The Sun and Wireless Telegraphy.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 25, 18 December 1912, Page 59

The Sun and Wireless Telegraphy.

A series of notable experiments in wireless telegraphy were tried in Paris on April 17 during the eclipse of the sun. It has been noticed by scientists the distances over which wireless messages can be dispatched varies greatly according to the time .of day and the direction. A message sent by rapid vibrations, which will not carry more than 700 miles during the day. can be sent over twice that distance at sunset, especially towards the south. When slower vibrations are used, it can be transmitted further in the day time. Xt is believed that -these curious facts are due to the activity of the so-called ultra-violet rays of the sun, the theory being that these rays are a powerful factor in the energy of the Hertzian ■waves. The eclipse, when a great part of these rays were suddenly cut off, proved an ideal occasion for decisive tests, and the wireless station on the Eiffel tower sent messages continuously from a little before the eclipse until a little after it, in several directions. The conclusions to be drawn from these experiments are awaited with keen interest.