Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-02-05
new THEORY OR
sun AND STARS

Tho Astranomsche Nachnchton con-
tains a now theory of the sun and stars by
Prof u. J. J. See. q. S. ~. The astronomer
formerly IN charge of the large telescope
oi the NaNnl Observatory in Washington
The now theory Is worked ont by mathe-
matioal methods and Is revolutionary in
more ways than one
Dr. See starts ont hy showing that the
matter of the sun is reduced TO single
atoms bv tho enormous heat 10 which it
Is subjected. and thatno possible chemical
combinations can take place in the sun.
Even hydrogen. oxygen and nitrogen,
which make up our oar in the form oi mole
cules composed of united atoms. are split
apart hy the sun s heat This is called by
Dr. See the monOtomic theory.
IL was hrst touched upon by the Ameri-
can astronomer Lame IN 1869. Prof See
has revived and extended Lane neglected
work. and given the whole theory of the
SUN mathematical form. Some of the
principal points 10 Dr4 Sees theory are as
follows
]. The sun Is made up offsingle atoms
and the central density Is exactly six times
the moan density. This is described as
new law discovered hy Dr. See and veri-
fed with great labor. ID applies TO nll the
/ fixed starsfas we'll as che sun, and IS thus
% general law oi nature. Tables are given,
and also curves showing what the density
Is at every point of the sun s radius.
While tho density at the centre eX-
cecds that Of iron and turns out to be
] identical with that of German silver, near
the surface it becomes excessively small
/ One-fehth of thc way down TO the centre
the density Is only l53 times that OF inc
ain. and ni Che surface the density lies be
tween onctonth and one-hundredth OF
that Of the air.
. n Is shown that the temperaturG
rises with enormous mpidity as The sun
mass Is penetrated, becoming at the centre
/ 10000 600 degrees centigrnde The heat
/ just below the plotosphere is shown TO p'
/ nearly BALI million degrees-so intens,
that the light and heat are driven thfougl
| the outlying gas like light through th'
earth's atmosphere
In this way Dr. See explains the sum-
surface radiation without the use OF con
vection currents. assumed 10y previous
wri tcrs They have uniformly held thal
hot currents come from the depths OF tho
mn while cold currents sink after theii
heat is udiated away Dr. See does away
with an this complex theory.
3. The pressure SHOWN 70 increase
downward IN the sun at q tlemendou.
rate. becoming more thanl4 ,OOOOOOOOl
atmospheres at the centre Imagine Z
column of mercury erected from the eartf
one-siXth of the way no me sun ana pres
sing throughout as a column OF quick.
silver does here at the earths surface ano
you have an idea Of the pressure at th'
sun centre. Tn addition 10 tnis piessuls
IL has q temperature oi aO,uOOiOOO degrees
centigmdo
me mean velociiIcs Of molecules 1ar'
shown TO De $40 miles q second. ENen
lnear the surface the pressure is great ailu l
| Therefore circulation OF surface hiAtsel
making up thc prominences musO DC qu'''
shallow
Af ong-teuih of the way to the centre
the pressure Is two and one-haii liliies .ilal
at tho centre OBJ the carthi and the matter
i.,r9foro r..tlrll moro ririd than the armoI
pilates nf Mf'cship. though only loa
! times as den as air
Pro. .sa calculates the total amount
of heat stoned up DO tne sun ana SNOW l.l.1, j
that when b staror -un IS made up OF single
atoms onIv one-haii ol the heat developed
Ina condenntion Is rldated away WINE
tl,o re.f ..orod up. nOncc 10 follows
( tbat one-laif of aIi Che heat produced by
tbe un sinlo eternity IS ti.l stored up ioi
| future ndaton This leads TO the con-
clusion tha. the future duration OF the sun
will be at least three times that oi the paSt
Some scientists have supposed that tne
suns liaht lud hoat arc beginning to iau
bud Dr. See hoNs hy calculation thnt the
SUMS activity i- sul rising and tlal W,
have as vet hv mo- means reached lhe
zenith of glory Ia the life of the soar
.vstem. This conclusion is verified ana
applied 10 thc stan Of Tie Milky way ana
| be shows that then brilliant light Is due te