Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-01-14
AsTR0N0NuCAL.
Tho Final Fate oftho Uniyerse.
rn,n the Scientific Americana

Prom the Sctontino AWefic1nl
ftwo bodies were placed in space
without any force acting upon each 9TH
er than their own gravity they would
Immediately start towards each other
and would rush together. The sun and
planets which constitute the stellar sys-
tenn to which our solar system belongs
are prevented from running together in
to n mass by their revolutions about
each other. The revolutions Of the
planets around u sun, and OF the
satellites about their primaries, have
been asc~ertained with that wonderful
precision which is the just pride Of as
tronomers science, and astronomers are
now engaged in the sublime problem OF
unravelling the revolutions OF the count
less cluster that make up our stellar sys-
tenn. Already the cluster Of the Pleia-
des is indicated as the proximate locali-
ty of the centre around which u sun,
with his attendant planets, is sweeping
his vast orbit; and it is suggested that
it is probably the common centre OF the
orbits of all the suns of u stellar sys-
tenn.
If the force Of gravity extends across
the inconceivable spaces which separ-
ate the several stellar system Of the uni
verse, those systems must rush togeth-
err unless they are held apart by revolu-
tons around each other.
If light were an emanation, as held
by Newton, the spaces between the solid
bodies of the universe might be abs6-
lutely empty and, in that case, the
revolutions Of the bodies around each
other might 60 on forever. On the
other hand, if light is Il vibration in a
subtle fluid, the fluid might obstruct the
motion Of bodies revolving in it, and
they must finally come together in one
mass. The experiment so ingeniously
devised by Arago, and carried out with
such honorable regard for the fame Of
its designer by Messrs. Foucadlt, Fizeau
and Bereque, to determine whether
there is a difference in the velocity of
light in its passage through air and
water, has demonstrated that light is a
vibration. 1t follows from this that, as
far as light extends, space is filled with
a material fluid, which resists the mo-
ton Of bodies revolving in it; and
bodies within this space must gradually
wind their way inward, and ultimately
come together in n mass.
The moon must be drawing slowly
nearer and nearer the earth, and the two
bodies, in the far distant future, will
come together. The solid crust of the
will be broken up BY the shock,
an immense quantity of heat will be
generated by the destruction of the
motion, and the two bodies will
fuse together into one molten globe.
the new and enlarged earth is cooled
upon its surface, q second series OF geo.
deposits will be constituted, &C
companied, perhaps, BY strange and in
conceivable forms of animal and vege-
life.
At the same time, the earth is wind
ing its way inward toward the sun, and
ultimately fall, an in~considerable
pebble, into the vast glowing mass. The
same fate awaits all the planets, and
our solar system must one day be but a
globe. When that globe is cooled
to the right temperature, it may be
covered with a multitude Of inhabitants,
and astronomers may rise who will
its revolutions among the associa-
ted u n of our stellar system. If their
and intellect are equal to the
of our astronomers, they will.
the ultimate coming together Of
all these suns into n common globe.
And not this only, for they will predict
the final coming together Of all the
stellar systems of the visible universe
into one mass Of matter.
When this mass is first collected, it
will be intensely hot from the destruc-
ton Of motion in the several suns and
systems of suns as they come together.
The heat will be radiated outward into
the universe, and the n mas of mat
ter will be gradually cooled. During
the cooling there will be the same play
and mutual interchange of heat, light,
electricity, magnetism, and other i'm
forces that are now upon the
As the cooling proceeds, the
action of these will diminish; when OF
degrees is reached, light will cease, and
darkness will fill the universe. As each
vibration of heat. leaves the material
mass, it will expand upward at the rate
Of 1872, 900 miles per second in all direc-
tons, in the form of a quick-swelling
globe. When the temperature
Of absolute cold is reached (-4s2-2 de-