Evening star., 1938-12-27
Solar System
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Solar System
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been in progress. This, his calcula-
tions show, is about the amount OF
energy radiated by supernova dur
ing the period of its explosive vio-
lence. Observations showed Nova
Pictoris to be only an ordinary nova
whose radiant energy, as measured
on earth, was millions of times less
than this. Hence, DR.. Gum told the
astronomers, it is clear that nova
and supernovae represent, in the
amount of energy they display, es-
sentially the same sort of phenome-
non.
The difference is that they use
this energy in different ways. The
one disSipates it in celestial fire.
works, an explanation for which de-
fies astronomers. The other puts a
good deal of the energy to work,
shooting into space balls of boiling
rock many thousands of times the
size of the earth. 1t might be some
thing like the difference between
a Fourth of July pyrotechnic ex-
hibit and an artillery battle, as
suming the same amount OF powder
was shot off in each.
Theory of Worlds Birth.
Just ordinary nova, DR.. Gum be-
lieves, use up lot of their energy
in giving birth to those supposedly
rare celestial configurationS, solar
systems, upon whose planets alone
can there be any life. as it is COM
monty understood, in creation. 1t
must be concluded. he told the ply
sicists, that unconsidered sources
of energy are Immediately avail
able in a star and that it may be
used for ejecting massive bodies
from the great flaming mass. Just
so, he thinks, the abode Of man
came into existence couple of bill
lion years ago, more or less.
For years it has been generally
accepted by astronomers that the
planets, including the earth, were
torn away from the sun and started
revolving in their orbits by the tidal
attraction of another star which,
sweeping through the heavens,
passed close to the sun.
DR.. Gum is advancing the con-
trary theory, supported by extensive
mathematical analysis, that the So
lar system resulted from the sun
splitting in two. Under the older
theory it would be very improbable
that the same event could have hap
pened more than two or three times
in the whole history of creation,
and hence the possibility of other
worlds capable of supporting life
would be very limited. According
to the Gum theory, worlds with
highly developed life might be COM
monplace throughout the universe.
Nova" are not extremely rare phe-
nomena.
Lost in Space.
The thesis as developed by the
Naval Research Laboratory physi-
cist Is that at one time star more
than twice as big as the sun was
caused by electric and magnetic
forces to spin on its axis faster and
faster until it finally broke into
two pieces. One piece literally sky
rocketed its way towards an un-
known destination and was lost in
space, while another became our sun.
The process of breakup also pro-
duced smaller pieces which cooled
to form the earth and other planets,
together with their moons. OBJ
servation shows, DR.. Gum says,
that little more than a fourth of
all the stars in the heavens are
doubles and there can be little
doubt but that these resulted from
the breakup of other, more massive
stars. Earlier studies showed that
electric and magnetic forces acting
in the suns atmosphere caused
winds to blow to the eastward with
a velocity exceeding 1000 miles an
hour. In the parent star, winds of
far greater velocity, according to
DR.. Gums calculations, blew for
millions of years and were sufficient
to cause it to rotate faster and faster
until it turned on its axis about
once in six hours.
1t couldn't stand the stress of such
rotational speed, he says. 1t
cracked in two. Now the inside of
star is naturally far hotter than
the outside. With the breakup one
side of each of the fragments-that
which had been on the interior
was much hotter than the other
and hence radiated a great deal
more energy.
The result, as DR.. Gum sees it,
was a double sky-rocket effect. Both
stars recoiled from the direction Of
their greatest energy radiation. This
is the same force which causes a
gun to kick back against the shoul-
der. It is the force sometimes postu-
lated for use in sending space ships
to other planets.
Now, DR.. Gum says, just as the
parent liquid star broke into two
component stars, tidal and centrifu-
gal forces broke of smaller sections
and these cooled and formed the
planets. The same forces broke of
the planetary satellites or moons"
Immediately after the planets them
selves were formed. Thus, he postu-
lates, the entire solar system may
have been formed in a very few
days. The pull of the smaller COM
ponent star carried the planets well
away from the sun, but the attrac-
ton of the latter was so great that
fbov co,11d not oat ouov a1tooatf1ar