Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-14
to become incandescent and

combinations to become incandescent and
shine"
Then the sun spots are really regions
still hotter than the rest of the sun sur
face around them?'' said. $50 hot that,
as in the interior of the sun, the primt-
tive elements are in state Of disassocia-
ton and chemical combinations are Inn
Eyes. and at the same time they are in
dications OF great solar activity. The sun
flares up this way every eleven years: and
the earth feels the effect. Herscheu said
that the state of the sun ought to have an
influence on the price of bread. In those
days statistics were lacking. Today we are
able to make use Of them. As I have
shown in my book, the wheat production
Of the earth follows the curve Of sun.spot
variationsi
Have Marked Effect.
"All physical phenomena are but trans
formations Of the same energy" continued
the astronomer. "The Incredible electrical
currents which overrun the sun. especially
violent at periods Of maximum sun spots.
have their effect on the electricity OF our
earth-and much more. You know what
Leyden jar is? globe of glass filled with
water and covered outside with leaf OF
tin. When the interior of the jar is
charged with positive electricity the outside
surface Of tin becomes charged with mega
tive electricity. We have there simple
condenser of electricity. What Is not so
generally known, however, is that if the
outside electric charge is gradually in
creased the interior capacity Of the jar In
creases at the same time and the water
in 1t seems to diminish in volume. And
the contrary effect is produced as the out
side charge of electricity Is diminished"
And the crust of the earth acts in the
same way?" said.
Exactly he replied. 'The earth may
be compared to an immense Ledyen jar
Its pasty liquid interior ought to have
practically constant electric charge; but the
atmosphere which forms the exterior arma-
ture varies in it's electric charge, thanks to
the sun. The earth's crust is the glass ball
of the Leyden jar. Doubtless the soil is a
is far from being homogeneous; and per-
haps its conductability is due only to super
fetal humidity, while the cacarious ma
terial situated deep in the crust ought to be
q bad conductor
Cause Of Volcanic Action.
Now you can imagine the mechanism of
volcanic eruptions," continued the astron-
omer During periods OF great solar ac-
.tivity the electric potential of the earth's
atmosphere undergoes great variations-its
curve following precisely that of the sun
spots. AS in the case of the Leyden jar,
the earth's crust tends to dilate as the out
side electricity increases. The immense
quantity Of gases imprisoned in the inter-
Tor of the earth Immediately profit by the
lesser preston to quit the liquid bath into
which they exist confined. Then a period
of electric calm arrives. AS in the case of
the Leyden jar the earth's crust tends to
contract; and the gases, not being able to
return, this time, to the liquid mass of the
interior, have to escape to the surface OF
the earth by the lines of least resistance"
"And, escaping, they drag with them some
of the liquid mass-and We have volcanic
acton?' / said
valves, to diminish the interior preston.
You see that the pulsations Of the sun
make themselves felt on our earth as If our
earth were truly member of it's body; we
live Of the same life. And, without exag-
geration, these pulsations of our earth are
necessary to its life and ours! Obscure as
they may seem, when they shall cease and,
ceasng, fail to pump out Gas 1t were) suffi-
cient quantities of gas to ease our earth
from time to time, the end will comet"
The Fate Of Our Earth.
1.-THE end?" I exclaimed
'The end of terrestrial life," replied the
French astronomer solemnly when the
earth's crust, by cooling, shall become too
thick to- pulsate in this saving manner, to
yield to these periodic oscillations, what
will happen? When, thanks to the earth's
cooling, the unlmaSlnaDle quantities OF
gases dissolved in the molten mass of the
interior shall find themselves under contin-
ually increasing pressure, without outlet,
how will they behave in the center Of a
continually cooling mass?
'Frghtful convulsions will then take
place!' he concluded. 1.-THE lines of les
sened fracture will no longer suffice to give
issue to these gases under millions of at
mospheres Of pressure. What happened on
the moon will happen on our earth. Look
at that silent witness! The mountain
chains have in part disappeared from her
tormented surface. Everywhere are seen
the craters Of volcanoes in comparison with
which our own are next to nothing. With
the most feeble telescope you can perceive
on the surface of our satellite craters whose
diameters exceed forty, fifty and even sixty
miles No region has been respected. Ev-
erywhere the surface of the moon has been
blown up, volcanofzed, smashed and thrown
about! The moons water has disappeared
without leaving trace; and even its atmes-
phere must have been entirely absorbed in
that final cataclysm!
Such was the end Of the moon, now SO
different from our earth, but which once
nevertheless doubtless had its atmosphere
water, vegetation, its animals and its think
ing creatures! Such will be the end of our
earth and all its inhabitantsv