The North-Carolinian. [volume] (Fayetteville [N.C.]) 1839-1861, 1860-11-03
THE FINAL DESTINY OF THE EARTH.

Encks comet, which revolves about the sun In
three years and half has been observed to COM
plete it's revolution in constantly shortening pc
Rod showing tina it is being drawn inward towards
the sun This fact has led to the general conclu-
sion by astronomers that the planets are moving III
a resisting medium, far more attenuated thrn our
a,mosphere but still sufficient to affect their mo-
tons If this is so, it follows by strict necessity
that our earth and its sister orbs are all winding
cn;rallv towards the sun, and that they must even
+n,1lv strike against it and become incorporated
With it's mass The time required for this purpose
ho,onos to those inconcevable periods with which
geology and astronomy nave 20 oea'. ne iesis'-
;o medium is so exceedingly attenuated that 1t ex-
crfs hut slight influence on the comets which are
themselves masses of the very thlnnest vapor, and
;ts Influence would of course be very much less on
the dense matter of the planets.
"a economical observations, with all their Won
derl delcacv have yet failed to detect the slight
oct nropressve shortening In the periods OF reVolu-
ton of any of the planets: II Is curious however
- note the multiplied obstacles which prevent the
ercontion of thisfact if it does exist All the mea-
sures of these revolutions are shofteninS Win the
ovolntons themselves. If we begin, Tor instance
with the earth, the prooieh - W
the time occupied by the earth in its journey around
tho SIM is gradually becoming shorter 1he nrst
nlan that suggests itself is to compare thls with the
rotation of the earth upon its axis. to see whether
the year occupies the same number OF Gays and
hours and seconds that it did In former times. But
# the earth is gradually cooling, 1T Is contracting
in size and its rotations on lts axis are becoming
more rapid: in other words, the day Is shortening
;th +h ,eor and fthemeasure shrinks just in pro-
norton to the thing measured we cannot tell wheth-
er the latter is becoming shorter or not
| If we take the time OF the revolutions OF the
moon around the earth standard, the same re-
s;st;no medium would draw the moon towards the
| aar,h and shorten the month also with the year
1f - resort even to the less satisfactory measures
f tho SIMS rotation its axis his bulk Is also oi
m;nsIine by the radiation OF MS heat, ana the pe
;od of his rotation is consequently becoming shor
tor In brief from the two causes OF RADIATION ano
tha res;stinp medium, all the times and distances
which could be used to measure the earth s ols-
tsnce from the sun Cor the period of its annual re
voution) are shortening together 50 that the oi1er
rnces in the extent of these several
are the only means left for detecting by
the annroaeh Of the earth to the sun, if such ap
nroach is really taking place These dliierences e
| would doubtless reveal themselves IN the course "
generations to refined Astronomical oDSer
IF the earth and the sun are gradually .ho s
cold this winding of the earth TOWARDS a,le he s'
uni woua tend to keep up its warmth, and may & oe
wise provision for prolongng by some oobe
80 tha continuance of animal life upon our sioo.
b. tb;s nerod must come to close LOT II @ 'e.e -
rssst;np medium pervading the space oe.me?a ~ ~
~ snn the nal destiny of the eartn IS te
r rve gradually inward till, with veioci'y nun :
Suase e times greater than that of cannon Dali Il
dreds oi .lne Nth an awfuy sublime crash into the
mass OF 'i'e 0O' .Scientifn american.