Astronomy finds Sky's Ceiling, Lecturer Says

Static on your favorite radio program may be caused by the activity of gases on the sun, according to Hendrik C. van de Hulst, speaker at the University Observatory last night. Radio waves went off by the gases interfere with transmission here, Van de Hulst said.

The astronomer, visiting lecturer from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands, spoke at the third in the Observatory's semi-annual series of open nights.

Van de Hulst showed slides of charts made by radio waves from the sun and several stars. Charts have been made, he said, of the furthest galaxy in the universe, a billion light years away. The radio telescope records this galaxy and others like it which no telescope can see because of intervening dust clouds.

Recent Discovery

Radio-astronomy was just developed ten years ago, Van de Hulst said.

Demand for tickets to the open nights has been so great that the Observatory has had to schedule double sessions on the two children's nights and has turned away almost 600 people from the first two lectures.

At another lecture, at the Institute of Geographical Exploration, rainmaker Wallace E. Howell '36 spoke on "Induced Precipitation."