River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-10-12
SUN HEAL.
Some Curious speculations In Regard
Our solar IumfDary.

I
So far as our present knowledge goes.
il would seem that the brightness OF
any sun-like body is to be attributed
solely 20 the Transformation in some
fashion of mechanical power into heat
To take our own sun as an example. il
Is now an assured doctrine that the
heat SO necessary for our welfare is
sustained 10y 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 as those which we reckon in
the human period. but even through
out a lapse of time so vast as that which
| geology demands for the formation OF
the earth's crust. But it 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 rad atior
/ Of light than is at present possessed by
/ the earth or the moon. In like man
ner IL 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 lSindled. II probably
/ arose from a collision, or an approach
/ To collision. between two dark masses
which happened to come TO an encoun.
| ter with enormous velocities in their
progress through space. IL 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, il 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 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 il likely that the last phenomena OF
this kind have vet arrived.
The sun. after the lapse of uncounted
years, viii lose all its heat and pass
into a black. dark mass. In that form
il 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.
coed the solar splendor.
Butswe can conceive that the dark
ness. which is the doom of our system.
need not necessarily be eternal. so far
as its materials are concerned; il may
bc that again in the course of its wan
behring's through space the tide of chance
may at length bring the dark and ire
mendOus globe so near some other orb
that another collision should take place
with appalling vehemence. The solid
materials shall again become trans.
formed into stupendaus glowing neb-
ula, and then, in the course of the te-
dious contraction of this nebula, an
other protracted period of brilliance
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 viii show that any pc
riods of brilliance must be regarded as
exceptional periods in the history of
each body.-Sir Robert Ball, in Fort.
NIGHTLY Review