Page:EB1911 - Volume 13.djvu/244

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Many forms of heliostats have been devised, the earliest having been described by Wilhelm Jacob s’Gravesande in the 3rd edition of his Physices elementa (1742). One of the simplest consists of a plane mirror rigidly connected with a revolving axis so that the angle between the normal to the mirror and the axis of the instrument equals half the sun’s polar distance, the mirror being adjusted so that the normal has the same right ascension as the sun. It is easily seen that if the mirror be rotated at the same angular velocity as the sun the right ascensions will remain equal throughout the day, and therefore this device reflects the rays in the direction of the earth’s axis; a second fixed mirror reflects them in any other fixed direction. Foucault’s heliostat reflects the rays horizontally in any required direction. The principle of the apparatus may be explained by reference to fig. 1. The axis of rotation AB bears a rigidly attached rod DBC inclined to it at an angle equal to the sun’s polar distance. By adjusting the right ascension of the plane ABC and rotating the axis with the angular velocity of the sun, it follows that BC will be the direction of the solar rays throughout the day. X is the mirror rotating about the point E, and placed so that (if EB is the horizontal direction in which the rays are to be reflected) (1) the normal CE to the mirror is jointed to BC at C and is equal in length to BE, (2) the rod DBC passes through a slot in a rod ED fixed to, and in the plane of, the mirror. Since CE equals BE these directions are equally inclined to, and coplanar with, the normal to the mirror. Hence light incident along the direction BC will be reflected along CE. Silbermann’s heliostat reflects the rays in any direction. The principle may be explained by means of fig. 2. AB is the axis of rotation, BC an adjustable rod as in Foucault’s construction, and BD is another rod which can be set to the direction in which the rays are to be reflected. The rods BC and DB carry two small rods EF, GF jointed at F; at this joint there is a pin which slides in a slot on the rod BH, which is normal to the mirror X. The rods EF, GF are such that BEFG is a rhombus. It is easy to show that rays falling on the mirror in the direction BC will be reflected along BD. One construction of the instrument, described in Jamin’s Cours de physique, is shown in fig. 3. The mirror mm is attached to the framework pafe, the members of which are parallel to the incident and reflected rays SO, OR, and the diagonal pf is perpendicular to the mirror. The framework is attached to two independent circular arcs Cs and r&#8202;r&#8202;′ having their centres at O and provided with clamps D and A on the axis F of the instrument. The arc Cs is graduated, and is set so that the angle COD equals the complement of the sun’s declination. This can be effected (after setting the axis) by rotating Cs until a needle indicates true time on the hour dial B. The arc r&#8202;r&#8202;′ is set so as to reflect the rays in the required direction. The axis F of the instrument is set at an angle equal to the latitude of the place of observation and in the meridian by means of the screw K, and rotated by clockwork contained in the barrel H. The setting in the meridian is effected by turning the instrument after setting for latitude until a pin-hole aperture s and a small screen P, placed so that Ps is parallel to CO, are in a line with the sun.

Many other forms of heliostats have been designed, the chief difference consisting in the mechanical devices for maintaining the constant direction of the reflecting ray. One of the most important applications of the heliostat is as an adjunct to the newer forms of horizontal (q.v.) and in conjunction with spectroscopic telescopes in observations of eclipses.



HELIOTROPE, or, Heliotropium (Gr.  , i.e. a plant which follows the sun with its flowers or leaves, or, according to Theophrastus (''Hist. plant'', vii. 15), which flowers at the summer solstice), a genus of usually more or less hairy herbs or undershrubs of the tribe Heliotropieae of the natural order Boraginaceae, having alternate, rarely almost opposite leaves; small white, lilac or blue flowers, in terminal or lateral one-sided simple or once or twice forked spikes, with a calyx of five deeply divided segments, a salver-shaped, hypogynous, 5-lobed corolla, and entire 4-celled ovary; fruit 2- to 4-sulcate or lobed, at length separable into four 1-seeded nutlets or into two hard 2-celled carpels. The genus contains 220 species indigenous in the temperate and warmer parts of both hemispheres. A few species are natives of Europe, as H. europaeum, which is also a naturalized species in the southern parts of North America.

The common heliotrope of English hothouses, H. peruvianum, popularly known as “cherry-pie,” is on account of the delicious odour of its flowers a great favourite with florists. It was introduced into Europe by the younger Jussieu, who sent seed of it from Peru to the royal garden at Paris. About the year 1757 it was grown in England by Philip Miller from seed obtained from St Germains. H. corymbosum (also a native of Peru), which was grown in Hammersmith nurseries as early as 1812, has larger but less fragant flowers than H. peruvianum. The species commonly grown in Russian gardens is H. suaveolens, which has white, highly fragrant flowers.

Heliotropes may be propagated either from seed, or, as commonly, by means of cuttings of young growths taken an inch or two in length. Cuttings when sufficiently ripened, are struck in spring or during the summer months; when rooted they should be potted singly into small pots, using as a compost fibry loam, sandy peat and well-decomposed stable manure from an old hotbed. The plants soon require to be shifted into a pot a size larger. To secure early-flowering plants, cuttings should be struck in August, potted off before winter sets in, and kept in a warm greenhouse. In the spring larger pots should be given, and the plants shortened back to make them bushy. They require frequent shiftings during the summer, to induce them to bloom freely.

The heliotrope makes an elegant standard. The plants must in this case be allowed to send up a central shoot, and all the side growths must be pinched off until the necessary height is reached, when the shoot must be stopped and lateral growths will be produced to form the head. During winter they should 