Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-11-02
THE FINAL DESTINY OF THE



Encke's comet, which reyolves about
the sun in 81 years, has been observed
to complete its revolution in constantly
shortening period, showing that it is
being drawn inward toward the sun
This fact has led to the conclusion by
astronomers that the planets are moving
in resisting medium, far more atten-
uated than our atmosphere, but still suf-
/ fcient to affect their motions. If this is
SO, it follows by strict necessity that our
earth and its sister orbs are all winding
spirally toward the sun, and that they
must eventually strike against it and be-
come Incorporated with it's mass. The
time required for this purpose belongs
to those inconceivable periods with
which geology and astronomy have to
deal. The resisting medium is SO ex-
ceedingly attenuated that it exerts but
slight influence ON the comets, which are
themselves masses of the very thinnest
vapor, and its influence would of course
be very much less on the dense matter
of the planets. Astronomical observa-
tions, with all their wonderful delicacy,
have yet failed to detect the slightest
progr. ssive shortening in the periods
of revolution of any Of the planets. 1t
is curious, however, to note the multi
piled obstacles which prevent the percep-
I-tion of this fact, if it does exist. All
the measures of these revolutions are
shortening with the revolutions them
selves. IF we begin, for instance, with
the earth, the problem is to ascertain
whether the time occupied by the earth
in its journey around the sun is gradu-
ally becoming shorter. The first plan
that suggests itself is to compare this with
the rotation of the earth upon its axis,
to see whether the year occupies the
same number of days and hours and Sec
onds that it did in former times. But if
the earth is gradually cooling, it is con-
tracing in size, and its rotations on it's
axis are becoming more rapid; in other
words, the day is shortening with the
year; and if the measure shrinks Just in
proportion to the thing measured, we
cannot tell whether the latter is be-
coming shorter or not. IF we take the
time of the revolutions of the moon
4 around the earth as a standard, the same
resisting medium would draw the moon
toward the earth and shorten the month
also with the year. If we resort even to
the less satisfactory measure of the suns
rotation on its axis, its bulk is also di-
minishing by the radiation of his heat,
and the period of his rotation is conse-
quently becoming shorter. In brief,
from the two causes of radiation and the
resisting medium, all the times and dis
tances which could be used to measure
the earth s distance from the sun Cor the
period of its annual revolution) are
shortening together. So that the differ
ences in the extent of these several con-
fractions are the only means left for de-
tecting by observation the approach of
/ the earth to the sun, if such approach is
really taking place. These differences
would doubtless reveal themselves in the
course of generations to refined astro:
nomical observations.
IF the earth and the sun are gradua-
ally becoming cold, this winding of the
earth toward the sun would tend to keep
up its warmth, and it may be wise
provision for prolonging, by some mill
ions of years, the continuance of animal
life upon our globe. But this period
must come to close, for if there is re-
|.sisting medium pervading the space be-
tween US and the sun, the final destiny of
the earth is to curve gradually inward
till, with velocity hundreds of times
greater than that Of cannon ball, it
dashes itself with an awfully sublime
crash into the mass of the sun.-Scien.
tifc American.