The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1873-06-19

often TALL upon the Garth, and that the
suns attraction is over 100000 times
greater than that of cur planet. 1t is fair
to assume, then, that great numbers of
these strange bodies fall upon the sun.
But can we assume that enough of them
fall to generate its entire heat? This
question DR.. Mayer discussed with won
derful Ingenuity Almost every possible
objection was foreseen, and fairly an.
swered He made careful calculations
covering every point. And thouA h he
coald not prove his theory, he gave tire
markabls strength. Whether it be true
or false. it is worthy of admiration, and
of a high place among human .pecula-
tlons. Though it should fail the authors
fame will certainly be enduring. ab
That space contains vast numbers of
these meteoric bodies is unquestlonable
Shooting stars are vislb every night in.
the year. Millions,yes, billions of them,ap-
proach the earth annually. Some pass
rapidly athwart the upper regions of our
atmosphere; some are diss pated in vapor;
and some, venturing too far within the
sphere Of the earth's attraction, fall solid
~ to the ground. These last occasionally
weigh several tons apiece, though aroIites
Of more than hundred pounds are rare.
Of those which reach the earth, however,
but few are found AS the ocean is of
greater area than dry gaud, many must be
lost in its waves. Others fall into lakes
or rivers into desolate or uninhabited re
GYMS, or into lands occupied by savages.
Probably not one in thousand is recog-
nized by intelligent man. at certain
seasons the earth passes through the ne
teoric belts, as in August and November
of each year. And once in every thirty
three years star showers of the moss su-
perb character are seen. The great show
er of 1888 rendered at least two hundred
and forty thousand meteors visible in
Boston. They fell, crowded together
like snow flakes" And yet the earth
passes through but small portion OF the
space which is Tributary TO the sun. In
other words the SIM has not only more
than three hundred thousand times the
earth's attractive power, but also an over.
whelmingly larger reservoir of meteors to
draw from.
Suppose now, that these meteors were
TO fall in considerable numbers upon the
sune This is hardly supposition, there
is so little reasonable doubt of it. As
have already stated, heat would be pro-
duced. Each erolite would by its fall,
generate as much heat as would he given
out by the combustion of a mass of coal
nine thousand times its size. Here, then
we have generous source of heat. but
none too generous for our needs. For, to
cover the solar expenditure, at least two
hundred billions of tons of meteoric mat.
ter must fall upon the suns surface every
minute? This woHld be about one ounce
to The square yard. Imagination stsggers
under such figures as these. Up to thi
the theory has seemed reasonable, but
now it begins to look wild. Can it be
that this wonderful storm of falling stars
is every moment falling TO the SUM-? Can
we conceive of such stupendous phenome-
ma? Indeed, Is not the prob EN- to be
solved to- vast for human conception?
Some of the more obvious obj ections to
this theory have been satisfactorily met
by DR.. Mayer himself With others he
may no. have been successful It is said
that, ii the hypothesis be true. if 50 many
billions of tons of tons of matter are each
moment added to the sun, that body must
be continually growing larger. Should
We not see it increase visibly in size?
In answer to this, Mayer has shown that
at least thirty-three thousand years would
have to elapse before the increase in the
suns dimensions could be detected even
with our most delicate instruments. If all
the planets of our solar system, with
their satellites, were to fall into the sun,
as perhaps in time they may, its expendi-
ture Of heat would be covered for a little
more than. forty. five thousand years. Pos
sibly our earth, when its mission is com.
pleted, ages hence, may thus be verbally
destroyed by fire. Such are the fields of
speculation opened ND to US by the mar.