, 1877-08-17
The Sun in Flames.

Concerning the oft-mooted question
whether the sun may not some day come
in collision with comet, Prof. Proctor
says: "Supposing there really is, l will
not say danger, but possibility, that
our sun may one day, through the arriv-
al Of some very large comet travelling
directly toward him, share the fate of
other suns whose outbursts have been
described by astronomers, we might be
destroyed unawares, or we might be made
aware for several weeks of the approach
of the destroying comet. Suppose, for
example, the comet, which might arrive
from any part of the heavens, came from
out that part of the star depths which is
occupied by the constellation Taurus
then, if the arrival were so timed that
the comet, which might reach the sun at
any time, fell upon him in May or June,
we should know nothing Of that comets 8
approach; for it would approach in that
part Of the heavens which was occupied
by the sun, and his splendor would hide
as with veil the destroying enemy. On
the other hand, if the comet, arriving
from the same region of the heavens, so
approached as to fall upon the sun in
November or December, we should see it
for several weeks. For it would then ap.
proach from the part of the heavens high
above the southern horizon at midnight.
Astronomers would be able in few days
after it was discovered to determine its
path and predict its downfall upon the
sun, precisely as Newton calculated the
path of his comet and predicted its near
approach to the sun. 1t would be known
for weeks then that the event which New
ton contemplated as likely to cause tre-
mendous outburst of solar heat, compe-
tent to destroy all life upon the surface
of our earth, was about to take place;
and, doubtless, the minds of many stu
dents of science would be exercised dur
ing that interval in determining whether
Newton was right or wrong. For my own
part, have very little doubt that, though
the change in the suns condition in con-
sequence of the direct downfall upon his
surface Of very large comet would be
but temporary, and in that sense slight,
yet the effect upon the inhabitants of the
earth would be by no means slight. |
do not think that any students of science
would remain, after the catastrophe, to
record its effects.
fortunately, all that we have learned
hitherto from the stars favors the belief
that, while catastrophe of this sort may
be possible, it is exceedingly unlikely.
We may estimate the probabilities pre-
cisely in the same way that an insurance
company estimates the chance of rail-
way accident. Such company consid'
ers the number of accidents which occur
among a given number of railway jour.
neys, and from the smallness of the nun
Der of accidents compared with the large
ness of the number of journeys estimates
the safety of railway travelling. Our sur
is one among many millions of suns, any
one of which Though all but few thou
sands are actually invisible) would be-
come visible to the naked eye, if exposed
to the same conditions as have affected
the suns in flames referred to above. SEQ
ing then, that during the last two thou
sand years or thereabouts only a few
instances of the kind, certainly not &C
many as twenty, have been recorded, we
may fairly consider the chance exceed
ingly small that during the next two
thousand, or even the next twenty thou
sand years, our sun will be exposed to q
catastrophe Of the kind"