Omaha daily bee., 1895-10-13
LIGHT OF Tile SOLAR ORB
How It is Generated and How Il Is Dis
tributed Through Space.
A MANTLE OF SURPRISING BRIGHTNESS
Material which CoDfers on the sun
It's Bcpefceut Fewer Said to lie
Found I'm abundance
q on Earth.
Copyright. 1895. by Sir Rober, Ball,

lnO hFluhfnnan Thn uFnnf hfIlk N IA Gin
- - - 80. ,.u,I.-. ....,. 4.
"nen ieS WIN" 'n"' ."'an MAMIE "
eomparatiVely obscure anu mlsnt III nIst
seem to play but an unimportant part so far
as the dispensing of light and heat Is con-
cerned II may indeed he likened To the
ooa1 oouou to-, whoro, > drawn Tho svr-
~ ~ a.. -. .., ..,..n4r.
pnes =" piouuee '" "'". a"u
OF the domestic heartn' Whlie the priiliant
robe where the sun develops It's heat cor
responds to the crate in which the coal
ia consumed. with regard to the thickness
NJ tho roha a. nt,b+ tILar ,bis hr,utar, ~
-. =, =. -, -. a..
',roi W ~ fnu VI an orange "nere 'he
gloomy interior regions would correspond 10
the edible portion of the fruit. Generally
speaking, the rind of the grange is rather
too coarse for the purpose Of this illustration.
II might be nearer the truth TO affirm that
the luminous part Of the sun NAV be com.
pared to the delicate. nlmy skin OF the peach.
There can be no doubt that II this glorious
veil were unhappily stripped from the sun
the great luminary would forthwith lose its
powers OF shedding forth light and heat. Thu
spots which we see so frequently to neck
the dazzling surface are merely rents in the
brilliant mantle through which we are per-
mitted to obtain glimpses Of the compare
lively mountainous interior.
COMPOSITION OF SOLAR CLOUDS.
AS the ability OF the sun TO warm and
light this earth arises from the peculiar prop
critics Of the thin glowing shell which sur
rounds II, a problem of the greatest in
terest Is presented in an inquiry as to the
material composition of this particular layer
of solar substance. We want, In fact, to as
certain what that special stuff can be which
enables the sun TO be so useful to us dwellers
on the earth. This great problem has been
solved. and the result is extremely interest
ing and instructive; IL has been discovered
that the material which confers on the sun
it's beneficial power is also a material which
Is found in the greatest abundance on the
earth where II ful6lls purposes of the very
highest Importance LET rs see in the first
place What Is Tho most naton, fact with re-
yard IN tha strnotrra ~ This solar mantle
possessed NJ n plorv az indescribabIe II is
perfectly plain that it ia not composed of any
continuous solid material. 1t has a granular
character which is sometimes preceptible
when viewed through a powerful telescope,
but which can be seen more frequently, and
studied more Satisfactorily. on a Photographic
plate. These granules have an obvious re-
semblance to clouds; and clouds, in
deed. we NAV call them. There Is
however n very wide difference between the
solar clouds and those clouds which float in
our own atmosnhere The clouds which we
know On we'll are Of course merely vast COL
ieciiops ~ globu,es oy watrr SUSPENDED in
, The air No doubt the mighty solar clouds
40 aiso concise ~ incaicrIahio mvriads of
gIob,Ioo ~ sorno narticniar substonce aoot,ng
o. IN snar atnoanhara Tha material ~
nh,oh ,hasa sniar loud. > comno.ad 10
"nnn ~ ma,nr. -
&C. a. onvtbing In Tho rewotast decree no
o,h,tan So vaars ~ o. a.
500. "aN thn n.rio, . snhsonn
ee"pt NV pna,as to~anos
u " "n luz SIC, uuu g. ,ntito
moniu a n'e %'e 49, aa,'S as 49, ham
s"u US J" a pIooaIn wSuuu enI az
oeem .nousn. ~ ne Thn ~ as 5i.nau
VI una" nno".ue.. a." uh ~
ny mas, no"evsi sheu q noot VI nsn. ~
th II s mctr,,, ~ ~ w a e nrnserca - wn = i'm y
tnat n'a.eriai " WHOSE paesehee ME are
uep'eu =, "ne suiat oehsnoen.e, u ue'o,u
,ion y Nv paitiouial eme ""In an
nSh,s e'sa.uieS a ~ u Do u uue
" nae u's.hs"sheu p"9'eis'' III. yin
STONE otohey.
MADE OF THE SAME MATERIAL.
In the whole range of science one of the
most remarkable discoveries ever made is
that which has taught us that the elementary
bodies of which the sun and stars are con-
structed are essentially the same as those of
which the earth has been built. This discov-
cry was indeed as unexpected as 1t Is inter-
esting. Could We ever have anticipated that
a body .93, 000. 900 Of miles away. as the sun
Is, or a hundred million OF millions OF miles
distant, as a star may be, should actually
prove to have been formed from the same
materials as those which compose this earth
Of ours and all which 1t contains. whether an
innate or inanimate! Yet such Is indeed the
TACT. We are thus, IN q measure, prepared
to find that the material which forms the
great solar CLOUDS may turn out TO be a SUB
stance not quite unknown TO the terrestrial
chemist, nay, further, It's very abundance In
the sun might seem TO suggest that TINS par
ticular material might perhaps prove 10 be
one which was very aouhuant on the earth'
l hau OCCASION 10 MAKE use OF the Word
carbon IN a lecture Wnichi gave snort time
ago, ana l tnought when l ala so that 1
was OF course using u term Win whose
meaning my auolehce must De Wen &C
Iuaihtea. nut l iouno out aiterward that IN
.nls MATER nau peen ii,s'aheh; l Was toid
.na. my y VI ~ mSlu oarpon hau
Hui'e puAAie" svnle " muse VIM were isteh-
ins W ne = aineu tnu &c VI .hose
u Wv III ms Woru went
a sen.lenam u the'[ acquaihtahce, VINO
snoy 49, ~. 49, ~ h"ow' anu
ureser Nm Sn ho " .ns
he was not sure himself hut Relieves that
carbon was something which was made out
of nitro-glycerine! Even at the risk of tell
ing what every school boy ought to know. l
will say that carbon is one Of the common
est, as well as one of the most remarkable
substances In nature. A lump of coke only
differs from a piece Of carbon by the ash
which the coke leaves behind when burned
As charcoal ls almost entirely carbon. so
wood is largely composed OF this same eIe-
ment. Carbon Is indeed present everywhere.
In various forms carbon is In the earth be-
meath our feet, and in the air which we
breath. This substance courses with the
blood through our veins; 1t is by carbon that
u