The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-12-25
ARE WE TO BURN UP?
Speculations Roga-ding tho NJ
ture OF the Suns Hat.
Increase of Heat on the s-aT;h Durini.
the Prevalence OF SuI spoJs-Iho
suns Envelope our Pro-
tcc:or.

The violent heat that so suddcI'lz
followed the Appearance OF the gr..
sun spot, in the lattrr part OF Jon.
says GoIdthv.aIts - biographical Nia-..
..ia- no douJt a.go!lc ia many mi
quc.1.ons = 10 the natG-c aaL c:,te-.
81 ihs iniuauc. cN.'rtsl unsI IT,.
earth by v:IrI2tiDns l. thr con liti9a q.
the sun. i here appear 90 b. g..
,Ioubt that the r. liative energy OF (.
un i increased vixen the spots br
out uDon it, surface, and Il s..
reasonable to cols uln that the e.
must expert .1cr % rrca.ar dor
heat At such times. lcu. snCGlari-
enough. the best observations DcarH.
upon this question indicate just til
contrary con lition Of things. ~ h.
been found in India that the mean
temperature is lower instead Of h.-l'sr
during the maximum periods OF a1-l
spots. Such 4 r. salt must d. brOuTs
about by terrestrial conditions yvE- ..
are able in sCmc way 10 reverse d..
effect Of increased radiation fralA a..
sun. but a very great iGcrcass IN g.
solar heat could hardly be ncutraliz-.
in that way. H. then. the san at Ger
tain tirAcs suddenly pours forth an c,.-
:raordinaTy gush OF heat, the car.
v hole subject2becoIncs particularly sig
ndicant in view OF modern discovcT.C.
concerning the nature and constitution
of such bodies rs the aun. not ir
uaInc. At least in practice, thevc exist
= science Of co2lpara.ivc solar phys C
Ill thc suns o; space are maze TO COZ
tribute 20 our knowledge. Oar ov.-.
sun falls into a spec ~ class and
found to bc sharply differentiated .s
many particulars fro-n the STAR th;f
DO not belong in the same c2tegor.
with itself
Even the ancicnts knew. or at lea5t
surmiseJ. that the star arc suns. bu.
il remained for the astr0ng.ucrs CT on
dag TO demonstrate tlat there i3 ::
great variety OF suns. StiIl. tar5ua.
all the variation there ruGS . fam
likeness and an cvilctt identity or Il
mate constitution and destiny
the different classes of suas mers.
into one another by almost inscu..-
Dlc graduations. There IS also cv
idcnce that suns pass from one claa
intc another. either as result OF pr.
grc-ssivc Development or IN conscgucac
Of the sudden outbreak or transform
ing forces. Tho last fact l. of supreme
interest 10 the habitaats of = plan
which, like the carta dcucuds for II
prosperity. auI even for it5 very c-.ist-
cncc. upon "a solar orb ;ha. T. Liable 70
stupcndous changes. Ehc p-rioi cal out
break of sun-spots in a cyclc OF a53u.
eleven years alone suffice 10 piac. the
sun in the large and continually In
creasing list of the so-c2llcd rar.1 tle
stars; and the wide difference in the
intensity of these outbreaks - d.lf.r--
ent times indicates that we cannot
connt upon thc changes in the sun 3 r.
diative energy As we do upon Such COM
parativcly regular variations as those
of the seasons. which arc capable OF
geometrical calculat on. so long a
the amount Of the change Is email. and
it has been during the period covcrcd
by human history, no serious results
are to be apprchcndcd. bat there l. no
absolute certainty that the change may
not suddenly become dcstructivclv
great. Such an event is improbable
but not Impossible. Not only tn
sudden apparitions of new stars, but
also the enormous cia1-cs OF
brilliancy that many well-lsnown va
riable stars undcrro, furli,h evi-
dence Of the pot cns.al capacity OF "A
sun 20 burst forth, uDoa suit-Llo PROV
ocation, with an overwhelming energy
OF ra1iation in the face OF which no
planetary life could survive.
The sun is surrounded with what.
from our point Of view. might be
termed a protective envelope, or at
mosphere, which absorbs, as the spec
troscope shows, 4 large part of the "a
diations proceeding from the tremen-
dous inner core of the solar globe
Other stars possess singular absorp-
tive envelope. aud in eonsequence arC
ranked in the same cfd<<Nvith the sun.
In some stars this envelope is far more
effective in producing absorption ;han
Is the case with the sun, and such star.