New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-06
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
THE VELOCITY or PLANETS.
POWER OF AERoLIrEs TO ACCELERATE rT-pgo

| POWER OF AERoLIrEs TO ACCELERATE IT-pRoyrs
soR DOoLITTLE REPLIES TO PROFESSOR vrv
cHEfL.
| To the Editor Of The Tribune.
| SIR: There can be no doubt that Professo,
wnche preceded me IN the conception OF aerolhIc a.
CELEBRATION OF planetary velocity. He announced t IN
public lecture last December: and did not form tn
conception till February think however, that haya
outstrpped him in the deduction Of consequences ana
relations By the aid OF this conception think we Ar.
able furnish the most satisfactory explanation th>
| following classes OF phenomena
l. The want of coincidence between the solar eous
toral plane and the planetary orbal and equatorial
planes, Lapace attributes to differences in temper
azure and density not attempt show how Tia
action Of purely internal forces possibly change
plane rotation think that be suspected the wear.
ness of this explanation for, after dsmisng the sub
ject In its proper order, and devotng some
paragraphs origin and motions Of comets he says
any comets penetrated into the atmospheres Of the
planets time OF their formation they
hfve fallen by spiral motion upon those bodies and By
their fall have shifted the planes Of the orbits aud
tors Of the planets from the plane Of the solar equator
II comet should strike the EARTH 1t would un.
doubtedy be called aerote shower Of aerolitea
so this Laplace to anticipating both Pro
lessor Winchell and myself.
O. The eccenricites OF planetary orbits Lap acs
explains this also by supposed differences Of temperatas
and density While regard these causes likely
and while some amount Of eccentricty would no doub.
be caused by perturbatons, think the actually
| existing is hardly accounted for In this manner
| g. The position OF the inner moon OF Mars.
a. The Irregularities in the periods OF Enckes comets
from which it would appear that the effect OF sons
irregular force Is percepbe while that Of the ethereal
| medium is utterly inappreciabe.
II has been suggested In TRIBUNE editorial that IN.
explanation may be given for certain appearances
OF portions OF the moons surface. Possibly so; but
aerotes would to be very much larger than axs
found on the earth produce effects In the thas
would be visible even through the best telescopes.
without giving any reason, Professor wnchell ventures
the suggestion that cOsmical dust sis more ecielt
resistance than the ethereal medium" assent and, In
addition 10 the reason already given viii mention
other The ethereal medium cannot be supposed TO hays
shifted the planetary planes: and far from causing
eccentricty OF orbit, constantly dimnshes 1t, II 1t pro
duces any effect at all. suspect that an amount Of
arOthic action sufficient to account for these phenom
ena will leave little nothing in respect to moar motion
for an ethereal medium to do.
From the shifting of the planetary planes, estimate
that the EARTH so far being born fullgrOwn has
more than doubled its since it commenced its ca
but from geological considerations it must be sup
posed that by far the greater part Of this acquisition
made before it sodihed iuto housekeeping con-
dition While geological confirmation OF the theory
therefore not essential 1t is still very desirable audi
haps to some extent, give direction to geologcn
vestigatiOn
Humboldt so conceived of the ethereal medium 20
suppose that 1t had effect whatever on moar motion
Astronomers are by no means universally convinced
that the reported irregularities Of Enekes comet were
not due to errors observation computation The
question whether there Is dminution whatever OF
orbital rad or any acceeratOn OF planetary velocity
very generally regarded as unsettled So far can
learn Professor wnche has the honor OF having Deea
the first furnish demonstration thereof whose sound
ness no scientific question think, however,
that may fairly claim to have preceded MN IN FORMING
approach to a proper estimate OF us lmpor1ahce
Other should gard him ine1eusabe for having
dismissed the subject with so brief paragraph IN
popular lecture, without making any other attempt 10
bring IL 10 the attention OF the scientific world
am very well pleased with the tone OF Professor wiz
cles letter; and infer therefrom that he VIII unhesf
tatingy cOncede proper share OF honor.
am informed by excellent authority that HumDOld'
says that 10 an observer the SUBMITS OF the Andes
there is no appearance OF twinkliDg in the stars Tia
would .seem prove conclusvely that IT is an ancs
pheric phenomenon. u: ~ DooLHILE
Marc 1873