The mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1863-1943, 1865-04-22
Ieat and Force Of the sOlar system

Heat and Force OF the Solar System.
Hr;cSessNr U%l''%N1sc1~,iN his essay on
E'The Interaction of Natural Forces" re
fccntly repubiShed by Appleton & Co.,
Hpresents these facts and calculations in
regard TO the heat and force developed in
the solar system:
THE THEORY OF LAPLAcB.
A nutaber Of singular peculiarities in
the structure Of our planetary system in
&dicate that it was once connected mass
Hwith a uniform motion of rotation.-
NWithout such an assumption, it is impos
,HSible to explain why all the planets move
Ain the same direction round the sun. why
Nthey all rotate in the same direction
Nround their axis, why the planes of their
GorbitS, and those. of their satellites and
HrineS all nearly coincide, why all their or.
1bits differ but little from circles, and much
x sthesides. From these remaining indica
sstions of former state, astronomers have
hshaped an hypothesis regarding the for
'Imation Of our planetary system, which
EaIthough from the nature Of the case il
tmust cver remain an hypothesis, still il
'Eits special traits is so we'll supported by
kanalogy, that it certainly deserves our at
Atention. 1t was Kant, who, feeling Srcat
Ninterest in the physical description Of thl
Fsearth and the planetary system. under
Atook the labor Of studying the works Of
ksNcT!on, As an evidence Of the depth tC
kEwhich he h d penetrated into the funda
,Ssmcntal ideas Of Newton, seized the notior
Esthat the same attractive force Of all pom
&derable matter which now supports tho
'GmOtion Of the planets, must also ai0rctint
,Ehave been able to form from matter loose
.Tly scattered in space, the planetary syS
.rtrm. Afterwards, and independent o
Kant, Laplacc, the great author Of the
tMecanique Celeste, laid hold of the same
.5thought, and introduced it among astron
.r1omerS.
IA The commencement of our planetary
HSystem, including the sun, must according
ITO this. be regarded as an iiAmcnsc ncbu
HI us mass which filled the portion o
!, space which is now occupied by our sys
Item. far beyond the limits Of Neptune
Egour most distant planet. Even now W.
MperhapS see similar masses in the di>tan
rAregionS Of the irmdment, as patches o
5lntbui;r, and ncbulous stars within oui
E.y>ttm also, comets, the Hodiacal light
f.thc corona Of the sun during tota
Aeclipsc. exhibit remnants of ncbulon;
%Substance, which is 50 thin that the liGh
sGof the stars asses through it unentccb.ct
,ssand unrcfracted. If we calculate the den
rEsity Of the mass Of our planetary system
Aaccording to the above assumption, 70
9fthe time when it was ncbulouS sphere
'twhich reached to the path Of the outnos
n planet, we should fud that it would re
{ fquire several cubic miles cf such mate
Sst) weigh single grain,
a EFrECTf0F CONTRACTION.
IA Let us make this addition to our a,
T. rFsumpton that, at the commencement
listic density Of the ncbulutl> matter was
quantity, As compared with til
, .#pres cnt density of the sun and planets
Hive can then calculate how much wor
I 'tsiia> been performed by the condensation
Five can further calculate how mu,h q
N his work exists in the form Of mcchani
>, cal force. as attraction OF the planets to
sjwardS the sun, and as yis viva Of thci
! motion, and find, by this. how much O
the force has been converted intO heat.
! The result Of this calculation is, that on
lv about the 10Th part Of the original me
: .achanical force remains Is such, and tina
the remainder. converted into hca,
: would be sufficient to rai>e a mass of WA
''i'tcr C9nai To the sun and the planets tx
. zen together, not less than twenty ciEl
},.uiion> Of degrees Of tt, renti-radc seal,
= Fur the sake of comparison. will men
ton that the highest temperature " h:tI
j wc can produce hy the oXyhyirNg,
=, hiowpipe, WA!ch is sufficient TO iu,e an'
t .,yaporize s., even p)atina, aud which but few
-t,;EuhieS can endure, is estimated at ahOu
i@two Thousand centigraIe degrees. OF tn
Faction of temperature of twenty-eiSEi
Hmiliions Of such degrees We can form n
Emotion. If the mass Of our entire syster
cSawe:c pure coal. by the combustion Of tn
; ,&s"h"lt Of it only the 35o0th part of til
galore quantity would be generated -
,'gThis is also clear, that such develop
's.,ncut Of heat must have presented til
r riH.rcatc>t obstacle to the speedy union q
). the misses, that the larger part Of III
ls#heat must have been di!TuScd by radia
ti;tion Into space, before the mass coul
! form bodies possessing the present dcnSi
I 'stv "l thcotlin and planets, and that tHcs
I; ;Eh,lic: must once have been in STATE o
Aiticry Huiity. This notion is coroborat"'
, ,oy the geological phenomina Of our plan
| Jet and with regard To the other pIanvta
.siTy bodies. the ilattencd form Of the sphere
(which is the form Of equilibrium of tiuit
|. l.gmaSS, is indicative Of a former state o
j; ;loidity. If | thus permit an imncns
l,,qnantity of heat to disappear withou
EcompenSation from our system, the prin
;3ciplc Of the conservation Of f3rce is no
|. thereby invaded. Certainly fer our plan
tsNct it is lost, bat not for the universe. |
! has proceeded outward>, and daily pro
! ,cccds outwards, into infinite space; ant
1--WE know not whether the medium whicl
. transmits the undulatons of light ant
cheat possess an end where the rays mus
g., ,Ereturn, or whether they etrrnay pursu
.H,their way through ntinitude.
'sQrANrIrY OF nEAT IN THE EARTn's MOTION
~ The store Of force at present possessed
= by our system, IS also equivalent to i'm
!menSe quantities of heat. If our cart
eiwere by sudden shock brought to res
-fon her nrbit-which is not to be feared il
the existing arrangement of our system =
Hbv such shock quantity of heat woul'
! be generated equal to that produced b,
E the combustion of fourteen such earthS o
=; solid coal. Making the most unfavorabl
! ltasSumpton as to its capacity for heat
-Fithat is, placing it equal to that of water
EIthe mass of the earth would thereby b
Cheated l7,200 degrees; it would therefor
Mbequite fused and for the most part re
kduccd to vapor. II then, the earth, afte
Nhovinr hnnn thuc hrnnUht tn rest ShOnli