The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-06-04
THE SUN WILL CEASE.
"A TIME MUST CONE WHEN HEAT
FROM THE SUN MUST CEASE.

"A TIME MUST CONE WHEN HEAT
FROM THE SUN MUST CEASE.
Measuring Mans Days 60 Comc-I1ie
Great Orb OF Light and Life May Last
100000 Years, but Not 10000, 900.
Tho secret of the SUMS Heat
It seems TO be worth while to collect
together what may be said ON the sub
iect Of the duration of life ON the globe.
It is q noteworthy fact that the possi
bility of the continued existence of the
human race depends fundamentally
upon the question of heat If heat, or
what is equivalent to heat, does not
last. then man cannot last, either. There
is no shirling this plain truism.
OF course it is obvious that the avail
able heat generally comes from the sun
So far MS the coal goes, we have already
observed that MS it is limited to quantity
it can afford no perennial supply.
Doubtless there is i'm the earth some
quantity Of other materials capable Of
oxidation on Of undergoing other chemt
cal change, in the course of which and
as an incident of such change heat is
evolved The amount Of heat that can
possibly arise from such sources is
strictly limited. There is in the entire
earth Just certain number Of units OF
heat possible from such combinations
but after the combination has been eff
fcctcd there cannot hc any more heat
from this source.
Then as TO the internal heat Of the
earth due 10 the incaudesceut state of
it's interior Here there is no doubt a
large store of energy, but still it is of
limited quantity, and it is also on the
waue. This heat is occasionally copious-
| ly liberated by volcanoes, but ordinarily
the transit of heat from the interior to
the surface and its discharge from
thence by radiation is a slow process.
| II is. however, sufficient for our present
/ purpose to observe that slow though The
! escape may be- it Is necessarily going
/ on. There is only definite number of
units of heat contained i'm the interior Of
the earth at this moment, and as they
are gradually diminishing, and as there
is no source from whence the loss can
be replenished there is here no supply
of warmth that can be relied on perma-
ncntly.
1t goes without saying that the well
| fare of the human race is necessarily
| connected with the continuance of the
suns benehcent action. If the sun ever
ceases to shine, then must it be certain
that there is a term beyond which hut
man existence, or indeed organic eN-
istence of any type whatever, cannot
any longer endure on earth.
But we have grounds for knowing as
a certainty that the sun cannot escape
from the destiny that sooner or later
overtakes the spendthrift. In his inter
esting studies of this subject Professor
Langley gives a striking illustration OF
the rate at which the solar heat is being
squandered at this moment. Heremarks
that the great coal field5uf Pennsylvania
contain enough of the precious mineral
to supply the wants of the United States
for 900 years. If all that tremendous
accumulation of fuel were to be extract
ed and burned in one vast conflagration
the total quIntity-of heat that would be
produced would no doubt be estupendous,
and yet, says this authority who has
taught Us $50 much about the sun, all the
heat developed by that terrific coal fire
would not be equal TO that which the
sun pours forth in the thousaudth part
Of each single second
When we reflect that this expenditure
of heat has been going ON not alone for
the centuries during which the earth
has been the abode Of man, but also fm
those periods which we cannot estimate
except by saying that they are doubtless
millions Of years during which there
has been life on the globe, then indeed
we begin to comprehend how vast must
have been the capital of heat with which
the sun started ON its career.
And yet we feel certain that the inces
SAINT radiation from the sun must be
producing profound effect ON its stores
of energy. The only way Of reconciling
this with the total absence of evidence
Of the expected changes is to be found
in the supposition that such is the
mighty mass of the sun, such the pro
digious supply of heat, or what is equiv
alent to heat that it contains, that the
grand Transformation through which il
is passing proceeds at n rate so slow that
during the ages accessible to our obser
vations the results achieved have been
> imperceptible. But the energy of the
system is as surely declining as the en-
ergy of the clock declines as the weight
runs down.
1t seems that the sun has already dis
sipated about four-Rfths of the energy
with which it may have originally beer
endowed. At all events, it seems that
radiating energy at its present rate, tn,
sun may hold ont for 1000 600 years, OF
for 5000 600 years, but not for 10000,
600 years. Here, then, we discern ia
the remote future limit TO the dura
ton Of life ON this globe. We have seer
that it does not seem possible for any
other source OF heat to be available fol
replenishiug the waning stores of the
luminary. 10 may be that the heat wa.
originally impaired TO the sun as the
result Of some great collision between
two bodies which were both dark befur,
the collision took place, so that, in fact
the two dark masses coalesced into q
vast uebula from which the whole OF
our system has been evolved. OF course
it is always conceivable that the sun
may be reiuyigorated 10y a repetition OF
a similar startling process.
1t is, however. hardly necessary to
observe that so terrific a couvulsior
would be fatal 70 life in the solar sys
TEN. Neither from the heavens above
nor from the earth beneath does 1t seem
possible to discover any rescue for tbl
human race from the inevitable end
The race is as mortal as the individual
aud, so far as Wa know, it's span cannot
under any circumstances b6 run Out
beyond a number of millions of year
which can certainly be told ON the fin
gers of both hands, and probably ON the
fingers of one. Robert $. Ball in Fort
lightly Review,
Destitute.
What Doe You after now, Samul Pay
son:' inquired brisk aud thrifty Yer
mont farmer of a shittless ueighbor
who came shuihing across the bauyarj
one morning with asmuCh of a business
like air as he was able 10 assume.
Il jest wanted T. know, replied th,
amiable Salnul, with his usual vac
illating smile; "lm tlyin & fix th' plac,
up a little 'gaiust some visitors we've