Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-12-14
Sniar Theories,

A very interesting discussion upon
solar theories was held at the second
days session of the National Academy
of Sciences. at New Haven; II waa
based Upon the reports of Prof Holden
and DIR. Hastings upon the solar eclipse
VT May Of the current year. The OBJ
servauOns were taken at Caroline Isl
and, and the conditions were favorable:
Prof. Holden stated the facts upon
which he rested his conviction that the
planet Vulcan, the existence of which
was Leverrier's deduction from solar
and mercurial perturbations, is myth.
But the chief interest of the session was
created by the paper of DIR. Hastings, in
which he gave the grounds for his be-
lief that the accepted theories regard
Ing the suns atmosphere will have to
be abandoned, and that in fact the
whole question of the solar elements.
constitution and action must be re-
opened.
1t IS OF course well known to men OF
science that all the theories that have
been put forward are merely provision
al. Many treatises have been written
on the sun. and some of them are per-
haps written in too confident a vein.
But no astronomer of any reputation or
standing has undertaken to assert that
we possess any definite knowledge on
The subject, hof has any kyp6thssis
been framed which is free from very
formidable objections and incongru-
tiles. DIR. Hastings sees strong
reasons for doubling the theory that
the sun is surrounded bp an atmos-
phere of incandescent gas extending to
a height of 100000 miles above tho
philosophers. or possibly to double that
height, and that some mysterious self
luminous matter is distributed THROUGH
this incandescent atmosphere, together
with other mysterious matter which re-
fleets diffusive light. He points out
that this theory requires us to believe
that an atmosphere from 100000 70
l,zOO,OOO miles deep receives no pres
sure, or practically no pressure. since
the spectrum shows that the gaseous
pressure at the limit of the Chrome
sphere is scarcely perceptible. But he
holds that the cometary evidence against
the theory of a gaseous atmosphere is
stu stronger. Bodies approaching our
earth with fourteen times It's velocity.
encounter such pressure at distance
OF ninety miles from its surface-tbat
Is to say. at twice the assumed HEIGHT
OF our atmosphere-as to become incan-
descent instantly. But saws DIR.
Hastings, there is the direct evidence
that far within the limits of the corona
the density must be almost infinitely
less than that of our atmosphere at even
sixty mile above the earth's surface.
For the great comet of the last wear
passed at distance of 800, 600 miles Of
the sun, and therefore deep within the
assumed coronal atmosphere. This
comet traversed the intercoronal space
Tor several millions Of miles with a We
locity $50 times that of the earth. not
only without being stopped and precipi-
tated upon the surface of the sun. but
even without having been checked in
the least"
This certainly is a formidable. If not
an absolutely fatal. objection to the the
DRY adopted by Prof. Young and many
others. and it is by no means the only
objection advanced by DIR. Hastings
Thus be points out that the line IA
\ N the spectrum does not behave 4,