Evening star., 1886-09-25
THE sun.


the Central Engine.
R. A. Proctor In Harpers Magazine
The visible globe OF the sun Is !, $50 900 times
as large as the earth. Within the surface so
seen there lies mass exceeding the earth's
32O, 900 times. The materials present in the
suns globe are the same as those which form
the globe of our earth-at least we know that
iron, copper zinc. sodium, magnesium, calcium,
titanium and a number of other metallic ele-
ments are present: hydrogen is certainly there
| in enormous quantities, and DR.. Henry Draper
proved also that oxygen Is present while no
astronomer doubts that those other elements
which have not as yet been detected In the sun
are really present In his mass.
Now, have we any evidence as to the way In
which the mighty mass of the sun is disposed
within that surface which encloses what we
term his volume?-though in reality one can
hardly say what his volume is, seeing that
there are portions of his mass outside the sur
suns mass uniformly distributed throughout
the visible globe, l $780, 900 times as large as
our earth? or is it concentrated toward the CEN
ter? or, on the other hand, is the denser part
near the surface, so that the sun is what Profess
sor Young once suggested. a gigantic bubble?
There are three lines on which We can seek for
an answer to these questions.
First, We find that the visible surface OF the
alike with the idea that thi, surface is near the
real surface OF an inferior globe, and with the
idea that the visible surface Is part of a mighty
vesicie or bubble. The spot zones are carried
around at different rates, according to their
distance from the equatorial solar regions.
Not TO follow Faye and others in niceiies OF
calculation (far from justified by the evidence
we have, may say that the equatorial zone
gains about one rotation in seven on the spot
zones, or, roughly, some z. 700, 900 miles In two
hundred days-say 13, 500 miles per day. Such
velocity as this, close to ten miles u minute,
tSuch as the visible surface of the sun undOubt-
edIy Isl, and as affecting regions exceeding the
whole surface OF the earth thousands OF times,
unless the cioUd-laden region was very far
away from the region OF the sun, and therefore
from the 1rictiOnai effects OF the true solar rOta-
ton. The real mass of the sun, however dis
tributed, can only -iotate as one; the visible
cloud surface has many rates of rotation; there
tore, there must be an enormous distance be-
tween the two.
Secondly, calculation has been made by
competent mathemGticiapS respecting the
amount of polar compression which would
arise from the rotation of a globe such as the
sun appears to be, at the average rate OF rota-
tion indicated by the solar Spots L. Is found
that the polar hattentng would be well within
the measuring capacity OF our best instru-
ments. But IL there is one thing certain about
the sun, it is that (within such capacityl his
apparent globe Is not flattened at ALL 1t is
absolutely certain, then, that the real globe Of
the sun lies FAR within the surface of lowing
clouds which we see and measure.
Thirdly, our earth has her story to tell about
the suns in n.erior. We know from the earth's
crust that, for periods OF time which geologsts
now estimate by tens of millions OF years. the
sun power has been at work on the earths
crust, by rain, wind and storm, fashioning and
reiasnioning the structure OF that crust, now
forming layers, anon cutting them up, but
throughout leaving clear traces of his handi-
work. Croll estimates the duration OF this
part OF the earth's history-that is, of the time
during which the earths crust has been tOrnl-
ing under solar actiOn-at fully one hundred
million or years. In other words, our earth
tells us OF at least one hundred million OF
years of sun work, at the suns present rate OF
working. 1t is u matter of no importance
whether we suppose tnat the sun has worked
all the time at his present rate, or has some
times worked with more energy, sometimes
with less. 1t Is the quantity of sun work, not
the way in which the work has been DONE
which alone has to be considered. Now, ali
physicists and astronomers are agreed In regard
ing the suns emission OF heat as due wholly,
or almost wholly, to solar gravitation result
Ing III the steady contraction OF the suns
mass. To get from the sun OF past ages the
amount OF work which our earth tells he has
actually done, We must suppose him once to
have been very much larger than he is now
h0W much larger we cannot say.
1 take IL, also, that the change which takes
place III the aspect of the suns corona as the
number OF sun spots varies, and the alteration
Oh .he phs slcal condition of the corona-in such
sort that when there are many spots its spec
trum indicates the presence of glowing hydro
gen, whereas when there are few the lines OF
Dydrogen are few or rwanting-cOrrespOnd also,
with the theory that the time OF sun spots is u
time OF great eruptional activity. For the rush
oi elected masses through the coronai region
would cause the hydrogen present there mot as
an atmosphere, but irregulary distributed and
moving around The sum 10 grow with greater
luster, so as to show the lines OF hydrogen in
the spectrum Of the corona.
~ Is, at any rate, remarkable that all the
facts known 70 Us in regard to the sun spots
themselves, to the colored flames, and to the
corona, should agree in confirming that which
is already all but demonstrated by three strong
lines OF evidence; that is, the real work ing mass
oil the sun Is very much smaller than the siooe
we measure as his, and that aiI the phenomena
which gives so great an interest to the study of
the sun are due 10 tremendous forces al work
tens OF thousands OF miles below the surface
which limits our view OF his globe, and hides
solar system Is maintained.
Bull and Tricycle..
AN ADVENTURE IN CARRYING THE UNITED
STATES MAIL IN NEVADA
From the Eureka Sentinel
A Seatinet reporter learned yesterday that
quite a mishap occurred to Mrs. McLane's mail
tricycle. and contents while making its last trim