The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-06-24
Heat From the Sun.


supposed. The heat received at the
earth's surface is probably more by
one,haIi than was estimated By
HerscheI and Pouillet, and even
materially exceeds the values as
signed by more recent investigators.
1t would in one year melt crust OF
ice over the whole sunWard half
of the earth geo feet thick. This is,
OF course, q statement in very round |
numbers. The scientific phrase |
would be that the suns vertical
energy could raise the temperature
of one gram OF distilled water three
degrees centigrsde per minute for |
each centImeter of the earth's surface
nominally exposed.
Having supplied us with an
increased amount of beat, the Mount
Wnltney experiments aleo favor US
with new figures of intense cold.
TIE estimates of Herschel and
| Phuillet made the temperature OF
space 2249 below the zero OF Fahren-
heit. The new results carry it down
neatly to the calculations for the
absolute zero, the absence of all heat
say minus 469o F. To the nom
scienti6cal mind the distinction
between such far-down temperatures
is not unlike that between the pains
of rheumatism and those OF gout-
the first being as from thumbscrew
twisted to the last point OF human
endurance, the govt giving one turn
more.
Further. it appears the direct
heating power of the sun cannot
raise a thermometer quite 500 F.
above its surroundings, whatever they
may be. II We suppose the whols
| globe thermC meter, and without an
atmosphere, the sun could only heat
it fifty degrees above the cold of
space, leaving it about minus 1000 B.
under full sunshine. The internal
heat of the earth may be disregarded
in the calculations. 1t seems para
doxical to say that, if IN atmosphere
we're removed from the earth, its
surface would receive more neat and
yet be much colder. Bet this is a
fact of the same kind as our exper-
fence in ascending mountain. The
atmosphere does indeed cut of a
great del of heat, but on the other
hand it keeps great deal of that
which it permits to pass through.
When the air is heated up to ito
retaining capacity an equilibrium"
is established.
To ILLUSTRATES: let Us imagine large
empty, w;ndowlsss hall, partially
obstructed by centennial turnstiles,
one for entry and one for exit. A
procession of 100 persons enter per
minute. At first there is abundant
room; few want to come cut. At
the end of the second or third minute
perhaps only three people are leaving
for 100 arriving. AittE a long inter
val the number of departing guests is
much greater. At last the hall is
crowded to its utmost capacity, and
if We still suppose 100 per Minute
entering, it is absolutely certain that
100 per minute is getting out. This
final condition is one which Wa may
call equilibrium. II the turnstiles OF
centennial pattern record their turn.
inge we can ascertain exactly how
many people are in the hall at any
moment. Now to apply the illustra-
ton TO heat-bearipg rays entering
our atmosphere. We may suppose
that nearly all reach the soil through
radiation; that 80 Der cent. go out
through the regular exit of ''convec-
tion;" 9 per cent. squeeze back
through the turDstiles by which they
entered-"radistion;" and 1 PEI
cent. climb out through the chimney
of conduction." It follows that by
merely regulating the tnrnstiles, By
modifying this capacity for selecting
and holding rays Of certain wave
lengths, stInespherss could be con.
structed which would keep the plane
Mercury cool, or the far-of Neptuu
comfortably warm. Here is hin
for romapoers who wish to plan
their drGmatis psrSon@ in some othe
world.
The Allegheny and MountWh itne
observations firmly establish the fac
that the sun is blue. The particuls
shade OF color which it has, il We've
without intervening atmosphere
may bs laid down as that on Ia
border OF the blue near the green
about where the line T. appears i
the spectrum. Sad to say, this ia nc
an aesthetic" hue; il is more Liz
that referred to in one OF southey'
poems: You could almost enc
birthstone, their breath was so blut
fog ne painted the devils so WelI."-