How Fast is Fast ?

Speed, the scientists tell us, is all a question of how you look at it. Two confirmations of this come from recent investigations.

Observers have tracked longitudinal wave vibrations induced in the earth's crust by the great Chilean earthquakes over a distance of 187,500 miles. These waves are reported to have travelled at a speed of 150 miles a minute. They were checked over seven complete circuits of the globe.

A speed of 150 miles a minute may seem fairly fast—but it is nothing to the speed reported from an astrophysical observatory which is studying the "new" star, 1960 Hercules, first seen last year. The flare up of the star led to the upper layers being expelled from the mam body at a speed of some 1,200 miles a second. A study of 120 spectrograms taken is being continued. As much energy has been poured out by this "new" star during its flare-up as our sun gives out in 100,000 years.