Abstract
WITH reference to Mr. Alexander Johnson's letter on this interesting subject, I should like to point out that the theory of radiation pressure is not applicable to gases. Beyond a certain range of minuteness, the effect of radiation pressure on particles diminishes, and the size of a particle on which the repulsive force of light is at a maximum is vastly greater than molecular magnitudes. As this is very important, I quote certain numerical determinations given by Prof. Arrhenius (“Worlds in the Making,” pp. 97, 98):—
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RAFFETY, C. The Absence of a Lunar Atmosphere. Nature 82, 38 (1909). https://doi.org/10.1038/082038c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/082038c0
