198 ASTRONOMYANDTHEBIBLE
have been examined with the spectroscope, no two
give the sameHnes. It is therefore extremely im-
probablethata givensystemofbrightlinescouldbe
producedbymorethanone substance."
—Newcomh's
"Astronomy."
Upto1891,scientists,bymeansofthespectroscope,
haddeterminedthirty-sixelementspresentinthesolar
atmosphere. Among these are the following well-
known elements: calcium, iron, hydrogen, sodium,
nickel,magnesium,cobalt, silicon,aluminum, manga-
nese, carbon,copper, zinc,cadmium, silver,tin, lead,
andpotassium.
Astronomersexpect in time tofind presentinthe
sunalltheelementsthatarepresentintheearth. They
havefoundsomeelementswhich,untiltheirdiscovery
inthesun, were unknown. Thushelium, coronium,
andargonwerefoundinthesun,butitwasnotknown
whethertheyexistedintheearth. Atoncea search
wasmade, andboth argonandheliumhavebeende-
tected. In1895,heliumwasatlastidentifiedbyRam-
say, in connection with his researches upon argon.
Hefoundthelinesofheliumingasdischargedfrom
uraninite and other minerals, where it is associated
withtheso-called"rareearths." Argonhasbeendis-
covered inour atmosphere.
Butasyetthemostcarefulobservationhas failed
tofindinthesuntheslightesttraceofbromine,chlo-
rine, iodine,nitrogen, arsenic,boron, orphosphorus.
Therearesomedoubtfulindications ofsulphur;and
regarding oxygen, "the evidence, on the whole, is
againstitspresence,thoughthecaseispeculiar."