Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-08-20

the summit contains no element but hy-
drogen, and sodium appears n little lower,
while iron is, possibly, the element 70 rise
with the greatest difficulty, and 20 fall back
soonest into the bosom Of the sun. We
have also reason 20 believe that these pro
tuberances are identical with the dark
masses known as "spots" when seen on
That part of the suns atmosphere which is
between ne and his body.
CONSTITUTION or THE Sun.
So much, then, we know Of the cUDstl-
tuition ofthe SUN that he ls surrounded by
double atmosphere, and that the Interior
one is selfluminous and the scene of v e.
lent changes connected with the formation
and movement of Immense buiks of inca
descent matter. We know, further, th
many Of the substances which are found,
IN large quantities on the earth exist also
IN the SUN, and We may reason from anal
ugy that other yet undiscovered terrenc
elements join these 10 make up the grand
Total of aJlar matter. but beyond this lies
a vast VOID belonging 70 the regions of the
unkhown; probably much thst will for
ever remain unknowable" by mortal
But where knowledge ends speculation be-
gins d -ANaeaa W. 40 4
+ IL has been thought that the luminous
and non luminous atmospheres of the sun
are Ike two air strata In our atmosphere
not absolutely separable, nor divided by a
| line the position of which can be in
| dicated. This is, we believe, the general
theory with those who entertain one, that II
Is but a general aldistincti0n like the discrin.
iination between upper and lower portions
IDf our atmosphere, the one merging
into the other by imperreptibIe gfada,
tion, and the selflunilnosity ceasing only
lYhen the density becomes too small To adj
Unit of that intensity of vibration which is
Supposcd necessary 10 originate the sensa-
tion of Hight tg ,s.... b.. t..
rhs may be 50, but il seems quite as
Iprobable that the sun condition il similar,
bin respect to form, with that of the earth
before the continents were upheaveo by
tvoleanie force. Then the ocean covered
the land, and was itself surrounded by an
outer atmosphere of air, the two oceans,
then as now, not only balancing each
other, but being mutually necessary to the
integrity of character pertaining 20 each
OF course II is not necessary that the
IphOtosphere should be composed Of any
thing like what we call water, and indeed
we haveno particular reason to believe
that oxygen, the chief constituent OF
water, Is present at ALL But IL is neces
sartiy a somewhat dense fluid, and is
probably in n state of more intense motion
than any intcrmOvement of particles OF
which We have any knowledge. There is
no doubtthat this fluid is also intensely hot
butthat Is probably not,a result of combus
tion,and is more a consequence of its rapid
motion Than a necessary condition Of heat
in the solar r'ys. So far ~ we know
light and heat are phenomenal only-merc
conditions, nOtmaterial entties--and these
sensations are communicated only by the
intermcdlate vibrations of material parti
cles. 1t is always cold on the tops of high
mountains, though there I've level enough
to admit of a large amount of earth radi
alton, and we must conclude that the differ.
ence is principally due TO a lesscned density
of the atmosphere, which presents fewer
particles to be vibrated in the passage OF
the solar raysi hence less of motion
hence less of the sensation of heat. The
suns rays are warm and light to us only
because they vibrate through certain
media. Take away those media, and the
sensation is absent. valC nn
1 We have every reason to believe that
4 the earth and moon have existed under
somewhat similar conditions to those now
| witnessed in the sun, with this probable
| difference that the earth has compare.
| tive excess of oxygen, and the sun OF
| hydrogen, while the moon is deficient of
both of those elements. To this difference
we may perhaps look for consolation
| against the fear that the sun will be burned
| out ultimately, and leave our posterity a
! thousand generations hence to die out of
cold. The above view is perfectly consist
ent, too, with the idea that the sun may be
/ II fit residence for animated beings, organ
lied in adaptation TO the situation, and en-
ables us to drop the difficulty which meets
| us in the attempt to conceive of an eter-
nally selt-sustaining conhagration.