Produced by Robert J. Hall [Illustration: Fig. 1. The Constellation of Orion (Hubble). Photographed with a small camera lens of 1 inch aperture and 5 inches focal length. The three bright stars in the centre of the picture form the belt of Orion. Just below, in the sword handle, is an irregular white patch about one-eighth of an inch in diameter. This is a small-scale image of the great nebula in Orion, shown on a larger scale in Fig. 2.] THE NEW HEAVENS BY GEORGE ELLERY HALE DIRECTOR OF THE MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY OF THE CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 1922 TO MY WIFE PREFACE Fourteen years ago, in a book entitled "The Study of Stellar Evolution" (University of Chicago Press, 1908), I attempted to give in untechnical language an account of some modern methods of astrophysical research. This book is now out of print, and the rapid progress of science has left it completely out of date. As I have found no opportunity to prepare a new edition, or to write another book of similar purpose, I have adopted the simpler expedient of contributing occasional articles on recent developments to _Scribner's Magazine_, three of which are included in the present volume. I am chiefly indebted, for the illustrations, to the Mount Wilson Observatory and the present and former members of its staff whose names appear in the captions. Special thanks are due to Mr. Ferdinand Ellerman, who made all of the photographs of the observatory buildings and instruments, and prepared all material for reproduction. The cut of the original Cavendish apparatus is copied from the _Philosophical Transactions for 1798_ with the kind permission of the Royal Society, and I am also indebted to the Royal Society and to Professor Fowler and Father Cortie for the privilege of reproducing from the _Proceedings_ two illustrations of their spectroscopic results. G. E. H. January, 1922. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. THE NEW HEAVENS II. GIANT STARS III. COSMIC CRUCIBLES ILLUSTRATIONS