The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-11
MAKING OF WORLDS
PROFESSOR SEE IMPROVES ON La
PLACES THEORY.

This May be all Very Well ~ . Nebuiar
HypothesIs to Account for the Solar
System, Hut Is Not Considered April
cable to Other Systems, Being Only .
Special Modification of the Grand
Formative Plan of the Universe at
Large-what the Study of Multiple
Stars Taught Professor See.
New York, Dec. 10.-The Herald says:
A new nebular hypothesis-such is the
important result of the Investigations Of
Professor See, of the Lowell Observa-
tory. The announcement which the
professor makes will attract widespread
attention in the scientific world. In the
accompanying article Professor Sees
is fully explained. Up to certain point
ne accepts the century old doctrine OF
Daplace, but ne goes further than the
famous French astronomer, and shows
wherein he thinks his views erroneous.
If the theories of Professor See, of the
Lowell Observatory be true, our star
system is unique in the great family Of
worlds, and the generally accepted ne
buiar hypothesis is essentially errone-
Gus. 1t is to America that the old world
turns to receive the latest, and many
eminent astronomers think the most rea-
sonable, enunciation regarding the nebu-
lar theory, which was first exploited a
hundred years ago by the great French
investigator, Laplace.
Professor See, who is now in Washing
ton, prosecuting his researches at the
Naval Observatory, is a very young
man, but has devoted himself almost
exclusively to astronomical studies since
his undergraduate days at the Missouri
State university. For the past two years
he has been working at the LoweN Ob-
servatory, at Flagstaff, Ariz., and 1T is
the result Of his study Of the multiple
stars, undertaken at Flagstaff, that he
has evolved MS new nebular theory. To
appreciate the Importance Of Professor
Sees discoveries, it is well to review the
nebular theory as hitherto generally un-
derstood.
Lapiace conceived that ages ago our
sun, the planets and their satellites con-
sisted Of a vast, rotating, fiery. gaseous
body, extending beyond the limits Of
the outernost planet. AS the heat ra-
dated into the surrounding space the
mass gradually contracted and began TO
rotate more rapidly, and as it moved
faster and faster il assumed the form of
adisk or double convex lens, according
to Laplace; AMI finally, at the circumfer-
ence Of the disk the centrifugal force
became greater than the force Of grav-
ity, and a ring Of gaseous matter was
left Behind, revolving freely around the
central mass.
The condensation of this ring would
form the first planet, and this process
would continue untn our present solar
system would be evolved; the planetary
masses condensfng and rotating in turn
giving birth to their satellites, or moons.
This conception, Laplace believed, ac-
counted for the motion OF ALI the planets
around the sun in the same direction, as
well as for the rotations Of the planets
and their satellites in the same direction
in which they revolve in their orbits.
The rings Of Saturn were cited as case
Of uncondensed satellite.
The researches of both Sir William
and Sir John Herschel into the nebular
theory tended TO confirm the truth Of
the conception Of LapIace, but a little
later the huge reflector OF Lord Rosse
began to turn the scale of evidence the
otner way. The six foot speculum of
Lord Roses telescope resolved many OF
the supposed nebulae into clusters of
stars, and astronomers began to be-
lieve that under sufficiently powerful
telescopes perhaps all of the nebulae
might be found to be separate stars, a
discovery which would have severely
shaken faith in the nebular hypothesis.
however, the application OF
the newly invented spectroscope to the
heavenly bodies showed that many OF
the neouae are really masses of glow
ing gas gradually condesning into stars.
This seemed to again establish the truth
Of the theory OF Laplace.
1t has remained for Professor See TO
further strengthen Laplace's theory of
the nebulous origin Of the universe, but
to utterly refute mis- notion Of the de-
velopment OF stars from gaseous rings,
cept our own. According to Professor
See, in all the immensity Of the heav-
ems there is not a single system IN any
way resembling our own, and that,
therefore, the great hope of further
knowledge of the origin of the universe
lies in the study OF the systems at large,
rather than that of our unique system.
While Professor See was a student OF
the Missouri State university is occurr-
ed TO him that somt1ling might be done
10 throw light upon the formation OF
the stellar systems, and ne therefore set |
himself TO study the prus5lem of ex-
planning the formation of the double |
and multiple stars. Among the first Of |
Professor Sees discoveries in this di-ec- |
ton was the fact that the orbits OF the |
double stars are very eccentric, and in |
this respect very unlike rlle nearly cir |
rular orbits OF the planets and satellites. |
1t was evident that il would not be |
possible TO explain the formation OF |
these systems IL we could not account
for the high eccentriities OF the orbits. |
Il then occurred to She investigator |
that. as the stars are melted fluid mass |
as-not cold, solid bodies, like the earth |
tile mutual attraction or gravitaSion, |
)f two neighboring suns would arise en-
ormeus tides in the fluid gases. and the |
working OF this tidal fric- /
ion would render the orbits eccentric.
BY the tidal friction is meant the grav-
to-ial reaction arising from the change
# form due - tidal distortion OF figure.
When the moon raises tides on the earth |
he form OF the latter Gin case II were
iuid throughouO would not be spherical, |
,ut egg-sha2ei. with tS7e apex of rhe