MOON SLOWS DOWN

Hokitika Guardian, 13 December 1928, Page 7

MOON SLOWS DOWN

SIR F. DYSON AND ITS CHANCING TI.MF. LONDON, October Hi. Sir Frank Dyson, the Astronomer Royal, addressing the British I lorological Institute, Northampton Square, ICC., last night on “ Aslronomiea! Measurements of Time,” told ol errors in the rotation-time of earth and moon. It would seem, he said, that the real cause of the difference between the time-keeping of the moon and the earth was that the day was slowly lengthening or that our standard timekeeper was gradually going slower.-

In 15)00 the day was one-sixleen-liundrenth of a second or thereahouts longer than it was in LSOO. Results summarised hy Professor de Hilter went to show that about Kbit) the moon was thirty seconds slow on astronomical time. Between then and IRIS it made up arrears, went ahead, lost again, and gained once more. In IRIS it started to lose again. The elm nges about IROO and 1018 seemed to he very sudden.

“ Did something happen inside the earth which caused this inertia.” asked Sir Frank. “ and so altered its rate olf spill, or is it something unexplained in the motion of the moon ?

“ | don’t despair of a good enough clock to check the differences astronomers find in lhe celestial time ’-yepers. The problem is a most important and atli-cfive one, and depends for its solul i.<n on the continued co-operation of astronomers and herologists.”