Abstract
THE phvsicist knows well that the problems with which he has to deal are insignificant, or at best subsidiary, when compared with the great questions so intimately connected, What is matter? and What is aether? The astronomer, though he observes the operations of nature on a vaster scale, deals with problems of a less ultimate character. Thus, \vhen he seeks to investigate the properties of that medium in which the solar system and the stars alike are moving, he is far removed from any metaphysical abstraction, and only seeks the answer to perfectly definite, concrete questions concerning the transparency and dispersive qualities of the medium. But if the questions are concrete, they are by no means simple, and though the last two years have seen a simultaneous attack on the problem on several converging lines, the main result has been to make us realise the immense difficulties which lie in the way of a definite conclusion.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
P., H. The Medium of Celestial Space . Nature 83, 526–529 (1910). https://doi.org/10.1038/083526a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/083526a0