Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-09-02
Daily kennebec Journal.
Local Matters.
the SUN WILL COOL.
Still Local Astronomer Says Il Won't Freeze
Over This Season.

Great day only it's hot in the sum-
remarked the reporter as he rar
against the local astronomer on Water
street.
NO matter,-that sun you're talking
about won't bother us forever" was
the solemn reply.
What's up?" demanded the report
ar. reaching instinctively for his pencil
Nothing new. nothing new" re-
turned the sky-looker, only the sun is
cooling off and some day it won't give
any heat or light" Not some day.
suggested the reporter, 1t won't be
day then. you know, old man.
Shut up" said the astronomer. ar
IDENTIFY, land listen to what l tell you
about the Brilliant should say the
now brilliant. orb of day.
The sun has nearly reached the
limit of its increase in temperature
and before long it will begin to cool
off. Ny belief is that within 10000
years the solar orb. while considerably
smaller than now, will be so hot that it
will look decidedly blue even as seen
through the earth's atmosphere; there
after it will show signs of running
down quite rapidly. and a tendency
will soon follow. on the part of the hui
man population of the earth, to huddle
toward the equator.
so we'll as we are able to perceive
mankind must be destroyed eventually
by the progress of cold, and, in my
opinion. the sun will not shine for
more than 100000 years longer. Orig
inally. of course, it was nebula
composed of cold particles, chiefly
stony and widely scattered. These
particles. gathering together by NUT
ual attraction. formed body in
which heat was engendered by the
falling together of the particles COM
posing it. Since then the progressive
shrinking. e., falling together-of
the particles has resulted in the ennis
sion of heat.
1T is about 80, 900, 900 years since the
sun began to shine, and we may rea-
sonably expect that it will give
warmth enough to sustain life on the
earth for 100000 years to come. | do
not think that we can count upon
more extended survival for the human
race.
Hitherto an absurdly mistaken no
ton seems to have been accepted re
garding the makeup of the sun, which
has been supposed to be a homo
geneous body, equal in density
throughout. AS matter of fact.
while it's material is lighter than our
own atmosphere on its surface the in
terror is much denSer than the heavi-
est known substances that go to conf
pose the earth. In fact. the solar orb.
near its center. is about three times as
dense as mercury. AS for the future
OF the sun. we may suppose that for
while after cooling it will become
habitable by living forms, animal and
vegetable; but these are not likely to
be developed highly or to endure for
any length of time. inasmuch as the
mighty globe will have no external
source of heat to depend upon.
Sirius is n blue star. Beta, in the
beak of the constellation of the Swan.
is 4 double sun. one Of its members
being pale yellow and the other deep
blue. The fiery red sun of Scorpio is
linked with another one that is small
and green These double stars are
true cosmic twins. and occasionally
triplets appear. Castor. in Germini. is
a pair of suns. each Of which is larger
than our orb of day, and it is believed
that the greater of the two revolves
around q third gigantic and invisible
body, the presence of which is sug
gested by the swaying movements Of
the mighty luminary in question.
"Algol. the so-called Demon star. has
such a body revolving around it. shut
.; IN, pff iuh q n lSp if ola re
and fade at alternate intervals. |
have discovered a dozen great stars
| that are almost black, shining merely
| by reflected light from neighboring
suns. What worlds they must be, to
be sure. and how strange the forms of
| life which may be imagined to inhabit
| them,
"Alcyone. 1000 times as big as our
sun. is in the constellation Lyra, to-
ward which the whole of our own solar
system is moving. 1t may even be
| conceived as possible that our sun
| eventually will become satellite of
| Vegas. But Arcturus, the king OF
| suns, gives 5000 times as much light as
| our Sun-a statement which becomes
impressive when it is considered that
our solar orb would cut up into
go. 900 pieces. each one as large as
the earth on which we live. If, by the
| way. the sun were solid block OF an
thracite coal ignited in pure oxygen. il
would burn out in 1850 years.
The atmosphere Of the sun is sup
posed to be 5000 miles deep. being com
posed of various gases and vapors OF
| metals AS observed through the
telescope it's surface is covered with
minute white forms apparently float
ing in an ocean of grayish fluid. These
are clouds composed not of water, bu'
chiefly of carbon. Just as the cleo
trician uses carbon for producing th'
brightest of artificial lights so the sur
employs the same agent in the manu-
facture OF its transcendent light and
heat"
The cobblc bitches are almost com
plctcd on Winthrop street, and the
catch basins put in. All now remain
ing to be done is the laying of the
concrete sidewalk on the south sid
and putting crushed stone onto TIL