Astronomical Curiosities: Facts and Fallacies

Astronomical Curiosities: Facts and Fallacies

CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS [Pg 1] ASTRONOMICAL CURIOSITIES The Sun Some observations recently made by Prof. W. H. Pickering in Jamaica, make the value of sunlight 540,000 times that of moonlight. This makes the suns stellar magnitude minus 2683, and that of moonlight minus 125. Prof. Pickering finds that the light of the full moon is equal to 100,000 stars of zero magnitude. He finds that the moons albedo is about 00909; or in other words, the moon reflects about one-tenth of the light which falls on it from the sun. He also finds that the light of the full moon is about twelve times the light of the half moon: a curious and rather unexpected result. M. C. Fabry found that during the total eclipse of the sun on August 30, 1905, the light of the corona at a distance of five minutes of arc from the suns limit, and in the vicinity of the suns equator, was about 720 candle-power. Comparing this[Pg 2] with the intrinsic light of the full moon (2600 candle-power) we have the ratio of 028 to 1. He finds that the light of the sun in the zenith, and at its mean distance from the earth, is 100,000 times greater than the light of a decimal candle placed at a distance of one metre from the eye.[1] He also finds that sunlight is equal to 60,000 million times the light of Vega. This would make the suns stellar magnitude minus 267, which does not differ much from Prof. Pickerings result, given above, and is probably not far from the truth. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 39263
Author: Gore, J. Ellard (John Ellard)
Release Date: Mar 25, 2012
Format: eBook
Language: English