The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-20
STABILITY OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
Eventually All the Planets VIII Drop
Into the sun
From the Philadelphia Record.

AHT SUN
From the Philadelphia Record.
The following items. relating to the sta.
bility Of the solar system, are taken from
an address recently delivered before the
Royal Bavarian Academy Of Sciences by
Prof. Hugo Seeliger
We are told in many popular treatises
and text books Of astronomy, on the au-
thority of Laplace that while the effect OF
the mutual attraction of the planets Is tc
change continually both the forms and the
dimensions of their orbits, such changes
can take place only within narrow limits
and that there is no mechanical reason
why the solar system should not endure
so Tar as its motions are concerned, sub
stantially as ii is now to all eternity Prof
Seeliger says that this result of Laplace's
Investigations cannot be regarded as prov.
ed in the present state Of science It is
by no means so certain, as Laplace main.
tained that a planetary orbit can change
It's form and size to slight extent only
On the contrary, it is quite within the
range of possibilty-the matter beins
viewed solely from the standpoint of math.
ematics-that the earth may at some fu.
ture time circle round the sun in an orbit
as small as that of Mercury at the pres
ent time. or, on the other hand. that II
may withdraw from the sun to the present
distance Of Jupiter. Either change would
be fatal to its existing forms of life.
So much for the mathematical aspect
Of the case. A more positive weakness
In Laplace's view is that he neglected TO
consider the effect of friction II is a
matter of common experience that all
motion upon the earth Is affected by re-
sistance Of some sort. Thus, a cannon
pail does not pursue exactly the course
1t should pursue in obedience to the
simple laws Of mechanics because of
nf Ia .sw
ent state Of our knowledge there Is little
room for doubt that a slight resistance of
this sort is experienced by the planets.
even though observation has failed thus
far to detect any of its effects. The
idea that inter-planetary space is alb
soluteiy empty has long been abandoned
as untepable. The phenomena OF light
compel us to conceive OF the whole
of space accessible to our perception as
filled with an extremely rare substance
matter in a highly attenuated condi-
ton, through which light Is propagated
by unduation, very much as sound is
propagated by waves in the air AL
though the nature of this ether as It is
called, is still a mooted question among
physicists, its existence is considered
among the best grounded of the facts of
science. 1t not only accounts for the facts
OF light, but it is also needed to explain
the radiation OF heat and the effects Of
electrical forces.
Now, however fine the distribution of
the ether may be and however small its
influence upon the movement Of the celes-
tial bodies, still with time, even though
perhaps only after the lapse OF many mil
lians OF years, this influence must make
itself apparent It's effect. though less in
degree, Is the same in kind as that Of the
earth's atmosphere upon a cannon ball
It acts continually to check the body's
velocity and change the direction OF its
movement.
Again, there are incontestable proofs
that inter-planetary space is In another
sense of the word far from being empty
We know that a countless number Of
small bodies, which in their totality may
be designated as cosmic dust fills prob
ably oil the space Of the solar system
certainly that lying in the neghborhood
of the sun. These small masses move
with planetary velocities about the sun.
and since they move IN all possible drec-
lions collisions must occur between them.
both with one another and with the larger
masses Of the system. IL is these coils
ions in the case Of the earth which give
rise 20 the familiar meteor or shooting
star" the unlucky colliding body entering
the earth's atmosphere with a velocity SO
great that the friction OF the air heats
II most instantly 10 the melting point and