Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1867-01-11
The Final Fate Of the Universe.


out any force acting upon each other than
their own gravity, they would immediate
ly start toward each other, and would rush
together The. sun and planets which
constitute the stellar system to which our
solar system belongs are prevented from
running together into ono mass by their
revolutions about each other. Tho royo.
lutions Of tho planets around our sun, aud
of the satellites about their primaries, have
been asccriainod with that wonderful pre-.
cision which Is the just pride of asiro.
nomical science, and astronomers arc now
engaged in tho sublime problem Of unray-
cling tho revolutions Of tho countless suns
that mako up our stellar system. Already
the cluster Of the Pleiados Is indicated es
the proximato locality Of tho center around
which our sun, with his attendant planets,
u sweeping bis vast orbit; and il ia sug.
gestod that II Is probably the common cen.
tor Of the orbits Of all the suns Of our stel.
lar Rystom
II tho force Of gravity extends across
the inconeeivable spaces which separate
the several stellar systems Of the universe,
those systems muAt rush together unless
they are held apar, BY revolutions around
each other.
III light were an cnianaiion. ms held by
Newion, tho space betysen the solid bod.
los of the universe might be absolutely
empty and In that case, tho revolutions
Of the bodies around each other might 10
on forever. On the other hand, if light Is
vibration in subtle Auid, the fluid might
obstruct the motions of bcdies revolving
In II, and they must finally come together
in ono mass The experiment so ingeni
ously devised by Arago, and carried out
with such honorable regard for the fame
Of It's designer by Messrs. Foucault, Fizoau
aud Hcreque, 10 determine whether there
is difference in the velocity Of light in
It's passage through air and water, has
demonstrated that light is a vibration. Ii
follows from this that. as far as light OK
tends, spaee is filled with material fluid,
which resists the motion Of bodies reyolv-
ing In II; aud bodies within this space
must gradually find their way inward and
ultimately come together into one rnnss.
The moon must be drawing worry slowly
nearer aud nearer the earth, and the two
bodies, In the far distant future, will come
together The solid crust Of the earth will
be broken up by tho shock, an immense
quantity Of heat will be generated by tho
destruction Of tho moons motion, aud the
two bodies will fuse together into one
molten globe. As the new and enlarged
earth Is cooled upon It's surface, a second
series Of geological deposits will be cons,i.
tutod, accompanied perhaps by strange and
ineonceiyablo forms OF animal aud vogo-
table life.
At the same time the earth Is winding
It's wny inward TO the sun, aud must uti-
matcly fall, mn inconslderable pebble into
the vast glowing macs. Tho same fate
awaits oil the planets. and our solar sys.
tenn must one day be but single globe.
When this globe Is cooled to tho right
temperature, II may be covered with null
titudc Of inhabitants, aud astronomers
may riso who will watch It's revolutions
among tho associated suns Of our stellar
system. Ii their knowledge aud intellect
nre equal 20 tho science Of our astrono.
mers. they will foresoe tho ultimate com.
ing together Of all these suns into one
common globe, And not this only, for
they will predict tho Gnal coming together
Of NIL the stellar systems Of tho visible
universe into ono mass OF matter.
When this mass is first eollestsa, IL viii
bo intensely hot from tho destruction of
motion in the several suns aud systems Of
suns as they como together. Tho heat
will be mdiatod outward into the universe,
aud the Que mass Of matter will bo grad
ually cooled. During the cooling there
will be The same play and mutual inter.
change Of heat, light, electricity, magnet
ism, aud other imponderablo forces that
arc now upon this earth. AS the cooling
proceeds, tho action of these forces win
diminish; when or dog. Is reached, light
will cease. and darkness will oil the uni.
verse. AS each vibration of heat leaves
the material mass, it will expand outward
at the rate Of 1872 900 miles per second In
oil directions, in the Form OF swift swell
ling hollow globo, When tho tempcra.
ture of absolute cold Is reached, (-4932
degrees) the last vibration Of heat will
leave tho mass Of matter, and will expand
outward through all infnity of space and
hme.
Supposing. however, tho ethereal nuid
which fills tho visible portion Of the uni
verse is limited in extent, so that the last
vibration Of heat will reach its boundaries
and cease, what then becomes Of the force
Of the universe and OF the doctrine Of tho
conversion Of force