Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1912-08-27
ON the sun
They Indicate the Aging Of Our
Orb of Life and Light.
THE GREAT SOLAR TRAGEDY.
A Grim Play In Which the "star" 10
Fighting For Existence, Has Abso'
Iutely No Chance to Win and Whose
Death Means the End of the World.

Iutely No Chance to Win and Whose
Death Means the End Of the World.
Life is a tragedy, the earth stage,
men and women the actors, the gods"
the audience. Some pessimIsts believe
that this great play of life Is more
comic than tragic in the opinion of the
spectators.
However this may be, there is an
other, vastly greater, tragedy Of life at
which man himself is an onlooker, al
though, unfortunately, his own ulti-
mate fate is bound up with the denOue-
ment Of the play.
1t is the life drama of the solar sys-
tenn Its chief actor is the sun, and
men are beginning to rub their eyes
and wipe the specks from their glasses
as they perceive more and more plainly
indications that the "star" of the play
Is aging.
The fact is becoming only too clear
that for him this is no sport, but real,
deadly tragedy. He is not acting a
part, but fighting for life. He cannot
win; he can only prolong the struggle,
and when he falls exhausted the stage.
the theater, actors, spectators, pit and
galleries will 60 with him in one uni
versal ruin.
Until recently we were only troubled
a little in mind by the sun spots. 1t
was evident that they must cut off
some radiation, but the amount ap-
peared to be triHing, and their maxima
are far apart, ten or eleven years. But
now we are confronted by a much
more disQuieting phenomenon. The sun
appears to "fuctuate at irregular inter-
walls of several days and sometimes Of
several months"
Here is the crux of the whole mat
ter. What does the recognition of the
fact that the sun Is veritable star
mean? What may it mean to the earth
and its inhabitants? These questions
can best be answered by considering
other variable stars.
Let US take an extreme example.
There is In the constellation Of the
Whale a famous variable star known
as Mira the Wonderful. In period
| Of about ten months on the average IL
changes from the third-sometimes the
second-magnitude to about the ninth
| and then back again.
That means, in the extreme. prob
| able difference Of between two and
three hundred times in the amount OF
light and heat which 1t radiates around
| 1t at maximum and at minimum.
When it is faintest it cannot be seer
with the naked eye; when 1t is bright
est it is conspicuous object AS il
| fades it turns reddish in color, ant
when it brightens it blazes with bril-
liant spectroseopic lines.
| 1t Is probably sun at least as great
as our sun, and it has recently beer
found that its spectrum resembles II
some striking pecUliarities the spectr;
of SUI spots.
Did il ever have any worlds to ligh
and nourish? II so think Of the condi
ton of those worlds now.
A sun is ike living organism
wears out AS it ages it becomes more
and more variable. 1t maintains itsel
and its planets while its radiant powe
lasts. but 1t cannot do so forever. 1
contracts fickers. struggles, fades ant
goes out Its lifetime is millions o.
years. but it has an end.
let us account as mere nothing
cried Bossset. everything that ends
for. though we should multiply year
beyond the reach Of numbers, yet al
would be nothing when the fatal tern
is reached Garrett p. Serviss in New
York American.