The Red Cloud chief., 1879-04-03
THE CRASH OF WORLDS.
Moons Falling late Ftssess, saa risss
late Saas

ne TipgsG ptatsi Sasugn - EtDefA2st
supposed BY astronomers 20 present =
picture Of planetary exis,snes in is
earlier stages. Although the planet a.
ready has eight moons. the matter form
ing the rings constantly tends io SHAPE
ilself into new satellites. The attractive
force Of the great cesfral mass as con
stsB;iy overcomes this tendency, and IL
believed IA be drawing the rings closer
and closer. The Russian astronomer
otto Stuye has predicted that in l.ss
than two centuries the inner ring vii
reach the planet and be united ~iih It.
While his views are not accepted By al
observers, the fact IL conceded iha;
great changes are going On IN the CIR
die IF Saturn. and there are strong rcS-
sons 10 conclude ths; the matter II
which il is msde up once moved in .
larger circle than Il now occupies.
This conclusion - the bass II q paper
contributed by Prof. Daniel Vaughan Ia
tSe last number Of the F0pa4sr Seiesos
Noakaiy. in which some interesting II
not startling propositions are advanced.
Various opinions have been entertain
cd as q the construction Of the Saturn
ian rings. While they can hardly be
wholly gaseous or liquid. there Is diff
Guilty in regarding them As composed 81
solid matter, since but few solids are
known which would endure the violent
commissions that frequently disturb the
grea; circles. IL Is suggested in this pa
per ihs, the principal constituent may
be water, a, a temperature near the
freezing point. In that case, the con-
slant tendency To freeze would slightly
overcome the destructive forces, and
would account for such changes of form
rs are revealed by the telescope. OF
course these changes could not 20 On
without heat from some source, but IL il
assumed that a sufficient quantity is
evolved mechanically By the commo-
tons themselves.
There seems 10 be no doubt, however,
that the rings of Saturn are such stuff rs
moons are made of, but the question is
whether this material is To form moons
in the future or has already performed
its functions in this respect by forming
Moons in the past? Prof. Vaughan
adopts a view which indicates his belief
that the planet has already entered up
on lie later stages Of its life. He thinks
the two rings were formerly two sa,el-
liies revolving about Saturn IN a wider
zone. A ACKNOWLEDGMENT and conver-
sion into Il ring, he says, must be the
general fate Of every planetary body
(anda o is n planetary bOdy), which,
by a slow contraction Of the path in
which il moves, reyolves At least too
close to its primary-that is, too close
to the larger planet around which il
travels.
But what causes the orbit of a satellite
to contract = Us 10 bring il thus dan
gerously lear TO the central mass il re-
wolves about? Evidently some obstacle
to motion would be suflicient-some-
thing which retarded velocity, very
slightly, IL might be, but still somewhat.
An influence of this nature must be ex-
erted by any substance, however tenuous
or ETHEREAL, which pervadcs all space, or
that part Of space, At al events, TO
which the stars and planets belong.
Like many other men Of science, Prof.
Vaughan assumes the existence of a rare
medium of this sort disseminated
throughout all the known stellar regions;
and 10 its action Of retardation he at
tributes the transformation of the lost
moons of Saturn into the mighty rings
which nov encircle that planet. Evil
dence that a resisting medium really ex-
lists has been supplied by the recent dis
covery of the satellites of Mars; and
our author declares that not many mil
lion years al elapse before the inner
moon, Phobos, will have its path so
shortened as to be brought within the
atmosphere of the planet. Then, he
its career as "A small secondary
world will close with a meteoric exhibit
ton.
And why may not our wi moo
TO an end in the same way? In
deed, is not such a result extremely
probable? The same cause must be ef-
fective To check its rate If motion, and
the chief difference between the two
cases would be in point Of time. The
few millions of years requisite for the
of the Phobos would have TO (,
be multiplied by several hundreds to
make up the period which will elapse
the noon is similarly destroyed.
The occasion will be n grand one, how
ever, for we are told that it will be sig
nalized by 4 far greater display of me-
.Oric effulgence. Dilapidatipn will be-
yin before tine moon actually touches
he earth; innumerable fragments will
be hurled off as meteors into our at
and the brilliancy Of the
will rival the light of the sun.
Prof. Vaughan thinks tina. only q portion
If the moon will be appropriated by the
at the first near approach. The
part that is left will haul of, As it were,
nto space, TO give rise to a similar mag
lificent outburst some millions Of CEN
uries later, when it again comes too
rear.
1t is worthy Of note that nothing
whatever is said as to the probable effect
Il this gigantic CONFUSION of nature
.pon life on the earth. This omission
nav be due to the fact that mankind can
lardly be said to have q vital present
in the event.
just as q moon may fall into q planet,
O q planet may fall into q sun. The
hief difference is in the splendor of the
pectacle. Twenty-three temporary
lars have appeared in the heavens
vithin the past 1900 ~years-,hree of
hem within the present century. What
as caused them TO kindle in the sky /,
nth sudden brilliancy, and then grow p,
i'm and constantly decline in bright
ess? An obvious answer is suggested
" the facts we have already consider
d. The mysterious effulgence which {,
ashes across the universe as the transi-
DRY glory of q temporary star is the |
ale fire Of q dying planet. But it may
g asked, Why have we not seen the I,
tar before? 1t is not strange that the
of other solar systems, which G
around stars as their own suns, .
hould be invisible To Us here on the :
arth. since they do no: shine BY their
wn light; but ought not the stars them 5
,l,-os 20 10 scop sinee VIA srpnOSo Thorn =.