Omaha daily bee., 1915-07-07

plantations Of new stars which from time
TO time are seen to burst into visibility
is that they are the consequences Of tre-
mendous collisions in space. The planet
esimal hypothesis. which many astrono-
mers nov regard as more satisfactory
than Laplace's theory Of the mode of
origin OF solar systems, is based upon
the calculated results of a near approach
OF two suns, which, without actually
meeting I'm collision, would disrupt one
another by the enormous strain of their
tidal attraction. According to this
theory the spiral ncbula, OF which many
thousands exist, are formed of the prod
ucts of such disruption, and should be
regarded as new solar systems in process
of formation.
We should not think OF the universe as
resembling a piece of mechanism, like
clock, in which everything revolves
smoothly and unchangeably, all parts
being cogged together, so to speak, from
center to circumference; but, rather, we
should think of it as like living being,
in which various parts are continually
decaying and being renewed. From our
narrow, humon point of view, 1t seems
dreadful catastrophe for two mighty suns
followed, perchance, each by Its flock OF
inhabited worlds, 10 plunge together into
a rnaelstrom Of fiery destruction, but
looked at in broader way, such Incl
dents are only the ordinary processes of
a self-renewing system.
Everything about us fatty contradicts
such an assumption. Accidents, catas-
trophies. collisions. violent changes, vol
canic explosions, earthquakes, affect the
animate and the inanimate world alike.
Plants and animals die, are consumed
and are renewed; mountain chains rise
and are worn down again to sea level;
continents and oceans appear and disap-
pear, and, after sufficient time, the
great globe itself shall dissolve, and
leave not a wrack behind"
doubt ii any astronomer any longer ,
rntcrtains the idea that there is cen /
trail sun whose influence holds all the +,
circling systems in control. The uni /
verse is rather like mass OF rare gas |
in which the gaseous particles, or mole i
cules, are represented by the stars tsunsl. I,
When gas is compressed collisions be- !
tween its flying molecules are incessant, /
but when 1t is vastly expanded the spaces
between the particles are so great that
actual collisions are infrequent. Never
theless. they do occur, and, even with
out direct collisions, molecules may al
feet one another. more or less. through
their varying distances. This last state
Of things is what seems to exist among
the stars. II is only now and then that
two suns actually meet in head-on
crash but, since all are continually in
motion. relatively near approaches fire.
uuently occur. and their gravitational
pull upon each other results in inter
changes of momentum which keeps the
entire system in a state of related move
ment.
II the approach is close enough the two
suns tear one another bodily asunder
and a spiral nebula is produced, in which
the particles resulting from the disrup-
ton gyrate in intersecting orbits. CEN
trail nucleus is then developed, which be-
comes eventually a new sun, and local
COMBINATIONS, occurring where the orbits
of particles cross. give rise to new plan
cts. But II the approach is not very
close the two suns simply produce a mu-
tual swerving of their courses, which. &C
cording TO circumstances, may result In
their continuing henceforth TO voyage In
company as a double star, or only in
sending them away in different direc-
lions from those in which they were
travelling before they got near enough
to noticeably affect one another's move
mentR.
The whole problem of the relations of
the suns of space has been rather com
plicated than simplified by the recent
discovery that there exist two or three
great streams or currents among the
stars, moving in different directions, al
; though the stars belonging to different
streams appear to be actually intermin-
gled in space. Then another problem is
presented by the existence of such enor-
nous suns as the star Campus. which
exceeds our sun tens OF thousands OF
times in luminosity. Their power over
tho motions OF other stars must OF
course, be exceptionally great,