Year: 1877

INHABITANTS OF THIS WORLD TO


CINDER-THIS TERRIBLE catastrophe


TO TAKE PLACE AT ANY MINUTE.


Mr. Richard A Proctor writes to the
London Echo as follows 'We have with
in the last fortnight had new evidence in


the star depths of the danger to which our
own sun, and we along with it, would seem
to be exposed. There are some astronomical
subjects of inquiry which, though they
relate to bodies inconcervably remote, con-
Germ us inhabitants of earth very nearly.
1t is, fer instance, question of cOusidera-
bic interest to us whether the evidence we
have about the sun suggests or not the
probability that the orb-the fire, light,
and life of our system-is gradually parting
with its energies, in such sort that our
descendants will be less thoroughly warmed
and lighted than we are ourselves. 1t Is
question Of interest again whether there is
any truth in such a theory as was once
thrown out (to the amazemcnt Of astronO-
mers be it remarked) by Sir w. Thomson,
that the fragments of destroyed planets
might be the vehicles by which the seeds
of life are carried to new worlds, and that
our earth, visited in remote ages by such
! fragments was thus supplied with the germs
! of that life which is now so abundant on
! her surface, so she, in her turn undergoing
| destruction will be sent in fragments
| through space, scattering about the germs
| Of life for the benefit OF other words as yet
unpeoped. Another question Of very great
interest was that started by Sir Isaac New
town, iii the weil-known suggestion that
should comet fall upon the sun there
would be Il tremendous outburst of solar
heat, whereby this earth and all the other
worlds which circle round the sun could be
destroyed, or, at least, all life caused to
perish from their surface. This idea has
not, indeed of late received much favor,
| because astronomers, noting the small effects
produced by comets upon even the interior
members Of the solar system, such as the
moons Of Jupiter, have come to regard
comets as bodies Of very little weight, whose
material, therefore, falling upon the sun,
could produce but insignificant fires. More
over, we have learned to consider the
probability Of the downfall of comet upon
the sun as exceedingly small. We know
that among those whose paths have been
properly determined during the past few
years, only two have made a very near ap-
proach to the sun-though by strange
coincidence, one Of these was the first ever
wealth with On the Newtonian principles
viz, Newton's own comet Of the year 1860


That one approached the sun within less
than the sixth Of It's diameter, and Its very
nucleus must have swept the SUBMITS OF
the red fumes which we now know to eX-
ist all round the sun we see. The other
was the comet Of 1913, which, on the 2Tth
Of February Of that year, was within Co.
600 miles Of the suns surface SO that the
bulk of It's coma or hair must have swept
over the sun, and the outermOst parts Of
Its nucleus must not only have met the
solar flames. but even have reached the low.
lying bed Of flame seen during solar echpses
and called the sierra. Still, these two
comets only, among all these Of the last two
hundred years, have made a very near ap
proach to the sun, and, as no mischief ha,
followed astronomers are encouraged tC
the belief that whateyery danger we may
have to fear from changes in our sun
condition, comets are scarcely to be regarded
as the probable cause Of such danger.


But the news just received from the stal
depths concerns us more nearly. 1t tells
us of sun, doubtless in general respects
like our own, which has met with some
great catastrophe, whose cause we cannot
at present determine, but whose real nature
is unmistakable. Our sun is one among
hundreds of millions, each of which is
probably, ike it, the centre of a scheme oI
circling worlds. Each sun is rushing along
through space with its train of worlds
each bearing, perhaps, like our earth, its
living freight or, more probably, each, al
some time or other of It's existence, becom
ing habitable for longer or shorter period
Thus the suns may be comparted to engines
each drawing along its well-freighted train


Accidents among these celestial engines
seem fortunately to be rare. a few among
the suns appear suddenly, Chat is in the
course of IA hundred years, which in celestial
chronometry amounts to mere instant,
to have lost large part Of their energy, as
though the supply Of fuel had somehow
run short. Mishaps of that kind have not
attracted much attention, though manliestly
it would be a serious matter OF our own
sun were suddenly to loose three-fourths
of its beat, and as happened with the
middle star Of the Plow, or ninety-nlnC
hundredths, as has happened with the once
blazing, but now scarcely visible, orb called
Eta, in the keel Of the star-ship Argo
But when we hear of an accident Of the
contrary kinda sun suddenly blazing out
with more than hundred times It's usua
splendor a celestial engine whose energies
have been overwrought, so that sudden
expansion has taken place, and the fires
meant to work steadily for the train, have
blazed forth to its destruction-we are i'm


pressed with the thought that this may
possibly one day happen with our sun
The circumstances are very curious, and
tbouoh they do not show clearly whether