The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-03-17
Is THE sun WASTING P

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During the last twenty years the sub
ieet OF demonstration of the sun has
attracted very great attention, not only
amongst scientific men, but amongst in
telligent readers of looks and news
papers. We think it, therefore. of in
terest to give our readers q popul ar &C
count of the different theories npon the
suns heat, and especially new one
bearing the name of Dr. Siemeps, whose
reputation is so well known from his
discoveries OF metalurgy and electric
ity, and who filed the CHARIOT the Brit
ish Associa ion for the ADVANCEMENT Of
Science at its meeting at Southampton.
Most of our readers doubtless know
the chief figures which denote the ldi7
mansions of the sun, especially since
the transit of Venus eight years ago led
to a correction of the distance of the
sun from the earth, according to the
figure that had for many years been ac-
.cepted. But perhaps not so many per-
sons have realized the enormous figures
that represent the heat of the so ar orb,
as eentfasted. with the figures that we
are familiar with on the subject o. ter
restrial heat.
The volume of the sun is about one,
million three hundred Thousand times
that of the EARTH and its distance from
us, in round numbers, about ninety
three millions of miles And sncew
all Of us every day see the wonderful
effects of the. heat and light which even
this little world of ours receives, we
can form some faint idea of the enor-
nous amount of heat continually given
out by the sun and the prodgious aste
that must be going on. And If we would
form any real estimate of this heat and
waste, we must remember that all the
light and heat which is received by the
earth and other planets is very small
proportion of the amount that is being
continually poured forth. Ut might be
81 own with5a moderate knowledge of
geometry, that the amount so shed into
space, where there are no planets to re-
ceve it, is two thousand two hundred
and fifty million times as great as that
which is received b. all the planets
which form our solar system.
We naturally ask: What is the condi-
ton of a body which is capable OF
throwing out for thousands, and per-
haps millions, of, wears, SO vast an
amount of light and heat? For it has
been computed that the temperature OF
the surface OF the sun would be ex-
pressed by eighteen thousand degrees
of Fahrenheits thermometer. or be-
tween eighty and ninety times the tenn,
perature of boiling water This is about
five times the highest temperature thai
man is able to produce by artificial
means. Also the light given oil from
the same surface is computed as being
five thousand three hundred times more
intense than that of the molten metal in
a liessemer converter. though that is o.
an almost binding brlliancy. Or if We
compare it with the oXy-hydroger
fame. the sun sheds light equal to ;
hundred and forty-six times the intensity
of the lime-li9ht,
So intense is the heat OF the sun tina
no known substance could remain in ;
solid form when subjected to such Q
temperature. Hence it has been con
cluded that the entire orb, vast as it is
is an aggregation of gases altogethe
void of any trace ofliquid or solid sub
stance; moreover, that the outside Wis
ible surface of the sun, flows like tn,
surface of the sea, or rather like vapor
GUS masses of cloud and misty air. Blu
we must not suppose that this vaporou!
material is OF little weight Throughout
the whole substance of the sun; for il
consequence OF the suns vast size, tn,
pressure in the inward portions must b,
so great through the influence of attrac
ton that the internal mass is believe,
to be denser than water. And as tn,
lste Pr-. Clerk Maxwell and other