The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-31
ARE UNAE TO solve
SUNS HIT MYSTERY
DESPIlONG STUDY
(From the asas City Starr

lfrOln the 1SdS Ilty STAR
The source ole suns energy re-
mains unknown spite of the years
of speculation astronomers and
physicists. But H. ID. Curtis of the
Allegheny obseTpry of the Univers-
ity of Pittsburglieves that this en-
| ergy may prod from subatomic
forces. II may nit from the break
, ing up of atoms her than from reac-
tons between Rcules of ordinary
chemical and piral processes.
The disintegrn of radium re-
leases at least hillion times more
energy than is ruced by any chem
ical action know In the sun there
certainly is leadd helium, both of
which are the oactive children of
their parent, uram. The existence
of radium has b suspected in the
sun.
But radium al is not sufficient
as source of tBolar energy. Were
the sun comparatively of uranium
and its various 1ioactive products
in due proportidhe heat involved
would be only at one-fourth of the
amount the sunoses by radiation.
Uranium loses hats power in about
five billion year
Astronomers adriven thus to a
confession of igance; they do not
know precisely L the suns heat is
maintained. Utmost probable as
sumption. and it largely an assump-
Ition as yet, is tMhere may well be
some disassociat in the atoms OF
other sorts of ner, similar to thai
observed in urara and radium, and
that from such s,s of subatomic en-
Iergy comes theeater part of the
suns truly prodil outflow of energy.
Resists Theory.
Thirty years a the general belief
was that the hesf the sun was pro-
lduced by the Istance that matter
encountered as moved gradually in
ward as the sacontracted through
Igravitation. I'll contraction theory
rests solidly onown physical laws
land because tlhmount of the con-
traction needed produce the re-
hurried heat is tremely small, only
some two hundtfeet year, it would
take 10 thousaI years to produce a
detachable, medable change, SO the
theory could i be proved or dis
proved by obsetion. But biologists
objected whenelvin found that by
. the contractioheory the sun could
! not have existifor more than some
is million yeain the past, nor last
more than 10 lion or so years long
err They consred 10 million years
merely as a dan the making of this
earth, and thsrefused to be salts
fled with so pYune an allowance OF
time for geoloal development.
This great at engine has been
operating for dainty one billion and,
more probabl00 billion years, and
is. so far as can see, giving out
constantly alni the same amount OF
heat. The tefrature of the sun is
between five susand degrees and
eight thousandegrees Centigrade
every square I'D of the suns sur.
face is emittilenergy to the amount
OF about IS busand horsepower;
| there are few irestrial power plants
which produces many horsepowers
as does a spalthree feet square OF
the surface ofe sun.
R@rements.
TO PRODUCT would require the
barning of Id of coal 20 feet thick
every hour. I sun is continually
| emitting aboute-half trillion trilliOn
horsepower; d use d less familiar
INIT about oaalf Sextillion horse
mower. Most dis seems to be vast
ed in space Dur earth intercepts
about one twdlionth of it, amount
ing TO aboutDne horsepower pei
square ward. lie could use it. Gould
We utilize all solar energy falling
on an averaged roof, it would &c
far toward lang modern CITY
When the daymes OF the discovery
If some methp extract the greater
mart of this IL energy, we shall
nove ont of tage of steel and the
,ge of electric into an age of en-
ergy. .--.-.--.-
This tremens heat energy cannot
70 caused by Ne combustion. Were
ne sun made old coal, burning in
nxvgen il wou1e black in less than
i've thousandArs. Emdeh, Win
tale Teutonic Glseness, puts IL a.