Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1893-10-19
NNAH COUNTY, TENNESSEE THURSDAY OCTOBER 49, 89s
SUN HEAT.
Some Curious specuIatons In Regard 60
Our Solar Luminary,


Some Curious specuIations In Regard TO
Our Solar Luminary.
| So far as our present knowledge goes,
II would seem that the brightness of
any sun-lilse body is to be attributed
solely to the Transformation in some
fashion of mechanical power into heat
TO take our own sun as an example, 1t
Is now an assured doctrine that the
heat so necessary for our welfare Ia
sustained by the gradual contraction
OF the solar volume. The energy avail
able for transformation into heat in
this process seems sufficient to supply
the radiation of the sun, not only for
ages such us those which we reckon in
the human period, but even through
out lapse OF time so vast MS that which
geology demands for the formation Of
the carth's crust. But 1t is certain that
the quantity of possible light and heat
to be dispensed by the sun is limited in
amount
The sun can not shine on forever. A
time must assuredly come when the
mighty orbat present so brilliant, will
have no more potency for the radiation
OF light than is at present possessed by
the earth or the moon. In like man.
ner it can be shown that the materials
constituting the sun have not always
been luminous. We can not indeed say
with certainty by what influence their
brightness was kindled. 1t probably
arose from collision, or an approach
to a collision, between two dark masses
which happened to come to an encoun'
ter with enormous velocities in their
progress through space. 1t is, how.
ever, plain that the ages during which
the sun has been brilliant form only an
incident, so to speak, in the infinite
history of that quantity of matter of
which the solar system is constituted.
Notwithstanding the millions, or
thousands of millions, of years for
which that matter has existed, it has,
perhaps, only once become so heated,
owing to circumstances which we may
describe as accidental or casual, as to
have acquired the ample light-dispens.
ing power of a sun. 1t is, however,
possible that such periods of light
radiating capacity should have oc-
CURED more than once-they may pos.
sibly have occurred several times
throughout the ages of time past. Nor
is it likely that the last phenomena OF
this kind have yet arrived.
The sun, after the lapse of un .ounted
years, will lose all its heat and pass
into black, dark mass. In that form
it may endure for an epoch so pro.
tracted that the spell during which IL
has acted as the luminary of our sys.
tenn will appear but moment in com.
parison with the dark ages which sue
ceed the solar splendor.
But we can conceive that the dark.
ness, which is the doom of our system
need not necessarily be eternal, so fan
as its materials are concerned; it may
be that again in the course of its wan.
derings through space the tide of chance
may at length bring the dark and tire.
mendous globe so near some other orl
that another collision should take place
with appalling vehemence. The solid
materials shall again become trans
formed into stupendaus glowing neb
MA, and then, in the course of the te
dious contraction of this nebula, an
other protractcd period of brilliancs
will diversity the career of this great
body, and may last long enough for the
evolution of planets and of whole races
of highly-organized creatures. The
essential point for our present consid
Grafton must not be misunderstood. A
little reflection will show that any pc
riods of briliance must be regarded a.
exceptional periods in the history o.
each body.-Sir Robert Ball, in Fort
nightly Review.