The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1881-05-18
END OF THE WORLD.
THE EVENT To PROBABLY HAPPEN IN
A FEW BILLIONS OF YEARS.


a reporter has questioned NJ. B.
Snyder, professor ofastronomyin the
high school of Philadelphia to dis
cover any facts pertaining to the
subject in the possession of that gen
tleman. The result of scientific in
vestigations would seem TO place he
/ exact date in doubt, but as it is some
billions Of years in the future, pre-
| ciseness as to time is not Of great
| importance to the present genera
ton of men. Professor Snyder said
he did not believe that Professor
Proctor had said the discovery of a
comet this year would augur the
destruction of the world The re-
cent discussions of the matter is
simply one of those revivles of in
terest in an inexplicable subject
which have taken place with a good
deal of irregularity for thousands of
years. The only curious thing
about it is that so much superstition
should still be abroad in this century
Of enlightenment.
In answer to questions, Professor
Snyder said The destruction of the
world is a very silly matter to talk
about in the present state of science.
| do not believe that Professor Proc
tor was foolish enough to make the
statement that the discovery Of
comet would presage the worlds de-
structiOn, and if he did he must be
a very foolish man. A half dozen
! comets plunging in upon us would
result in no disastrous consequence
even if the world should come. in di-
rect collision with them. In I643
the world is supposed to have passed
through a great comet, and beyond
a certain haziness ofthe atmosphere,
which was attributed to the fact, no
one knew anything about the pres
ence of the erratic heavenly visitor
Science can assert with more than
probability that theworld will never
come to an end by collision with
comet There is not enough matter
in comets to produce such dreaded
catastrophe. People have always
been superstitious about comet in
former times because of ignorance
in reference to them. But science
has so far advanced and knowledge
has increased that it is more than
marvellous that the public and the
newspapers should be discussing
this subject i'll the latter end Of the
world
GLOW about the conjunctions of
the great planets? p
"All the great planets, excepting
Uranus, are now in the neighbOr
hood of the sun, and rise or set with
in a few hours of each other They
are said to be in perihelion-that is,
they are nearest the sun"
'.Does the fact that great plane is
are in perihelion have the effect of
causing epidemics or disaster of any
kind in the earth?'
"In what respect we are affected !
by the perihelion Of the planets we
must determine by the forces which
they exert upon us, either directly |
or indirectly, and those forces are
purely gravitational. So far as
what may be termed the direct |
gravitational forces are concerned,
it has been shown that all the bodies
in the polar system, moving accord
ing to the laws of gravitatiOn, do so
in a manner perfectly and eternally
balanced. There is, as researches
thus far go, no known force which
will at any time disturb this bal
ance.,,
"Does the fact that the planets
are in perihehOn have any influence
On the sun spots, and thus Indirect
" affect the earth?"
at is supposed by some astrono-
mers, and with probability, that the
arrangement Of the planets does at
feet the suns spots. There has been,
as some suppose, a relation shown
between the situation of the planets
and the number Of spots occur var
iations in terrestrial phenomena,
such as magnetic and electrical var
iations, and it has, indeed, been at
tempted to be shown that cyclones
occurring in equatorial ATTITUDES vary
III 6AICHG N1Ull OllCoC Changes III viz
solar spots Even these matters are
still called in question by the more
cautions, and in any event the sug-
gestion ofsuch relations are, as far
as science has gone, in the direction
of the subject" s#.... |
SIS there, then, nothing of which
you are aware as an astronomer
which points to the final destruction
of the world p
Eyes, the suns light and heat,
ever enduring as they seem, are
nevertheless limited in quality, and
the time must and will come when
that heat and light will have been
dissipated, and as a direct conse-
quence all life on the planets must
cease" FErEr
"When will the suns force thus
give out?"
Probably not for billions of
years"