New Beliefs About the Air.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 21, 20 November 1912, Page 48

New Beliefs About the Air.

The idea that the earth’s atmosphere is distributed in layers, with nearly pure hydrogen at the top, has been growing in favour in the last few years, and is now expanded by the assumption that a still lighter gas rests on the hydrogen. This hypothetical gas is called "geoeoronium,” as it is at least similar to the coremium forming the sun’s atmosphere beyond the hydrogen. Presenting some of the evidence, Professor Wegener, a German physicist, states that twilight rays seem to be reflected from a height of about 4t» miles, but that after twilight he has observed a bluish reflection from a height of about 133 miles. This elevated reflecting surface is believed to be the boundary line between the hydrogen and the georoconium. Small meteors glow at heights between 100 and 50 miles, indicating that their luminosity is ilue to a collision with the hydrogen, and the sudden brightening of large meteors at a certain point may be caused by reaching a denser air-layer. Other observations confirm the theory of an atmosphere of fairly defined layers. It is calculated that at sea-level the air contains 78.1 per eent. of nitrogen, 20.9 of oxygen. 0.939 of argon, 0.0033 of hydrogen. 0.0005 of helium, and only 0.00058 of geoeoronium: at 25 miles, 88 per cent, of nitrogen and 10 of oxygen; at 02 miles. 07 per cent, of hydrogen, 29 of geoeoronium, and 4 of helium, and at 300 miles, 93 per cent, of geoeoronium ami 7 of hydrogen.