The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-10-12
The Final Fate OF The Universe.
rScientiic American r,4,l,l.


any force acting upon other than their own
gravity, they would Immediately start to-
ward each other, and wou d rush together.
The sun and planets, which constitute the
stellar system to which our solar system be-
longs, are, prevented from rushing together
into one mass bya their revolutions about each
other. The revolutions of the planets
around our sun, and Of tie satellites abort
their primaries, have been ascertained, with
that wonderful precision which is the just
pride of astronomical SCIENCE, and astrono-
msr. are now engaged in the sublime pro-
bem Of unraveling the revolutions of the
countless suns that make up our stellar sys-
tenn Already the cluster of the Pleiades is,
indicated as the. proximate locality Of the
eeotef around which our sun, with his atten-
dapt planets, is sweeping bis vast orbit; and
it is suggested that thisis probably the
common center Of the orbits eff all the SIMS of
our stellar system. . ri y ibaar law slsha
Iftaeforcsi of gravity extends across the
nconceivablso spaces q which, separate the
several stellar systems Of the universe, these
systems must rush together unless, they are
held apart bygreyolutions around, each other.
flight were an efl1anation, as held by New
ton, the spaces bstweef the solid bodies Of the
universe might Be absolutely empty; and in
that case, the revolutions Of the bodi.saround
each other might go Nh forever On the other
hand If light is a vibration in subtle fluid,
this fluid must obstr,lct the motions of bodies
rsyolving in it, and they must finally come
together in ,ons macs, The experiment, so
ingeniously devised by Arago, and carried out
With such honorable regard for the fame of
its designer, by Messls. Foucaut, Fizeau, and
breguet, to determine whether there is diff
ierescs in theAvelocitya Of light ID its passage
through air and water, has demonstrated
that light is a vibration 1t follows from
this, that, far as light ex tends, space is ill
ed with material fluid which ressts the mo-
ton Of bodies revolving in it, and bodies
within this space must gradually wind thelr
way inward, and ultimately come together
into one mass. hhS9i % a''~ .'1'45f"@ VII
The moon, must be drawing very slowly
nearer and nearer to the earth, and the two
bodies, in the far distant future will come
together. 1.-The. solid crust of the earth will
be broken up by the shock, an immense
quantity OF heat will be generated by the
destruction of the moons motion, and the two
bodies will fuse together into one molten
globe. AS the new ard enlarged earth is
cooled upon its surface, a second series of ge-
illogical deposits will be constituted, accom-
panied, perhaps, by strange and inconceiva-
bic forms Of animal and vegetable life.
At the Same time, the earth is winding it's
way inward toward the sun, and must ult-
mately fall an inconsiderable; pebble, into
that vast glowing mass, The same fste
awaits all the planets, and our solar system
must one day be but a single globe. When
this globe is cooled to the right temperature,
1t May be covered with a multitude of inhabi-
tants, and astronomers may arise who will
watch its revolutions among the associated
suns Of our stellar system. II their knowledge
and intellect are equal to the sciences Of our
astronomers, they will feresee the ultimate
coming together Of all these suns into one
common globe. Aud not this only, for they
VIII predict the final coming together of all
the stellar systems Of the visible universe into
one mass of matter. ''-'F'1
When this mass is first collected, it will To
intensely hot from the destruction of motion
in the several suns and systems, Of suns as
they come together. The heat will be radiatedl
outward into the universe, and the one nase
Of matter awillabe gradually cooled. During
the cooling there will be the same play and
mutual Interchange Of heat; light, electricity.
magnetism aud other imporaefabls forces that
there is now upon this earth AS the cooling
proceeds the action OF these forces will
diminish; when OFT degrees is reached, light
will cease, and darkness win fiji the universe.
AS each vibration of heat leaves the surface OF
the material mass it will expand outward at
the rate of 10000 miles per second in all
directions in the form of swiftly -swellilg
hollow globe When the TEN perature Of
absolute cold is reached (-A49s-2 degrees
the last vibration Of heat will leave the mass
Of matter and will expand outward through
in6nity CT space and time. -
Surprising, however, the ethereal fluid
which fills the visible portion of the universe
is limited in extent, 80 that the last vibration
OF heat will reach it's boundaries, and cease,
whatthen becomes ofths force ofthe universe
and ofthe doctrine ofthe conservation offorce Z
The second pSen NJ $1,000. y 81