The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-19
Is A NEW WORLD TO BE BORN.

The report was published in the Post
Intelligencer yesterday from the obser
Satory at Geneva that what has beer
expected on the surface of the sun for a
/ long time Is about to take place. Fo,
the past two years astronomers have
been approaching the conviction that a
phenomenon Of unusual import was
about to be presented. What that is
OF course cannot be more than guessed
at; but many elaborate papers have
been written since the novel signs pre-
sented themselves to establish the
/ theory that a new world is about to be
born.
A great group Of sun spots Is an.
preaching the center Of the disk. It is
| supposed that this vast solar disturb
ance extends lengthwise 100. 900 miles
| and may be we'll defined with small
telescopes. while even to the naked eye
protected by smoked glass, the group
Is visible. If the accepted theory is the
right one. this great spot is due to the
stripping from the face of the sun at
It's equator of a great body Of the
nebulous matter which goes to form
planets. 1t is well known that several
such bodies have already been thrown
on and have formed planets revolving
within the orbit Mercury. When that
1Annanan him hat,, l. 4
cause. according to one writer who has
made a special study of the solar phe-
nomena. it happened go, 900 years
ago. at which remote period he places
the close Of the primary epoch on this
earth.
The birth OF world will only be
known to our sight by the appearance
OF pennant flung out from the sun,
but, important as that event would be
to the sun and to the remainder Of the
solar family. it will be many years be-
fore our distant relative, Neptune,
learns Of 1t, and mayhap it never will
unless its inhabitants are a different
order Of being to those Of the earth and
have vastly different astronomical IN
struments. For, away OF in the utter
most rim Of the suns centrifugal in
fuence, that great orb looks no larger
than star.
There is the widest difference Of opin-
ion among speculative astronomers as
to the effect both upon the sun and up
on the earth Of such an event in ma
ture. The sun would lose much of its
heat, but it Is doubtful If our atmos-
phere-veiled earth would feel it. If
the suns rays shone directly upon the
atmosphere everything would be dried
up and the earth become a desert. The
atmosphere consumes a certain GUAM
tity OF heat and the remainder is
wasted. so far as we know. If our
ethereal envelope remains to us, it can
absorb more heat. but still considerably
less than the loss that a little planetoid
would need to start it off into indie
pendent existence The more sensa-
tional theory Is that when the great
strip OF heated vapor is torn from
around the sun like belt, It will sud-
denly become colder. We have seen
100000 miles stripped without sign of a
change Of temperature. yet there is no
sign Of any change in either Venus or
Mercury. either of which being so
much nearer should show the effect of
the first stages toward that cataciysm
with which we are threatened II they |
have no atmosphere it might make no
difference that they were somewhat
colder. SO far as we can see. Bat II |
they have any atmosphere, It's disap- |
peArance under such q cold wave as |
that which has been calculated would |
be certain and the light of neither |
could be so brilliant.
The eclipse of the sun will be watch. d |
with the most intense interest NEXT |
Japuary AID that not uncommon and |
very natural incident of celestial revo-
luton viii have an interest for The
world 1t has never possessed before
The purpose Of the great disturbance
on the suns face may not be the throw
ing off OF a new planet. but II is 90
stupendous that it cannot be dismissed
as II il were only dark cloud passing
across the light OF the moon.