New-York tribune., 1903-05-27
"THE ORIGIN CT PLANETS"
Some of the Difficulties Involved in the
Theory of Laplace.
TO the Editor OF The Tribune

To the Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: Ny apology for addressing you must be the
very great delight which, English chemist
temporarily resident here, I have experienced in
reading the editorial on The Origin of Planets
which appears in your issue OF to-day. For
than thirty years the theory OF Laplace has
presented TO my mind insuperable difficulties, and
possibly, statement Of some of those troubles may
not be devoid Of interest TO your readers
The hypothesis Of Laplace is, briefly. that plan
etary systems were originally nebuls at various
points in those nebula centres OF condensation
were somehow developed: around these centres the
substances of which the nebulse we're composed
consolidated themselves, in consequence OF the
heat, which preserved those substances in case
form, radiating into space.
If apply the principles Of this hypothesis to
the substances of which the earth we tnhabit is
composed great difficulties arise In the
days ot Laplace thermal chemistry was unknown.
but is somewhat advanced science Common
salt is Of the most abundant constituents OF
our globe and il consists Of metallic sodium united
with gaseous chlorine Tt is conceivable that at an
extremely high temperature the synthesis Of these
elements would not occur. But when that syntle-
sis came to pass the seat which those elements
contained would be emitted At the ordinary tenn
perature 23 pounds Of sodium, when uniting with
259 pounds Of chlorine, erts enough heat 10 raise
leo 600 pounds of water degree csntigrade. need
hardly say that the heat hers indicated Is intense;
e gaseous sodium were used. and chlorine az a
like temperature the heat given out would be
r1ne which exist upon globe. il caused TO unite
in this manner must have generated heat sufficient
to keep the remaining constituents Of the nebula
which contained them gaseous for an indefinite
period
Suil 1t is usually replied that IN the lapse of count
less millions Of years that heat would eventually
radiate into space. I apprehend that by space IS
signthed g void, containing nothing known to SCI
ence. surrounding either a nebula or the at
rosphere of our earth II is generally asserted that
there is an ether which pervades all space; but
until that ether has been isolated and examined
II is impossible TO affirm its existence. and the ar
gunents connected with it have no more scientific
value than the unknown something which Lncre-
tius was compelled TO imagine when he wrote:
Accipe prseterea qua corpora tQ te necesse est
Conhteare esse in reous. nee posse viderL
The atmosphere Of cur earth has its limits. it is
kept gaseous by the heat it contains, which will
DO :. certain amount of work and no more. Heat
void which surrounds it. Many years ago placed
inc6 9 ab6ve the coil suspended seifregisterng
Thermometer, and. having established a vacuum OF
30 lP6aTS Ponds oI ras9re trogh 9 s e con After main
teiring the yacI1yn and the steam pressure for six
hours found that the mercury in the thermorne-
ter had risen only Is degrees centgrade tact
from which it IS legitimate to infer that in per
feet vacuum, It would not have risen at al, IN
consequence OF the absence Of radiant heat under
There IS another very serious question for science
ours was originally a nebula, consisting Of i'm
msnse gHanss o. metals eo o1 IN o gaSsGGs s ss Tr
did they obtain the heat which gasefed them?'
This question viii perhaps be answered some day,
but meanwhile. would it not be better to proceed
from the known to the unknown, instead Of formu-
latng hypotheses which. after all are mere
Cuessesr Nature is Teplete with mystery. He VINO
can find out. e 6, how it is that the rain which
falls upon tree forthwith begins TO ascend its
trunk viii discover a Law of the highest scientific
Importance. So will he who informs US BY what
means & bird prepares the fluid marble with which
she coats her egg. And while these and the like
researches are in progress. it viii not, think, do
men of science any harm II they bear in mind the
language Of St John: "AII things made by
Him, and without Him was not anything made
Nav II. 1893 CHEMIST.
Our correspondent has evidently overlooked
the fact that heat reacT the earth from the
sun, and in order to do SO it must cross inter
vening space. So long as this energy is travel
ling in vacuum, physicists say, It would not
be felt Only when it encounters matter does It
become recognizable as warmth. All the same,
it travels for ninety-odd millions OF miles with
out trouble. Why, then should terrestrial ra-
diation experience any check? Geology. as well
as astronomy, presents convincing evidence
that the globe was once much hotter than it IS