Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-12-24

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in Harper's Maga1
zine. That seemingly staid body was
long ago discovered to have pros
Density to gain little on the earth,
appearing at eclipses an infiniteslmal
moment ahead of time. Astronomers
were sorely puzzled by this act Of in
subordination; but at last Laplace
and Lagrange explained 1t as due to
an oscillatory change in the earth's or
bit, thus fully generating the moon,
and seeming to demonstrate the aba
solute stability and perfnanence 81 olf.
planetary system, which the moons
misbehavior had appeared to threaten.
This highly satisfactory conclusion
was an orthodox belief of celestial me-
chanics until 1883, when Prof. Adams
Of Neptunian fame, with whom COM
pick analyses were pastime. reviewed
Laplace's calculations and discovered
an error which, when corrected, left
about half the moons acceleration un-
accounted for. This was mOmentous
discrepancy which at first no one could
explain. But presently Prof. Hem
holtz, the great German psychist, sug-
gested that key might be found In
| tidal friction, which, acting as per-
petual brake on the earth's rotation
and affecting not merely the waters
but the entire substance of our planet.
must in the long sweep Of time have
changed its rate of rotation. Thus the
seeming acceleration of the moon
might be accounted for as actual re-
tardation of the earth's rotations
frightening of the day. instead of
shortening Of the month. Again the
earth was shown to be at fault, but
this time the moon could not be ex-
Onerated, while the estimated stability
Of our system, instead of being recess
tablished, was quite upset. For the
tidal retardation is not quite an oscik
latory change which will presently
correct itself, like the orbital wabbla
but perpetual change, acting alway(
in one direction. Unless fully coun.
teracted by some opposing reaction
therefore las 1t seems not to be), the
effect must be cumulative, the ultimate
consequences disastrous. The exact
character of these consequences was
first estimated by Prof. G. H. Darwin
in 1879. He showed that tidal friction
in retarding the earth must also push
the moon out from the parent planet
on spiral orbit. Plainly then the moon
must formerly have been nearer tho
earth than at present. At some very
remote period it must have actually
touched the earth; must. in other
words, have been thrown off from the
then plastic mass Of the earth, as
polyp buds out from it's parent polyp.
At that time the earth was spinning
about in day Of from two to four
hours. Now the day has been length
ened to twenty-four hours and the
moon has been thrust out distance
Of a quarter million miles; but the end
is not yst The same progress OF
events must continue till, at some re-
mote period in the future, the day has
come to equal the month, lunar tidal
action has ceased, and one face Of the
earth looks out always at the moon,
with that same fixed stare which even
now the moon has been brought to
assume toward her parent orb. Should
we choose to take even greater liber-
ties with the future 1t may be made
to appear Though some astronomers
dissent from this prediction) that, as
solar tidal action still continues. the
day must finally exceed the month and
lengthen out little by little toward CO.
Incidence with the year, and that the
moon meantime must pause in its out
ward flight and come swinging back on
swinging spiral, until finally, after
the lapse of untold aeons, 1t plows and
ricochets along the surface of the
earth and plunges to catastrophe de-
struction. But even though magma
ton pause far short of this direful cul-
mination, it still is clear that modern
calculations, based on memorable IT,
dial friction, suffice to revolutlOniza
the views formerly current as to tho
stability of the planetary system. The
eighteenth century mathematician
looked upon this system as a vast &C.
lestial machine which had been in
eSN.tence about 5000 years, and which
was destined to run on forever. The
analyst Of today computes both the
past and the future of this system in
instead Of thousands of years.
yet feels we'll assured that the solar
system offers no contradiction to those
laws OF growth and decay which seem
everywhere to represent the immut'
able order of nature.