The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1885-06-03

Prof Cookley, Of New York, says: Most
Of the planets have probably cooled down by
radiation to a solid under crust like the earth
The sun. owing TO his greater mass, is still
fiery globe not yet cooled down SO as to have
a SOLID crust. But our moon being a body Of
small mass, only about one-eightieth of the
earth's mass, is supposed to have bad time to
cool down to a solid globe all the way from
its surface 10 its center. Its internal heat is
supposed to have been all radiated away into
the surrounding cold space. Now the hot in-
terror mass OF the earth can, of course, con-
tain no water, and little or none Of the free
gases that constitute an atmosphere. They
would be boiled of, expanded, and driven to
the surface where are found now the great
bulk Of our oceans and our atmosphere. But
when the earth shall have parted with all its
internal heat, having thrown it into the sur
rounding cold space, as the moon has doue,
then the cold, solid, but porous mass within
its present crust, which is now incapable Of
absorbing water or air, on account Of the
present high temperature, will begin to drink
up the water and air Just as the parched soil
after summers drought drinks up the rain,
and the ground is dry in few minutes after
the shower. But you may well ask, could
the solid, and porous mass within the present
crust Of the earth thus drink up tie whole Of
the waters Of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
and cause all the walters Of our globe to dissp-
pear? Let as examine this more closely.
While tie interior of the earth remains as
hot as it is at present, it is no more possible
for the water and air Of our globe to penetrate
to these fiery regions th an il is for a drop of
water 10 remain on hot stove. But the earth
is losing lis heat day by day aud year by
year, radiating It out into the surrounding
cold space. ! know il has leeu computed that
the earth receives from the sun annually lust
as much heat as II loses in a year BY radiation
into the surrounding space Grant that it be
50 for the present and for many thousands of
years to come. But the trouble Is that the
sun itself Is cooling of, and, therefore, will
not always be able to send Us as much heat as
It does at present Tie time will come,
therefore, when we shall lose more heat BY
radiation into space than the SUI will be able
20 return to Us. Then It will be only aues-
tion Of time for the earth gradually to cool
down, as the moon has already done, from
surface to center. When that time comes, vii
not the dry but solid and porous core Of our
globe drink up the oceans and atmosphere,
causing them To disappear, not into large
caTernons pockets, bot into The minute pores
Of its subsiSnce2
The proposition appears 10 be established
by strict calculation that the earth when cold
Will be able 10 absorb more than four times
possibly more than thirty times the amount Of
water now on its surface. Now, 1t seems GER
tain that IN the manner first explained the
earth will continue 70 lose both its superficial
wafer aud lis atmosphere. The earth, the
others planets, and even the sun himself, ara
regarded as doomed al some future day 70 The
same iais. Melancholy faiel some viii say.
But why complain Of the general law Of ma
iuTes Eysrytnng IN nature has its morning.