Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-03-10

is Mr.. Proctor's conclusion, baseC
upon the most thorough and careful
observation of these minor solar sys
TENS.
Whether the two other major plan.
cts, Uranus and Neptune, still retain
so much Of their primeval heat as tC
be uniDhabitable themselves, white fl
to exert solar influences upon their sat
elites, cannot now he determined
| Uranus is "a times, Neptune los times
as large as the earth; but the former
only Outweighs us twelve times, and
the latter sixteen times. Hence we
may infer the retention of a good deal
of heat; but it is impossible to form
any definite conclusion as to the state
of affairs upon the surfaces of these
! planets in the absence of such results
as have been obtained by the direct OBJ
servatiOn of Jupiter and Saturn. At
present we know little or nothing
about the physical condition of these
! two oldest members of our planetary
system.
1t may he urI ed, however, that in
spite of their great size the antiquity
OF the two OuternloSt planets makes il
probable that their heat was long since
! lost, and they are now frozen worlds,
| covered with the extinct volcanoes,
something like our moon. In reply it
must be pointed out that the supply OF
heat with which these planets started
was relatively far greater than the orig
inal supply Of any of the younger
planets. We must remember that
when Neptune was formed the solar
mass filled the entire Neptunian orbit.
of
than million miles. His diameter
was then nearly six thousand million
miles. All the heat which has since
then been poured into surrounding
space, and the loss OF which has shrunk
the sun to his present dimensions, was
then retained, and the newborn plan
ct partoOk of it. By the time Uranus
was formed the solar mass had shrnnk
thousand million miles in every di-
rIctiOn, so that Uranus was less hot
Than Neptune, though far hotter than
any subsequent planet. But when our
Firth was formed, the solar mass, hav-
ing shrunk to diameter of less than
two hundred million miles. was COM
paratIvely cool. Great as our primi-
tive heat appears tO have been, when
measured by familiar terrestrial stand
ards, it was as nothing compared TO
the prOdigious Temperature with which
the outer planets began their career
If we compare the cooling of the Earth
or Mars to that of the tea in cup, and
the cooling of Jupiter 10 that of the
tea in pot. We may compare the
cooling of Uranus or Neptune to that
of the teapot itself after having been
heated to whiteness. 1t appears not
improbable, therefore, that these plan
cts may still retain enough of heat.
and perhaps Of light, 70 serve as qu.ck-
ening suIs TO the small worlds which
circle around them.
Turning now from the largest to the
smallest members of the solar system.
we find conclusive evidence that our
own moon has long sir &c become quite
unfit for the support of organic life
In the first place, there is no atmos-
phere upon the surface of the NOON
" We have long known this quite GER
taiEly, because we see that when stars
are Occulted by the moon they disalp-
pear instantanc0usly which would
not lee the case had the moon AZ appre-
ciable atmosphere. Lately, moreover,
the spectrOscope has directly proved
the absence of air from the lunar sur
face. Secondly, the lunar day lasts n
terrestrial fortnight, during which the
moons surface is exposed 10 a heat of
almost Uncomfortable intensity. while,
during the equally long lunar night,
this heat is all lost. since there is no
atmosphere to check radiation; and
consequently more than arctic cold
must prevail. Thirdly, there are no
liquid oceans on the moons surface,
for if there were, the intense nOontide
eat would raise large masses of water
in the shape of vapor; and of these
clouds both telescope and spectrOscope
would instantly take aognizance. No
such vapor-masses have ever been Oh
served there.
Yet, according to the nebular n.y.
pOthesis, there must be air and water
somewhere upon the moon. If the
moon was once portion of the earth's
equatorial periphery, it is most likely
made up OF the same materials which
have from the oldest times constituted
the terrestrial surface. This apparent
discrepancy between observation and
deduction leads us to a striking con-
clusiOn which will ne found to be COM
pletely in harmony with all that we
NJ "" NNiiCNiHliiS tue lJicSClI COituItlOit
of the lunar surface. That surface is
almost entirely made up of huge mass
es of volcanic rocks and of volcanic
craters of vast capacity, whose fires
are now, however, totally extinguish
ed. The stupendous forces required to
bring about such a state of things are
now quiescent. Does not all this inn
ply that the moon is literally planet
nd ofi IL "a
not imply that the energies which
were once instrumental in raising
| those cones, TychO, COpernicus, and
| the rest-quaintly named after our ter
restrial heroes of science-and which
o: &c forced up fiery streams of molten
rock through their ample mouths, are
now clean gone, 1issipated, radiated off
into space?
A brief examination will show us
| that such must lie the case. The forces
concerned il these extensive volcanic
! phenomena were the internal heat of
the planet and the pressure of it's case
Gus nucleus upon its solid envelope
| Mr.. Spcncer's researches have gone
far to show that the escape of heat
from any planetary body must result
| i'm the qualification of an external shell
or crest about an internal mass of gas !;
and TINT II is the balance between the
expansive force of the gaseous interior
and the gravitative force of the solid
and liquid crest which preserves the
equilibrium of the surface. AS heat
continues to escape, the expansive en-
ergy of the interior is lessenVd, and il
slightly contracts, closely followed 10y
! thegravitatingc crest. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
arc the wrinkles produced in the crest
as it slowly and irregularly sinks upon
the shrinking nucleus; and earth
! Cuakcs are sometimes the vibrations
which attend this process. Mountains
may also be slowly upheaved, and
earthquakes occasiOned 10y the pressure
Of the nucleus temporarily overcoming
the resistance of the envelope. And
upon this theory alone can we explain
the prodigious forces concerned in vol
canic eruptions. Now, in the later
stages of the history of the planet,
when the loss of heat has come In be
excessive, and the expansive force ol
the gaseous nucleus is consequently
reduced to a minimum, the ever thick