Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1899-07-14

black canopy, with bodies OF red
orange, blue and yellow. set like Jewell
of surprising briliancy. beyond tn,
flimsy clouds.
The sun, the orb of gold. as it is usu
ally termed, is not gold or any shade o
yellow, but blue. Moreover, it is get
ting bluer all the while. One star diff
fers from another not only in size, il
form, IN density and in position, but il
color and brilllancy, and all are chang
ing IN this respect with age. Stars 81
the first special class are at the hghes,
temperature known, and it is their color
that furnishes the basis for this infer
ence. They emit blush white radi
ance, that Of Sirius, one of the prin,ipa
stars of this class, being several times
greater than that of the SUM-
The stars Of the second class do moi
have stratliied atmosphere, the by dro.
gen, calcium, sodium and iron shifting
about the surface. They are yellow
now, but as they become hotter they
will b' come blush white, like Sirius
and Vega.
Stars of the third case, which at pres
ent are reddish or orange in hue, are al
a still earlier stage of development
than the solar stars. The atmosphere
IS of slight pressure and the Temporal
ture comparatively low. Probably they
are the youngest of all celestial bodies
The order of change is from orange
to yellow and fiom yellow To white, or
even blue Our sun has been yellow
star, similar to Capells. but has been
whitening, and will become as blue as
Sirius and Vega. The light emitted
will then become intensely blue, the
temperature wi ! rise until the smallest
radius is attained and will finally be-
come an intensely hot and dense mass
When incapable of further shrinkage.
cooling will ensue gradually, after
which the body will lquify and be
wrapped in everlasting darkness.
Some of the most obscure satellites
are associated with some of the bright
est and most luminous stars in the sky.
and here the smaller OF the two masses.
as in the case Of the planets of the solar
system, have developed most rapidly
and have reached their age of gloom.
No one need be apprehensive. how
ever, about the exhaustion OF the suns
light and heat, for it will not occur for
several hundred thousand years. per- /
haps for millions. 1t has been shown
by experiment that if the suns vertical
rays should fall continuously upon ter
res,rial ice they would melt a LAYER
three ccntimetres in thickness day.
From this 1t follows that similar shell /
Of ice would form over the earth IN the
event of the SUMS light and heat being
cut off. In month the whole earth
would he like the popular regions, and
only the deeper bodies of water, contain
ing great amount of heat. would re.
main in the liquid state. The oceans
would freeze IN "A few years at the latest
md the earth would continue in its orbit
rigid aud lIfeless mass.
Prof. L. j. j. See of the Washington
naval observatory says that the sun has
bout reached Its limit of increase IN .
cmperature, and he believes that PEG. .
DE 100000 years hence will see blue {
un, even through the earth's atmos- I
here. Its cooling of process will be {
comparatively rapid and the earth's a
population will huddle together toward I
he equator to make the most of the
solar heat. Four million I
ears IS the limit he places for the sun {
. continue TO give light. 1t Is now n
bout $4,000, 900 since it began 10 shine. il
LAYING been constructed originally 10y I
combination of widely scattered ne
ulae which have gradually been con-
ensing more and more, during which =
recess heat has been given off, it is y
'asonable TO expect that this process W
i'll continue for million years longer Is
degree sufficient to support life up :,
-
a the earth, and this period marks the y
trivial of the human race
The sun, after cooling sufficiently, J.,
ay support life, but not Of a high or
n or for any length of time, because T.,
no external source of heat. Every
~ the sun shrinks ten inches in diane -,
+.
Stars of widely differing colors are
ten near neighbors in the heaven. fri
TIA, which is in the beak of constella- W.
IN of the Swan, is double sun, one