THE WORLDS ABOVE

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 591, 18 February 1929, Page 8

THE WORLDS ABOVE

MR. FIELD DISCUSSES RELATIVITY THEORIES • ms> em s* theory of relativity otin-r lorces at work in the unexpl,, rM .io.it.:> >\ l u, «*re in th* tollowing interesting: letter from v, Frederick W. Field: The Sun has several times rec^ published remarks upon theory of relativity and upon his effort to connect gravitation electro-magnetism. One is at to find anything really new in the f or . mer. or to see what good purpose can bo served by combining recognised fi*. tors in sucu a way as to treat them a. additional dimensions of a body yU chief things claimed as proofs of q* theory of relativity were: (1) Einstein’ computation of the unexplained chanc. in Mercury's orbit; < - ’ ine displacement ot stars when near th sun’s limb, and (3) the failure of ef periments. by Michaelson. Morley others, to show that the earth j, plunging through a sea o£ inert e-j, w 1- Einsteins calculations respecting Mercury were apparently not clear a, anybody. They seemed to yield re suits which agreed closely with Einstein had taken to be the amount of change in Mercury’s orbit for a gi T « period. But, tne significance of ties, results was soon discounted by the a... covery that the amount which his results fitted so exactly was about i&e per cent, in error. And now we fine Mercury's vagaries explained without any recourse to relativity. No.witi' standing its rotation, the sun aw* ■ to the ordinary observer as a tede sphere. Professor Pickering con puis that its rotation ought to give to th sun a certain equatorial protuberant, and that this computed protubtran, if existing, would explain Meicun « change of orbit. My investigate show how, on the hidden and mo • material body of the sun, tins nA’ tuberance must exist, and mu*periodically vary in shape and extern beneath the covering vaporou* photosphere, which everywhere condenses and appears as an electric lighat almost exactly the same height from the sun’s centre, thus giving the suits nearly perfect spherical appearand Moreover, Dr. Poore and other observers have now reported an appreciable periodical alteration in the sun’t shaj* —a thing which, strangely enough, w<u predicted years ago by our New Zealand astronomer, Mr. J. T. Ward, who rightly conceived it to be a “regular pulsation of the sun.” The position thus is that this solar protrul>eran<~

actually exists, and that Merc ary, it his revolution round the sun, is always attracted more by that part of tie protuberance nearest to him, so that, instead of being constantly attracted toward the sun’s exact centre, he is attracted alternately and slight;: toward the north and south of tha: point, according to whether he is for the time being to the south or north of the plane of the sun’s equator. So the plane of Mercury’s orbit is for ever altering, in a way that physicists did not understand. All the other ar& affected in like manner, but to an extent which becomes far less appreciable with increase in distance from the sun. In the effects of these pro

tuberances, solar and planetary. fi r ‘ fresh light thrown upon the precessior of the equinoxes, as also the smaller factor of the annual wobble of our geographical axis. 2. —The solar corona, the behaviour of comets and other things indicate tha: the solar atmosphere is of very appreciable density to a distance of millions of miles from the sun’s surface. Such an atmosphere must refract the rays < light from juxta-solar stars, and a; times of a solar eclipse make them appear misplaced in the way that some took to be a proof of Einsteins theorjThe displacement would be grtale: near the plane of the sun’s equator. 3. —The universe is composed ot elements, many-—probably most of wiuc are known to us. What we call ga-’ ■ both the known and the unknown. capable of infinite tenuity. When » consider the evolution of the uniter or of any part of it, we realise >h’ atmosphere, varying tremencousl: ; composition and density, must be M pervading, systematic and kmeuc. to solar system must have an atmo P of its own. with definite circulation ana differential rotation, merging of a larger system. For Lae V ** ttll reason that the planets ro '. atmosphere must rotate, thatmosphere can have no defin-t* on surface such as that of an - water; and the earth together with atmosphere moves 113 Ken er balloon would do. at t ' mr rate as the medium nomediaUMy ~ Thus I venture to say tha i theory of relativity c ■ Killy us*' that is really new or Far more important is dectr 1 tion of eravßation magnetism. BhtGh?* writ” tirely new. My o''' l ' ! . the assoL of five years ago nier^‘° n es mention ation of these two force - a ,<** also that Mr. E. D. I rlt j a bik physicist of Auckland now a teach-r ■ rea dy O land Education Board), had inde p«pressed his conviction. firo asM cw ent investigation. That s r pHed S 'a m workable foiTnula this association o. Ibices a h° on t-REDK. R. FTEU>-