long-standing astronomical problems. An outline of some of the more recent work in this field was given by Dr. E. G. Bowen, of the radiophysics laboratory of Australian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, to the Pacific Science Congress. He gave the results of two Australian scientists, Messrs. J. G. Bolton and G. J. Stanley, who did work at Leigh and Piha last year on “noises” arriving at the earth from space.

Dr. Bowen said that largely as the result of the work done by these two scientists 21 sources of these radio emanations had been fixed, and more were expected to be discovered. “These sources are being found at increasing rate and I woulu not be surprised if the whole sky is found to have as many radio stars as luminous stars,” he said.

Dr. Bowen also presented a paper on investigations by means of radio into what was happening on the sun. A film taken in America was shown revealing terrific disturbances occurring in the sun’s atmosphere. Speeded up by 400 or 600 times, the film showed activity in the vicinity of sunspots as tremendous streamers of luminous matter, including shots like geysers up to 250,000 miles from the surface and an explosion which a commentary pointed out was a giant replica of that of the atom bomb even to explosive cap.

The use of radio in determining the temperature of the moon by receiving emanations of radio frequency originating in the moon’s surface, was also described by Dr. Bowen. He said one scientist had worked out that the moon’s surface consisted of a layer of volcanic dust, with an average thickness of precisely 2iin.» lying on lava, not on any other type of rock.