The Ottawa free trader., 1877-03-31
SUNS IN PLAN M.
How the Earth may he Destroyed anu "here
Our Salty Lies.


Our Salty Lies.
The catastrophe In the stellar systematic
confederation of q star which caused so
much Commotion in astronomical circles a
few months ago, is made the subject OF an
article IN Belgracia March, by Richard A.
Proctor. He says that this catastrophe hap
pened probably hundred years ago: the
messenger which brought the news to u.s.
thoupb travelling at a rate sufficient to circle
the earth eight times IN the course of a sec
ond, had traversed millions upon millions of
miles before reaching us last November. If
a similar accident happened 10 our sun the
creatures on that side of the earth turned to-
wards him would be destroyed IN an instant,
and the rest very quickly afterwards The
heavens would be dissolved, and the elements
would melt with fervent heat. The question
is asked whether the earth is in this danger,
and whether warning would be given Of the
coming destruction. The answer may be
gathered from the facts mentioned In the ar
ticle. There have been other solar conlagra,
tionS before that which was made known last
fall. The first on rscOrd-Observed by Hipar-
chus-Occurred 1000 years ago. 1t was seen
blazing in fall daylight, showing that it was
many times brighter than Sirius, the blazing
dog-star. 1t was called new star because it
had ever been invisible until its coniIagration
made its light temporarily visible. The next
new star (or stellar Confagration) appeared
in the region of the heavens between Cepheus
and Casslopcla three times, a. ID. 945 1264,
1912, and is expected to be seen on hre again
before .ong. This star remained burning al its
last appearance for sixteen months. Ii ap-
peared larger than Jupiter and brighter than
Sirius. 1t did not attain this lustre gradually,
but shone forth at once in its full size and
brightness as If it had been Of instant Crea-
tian. In 1896 Fabricius observed a new star
IN the neck of the "Whale' constellation, and
IN September, 1904, new one was discovered
in Ophiuchus In 1910 new star appeared
in the constellation Cygnus remaining visi-
bic for nearly two years. In lS4S another
was seen, which has continued IN existence
since its apparent creation. BY the aid of
the telespectrOscope-an instrument Combin-
ing the telescope and the spectroscope-itw vas
found that the increase in the stars light rem
deriGg the star visible was due to the abnOr-
NAL heat of the hydrogen surrounding that
remote sun. But it could not be so easily de-
cided whether this hydrogen was aglow with
the heat of the star or whether absolute COM
bastion was in process. In other words, was
It q red.hot piece oflron or like red hot coal
These star cOnfagratoDs, it IS believed, are
caused by contact with other heavenly bodies
--meteorc fights travelling on eccentric
paths, or those in attendance OF the comets.
TO follow in its path years after the comet has
disappeared. The tail of the comet of 1913
must actually have grazed our sun, New.
tons comet nearly approached 1t. At any
time we might be visited by comet might
ier than either, travelling on an orbit inter
sectlng the suns surface, followed by flights
ofmeteOrC masses enormous in size and ma
NJ in number, which, falling upon the sun,
would excite his whole frame to degree OF
heat far exceeding what he now emits. We
have evidence ofthe tremendous heat TO which
the suns surface would be excited In such
case In 1859 two meteOric masses came in
Is contact with the sun. The downfall OF
these two bodies only affected the whole frame
OF the earth at the very time when the sun
had been thus disturbed. Vivid aurOras
were seen where they had never been seen
before, accompanied by electro magnetic dis.
tu.bances all over the world. In many places
the telegraph struck work, the signal men re.
ceived severe shocks, and at Boston flame
OF fire followed the pen Of Bain's electric tel
egraph, which writes the message upon chem
lcally.prepared paper This was the effect of
two meteors. The effect of comet bearing
IN its flight many mlllisns Of meteoric masses
falling upon the sun-should that take place
can be understood Our sun seen from
some remote star whence ordinarily he ia in.
visible would shine out as new sun Tor q
few days, while all things living on our earth
and whatever other members Of the solar sys-
tenn are the abode of life would inevitably be
destroyed. If a comet came out OF the con-
stellatlon Taurus, arriving in such time as
to fall upon the sun in May or June, the light
OF the sun would act as veil, and we should
be instantly destroyed without knowing any
thing about it. II it fell in November or
December we should see it for weeks, and AS
t-0uomcrs would b. able 10 tell Us when 1t
would tall upon the sun. The disturbance
upon the sun would be temporary but there
would be no students Of science left to record
tac effects. The chances are largely against
such an acCldeat. our sun Is one among
millions, any one Of " hch would become vis.
be TO the eve urlrr such an accident, yet
during the las! : 80 ears less tnan twenty
sIch ca;as,roph,- ld.e been recorded. Mr.
Proctor mOreoyc: ,s,,Ires Us in another way
lie says in eiieC i all but one Of these con-
ssgrajiOns have Nrared IN the zone of the
Milky Way, ani .4.J one in region con.
recied with til y Ky Way by wc!lmarked
stream of stars. at the process or develop
ment Is still G. N in that region, bat that
there be amc.. Hc comets travelling IN
regular attenda. i'an The sun one whose
orbit intcrsects Il AN globe 1t must have
struck before the ula OF NAN, and that in Onr
solar system we may fairly believe that all
comets Of the destructive sort have been elm
mated, aud that for many ages still tu come
TIE san will continue 10 discharge his duties
E,, e.. NF In s,lpr