Hide Article Text (OCR)
SUNS IN FLAMES.How i he Haktii M ay he Destiioyei*AND WlIEKUIX Ol It Svi-'ETY Ll E-.The catastrophe in the stellar system the eontla^ration of a star—which earnedso much commotion in astronomicalcircles a few months ago, is made thesubject of an article in Belgravia (March) by Richard A. Proctor. lie says thatthis catastrophe happened properly ahundred years ago; the messenger whichbrought the news, though traveling at a rate suflickut to circle the earth eight times in the course ot a second, hadtraversed millions upon millions of miles before reach.ng us last November. If a similar accident happened to our sun the creatures on that side of the earth turnedtowards him would he destroyed in an instant, and the rest very quickly afterwards. The heavens would be dissolved,anti the elements would melt with fervent[» Iheat. The question Is asked whether theearth is iu this danger, and whether warping would be given of the coming destruction. The answer may be gathered from the tacts mentioned in the article. There have been other solar conflagrations before that which was nt ide knowulast fall. The first 011 record—observed by Hyparchus—occurred 9.600 years ago.It was seen blazing in full daylight, showing that it was mail r times brighter than Birins, the blazing dog-star. It was called a new star because it had ever been iuvisihie until its conflagration made itlight temporarily visible.fhe next new star (or stellar contl question) appeared in the region of the heavens between Uepheus and Casiopera three times, A. 1). 915, 1264, 1572, and is expected to be seen on tire before long. This star remained burning at its last appearance for sixteen mouths. It appeared larger than Jupiter aid brighter than Birius. It. did not attain this lustre gradually, but shone forth at once in its full size and brightness us if it had been of instant creation. In 1A96 Fabriclus observed a new star in the neck of theWhale” constellation, and in September,lf»(»f, a new one was d scovered iu Ophi* ucus. In 1670 a new star appeared in the » i constellation (Jynua, remaining visible tor nearly two years In 1818 another Was seen, which has continu d in existence? I since its apparent creation. By the ui»l k ; of the telespectroscope—an instrumentv I combining the telescope and the spectroscope—it was found that the increase iathe t-tir’s light rendering the star visible l I whs due to the abnormal heat of the hydrogen surrounding that remote suu. p j But it could not be so easily decided whether this hydrogen was aglow with the heal of the star or whether absolute combustion was in progress. In other words, was it a red hot piece of iron or like a red hot coat? These star constellations, it is believed, are caused by contact with other heavenly bodies—meteoric flights traveling on eccentric paths, 01*those in attendance of the comets.The meteors attendant on a comet continue to follow in it^ path years after thecomet ha* disappeared. 'I he tail of the| comet of 1843 must actually have grazed j our sun. Newton's comet nearly aj-ie ! proached it. At any titut? we nngbt be visited by a comet mightier than either,1.r;s1;Lr;2J.i.i.11travel! g on • n orbit iutcrvccliug; the*ofatsun's surface, followed bv flights ot meteoric masses enormous In size and many iu number, which, falling upon the tun, would excite his whole frame to a degree of heat far exceeding what he now emits.We have evidence of the item udous best to which the sun’s surface would be excited in ueh u case. Iu 1859 two meteoric masses came into contact w ith themlete,!;e ! gun. The downfall of theie two bodies 1 onlv affec ted the whole frame ol the earth I at the very time when the sun had been j thus disturbed. Vivid auroras were secu c** | where they had never teen seen before,accompanied by electro-magnetic disturbances ail over the world. In many place*, ' the telegraph struck work, the signal j men received severe shocks, and at Bos -w I ton aflame of fire followed the i»enof J ain's electric telegraph, which writes the messages upon chemically prepared paper. This was the effect of two meteors, fhe effect of a comet, bearing iu its flight ts* \ many millions ot meteoric masses falling j upon the suu— should that take place—■ • j can be understood. Our sun seen from ! some remote star whence ordinarily he is j invisible would shine out as a new suu for ~n I a few days, while all things living on our is I earth and w hatever other members of thesolar system are the abode of life would , , inevitably be destroyed.li a comet came out ol that part of th« constellation Taurus, arrivtug iu such a time as to fall upon the suu la May or June, the light of the sun would act as s. veil, and we should be instantly destroyedrrit.Mt]awithout knowing any thing about it. If It “■ 1 fell in November or December we should1 sec it for weeks, and astronomers would tan 1 be able to tell us when it would io.ll uponL»0 | the sun. The disturbance upoa the sunin* ; would be temporary, but there would }y J no students ct science left to record tilleffect s. The chances are largely against '*• such an accident, tlursunlsonu among 10 I millions, any one of which would become wo visible to tins eye under fcueh an accident, ted S .vet during the last 2,000 years less than ! twenty such catastrophes have been re-I 1 corded. Mr, Proctor morever reassures j us in ano her way. He says In effect that red aji t»ut one of these tonllagrations%t* appeared in the zone of ibe Milky Way,hisahmeand that one in a region connected with the Milky Way by a well-marked streamof stars , that the process of developmentife still going nu in that region, but that ituer j there be among the comets traveling insat -galur attendance upon the tun out mi- j whose orbit intersects the sun’s globe itA1- ' must have struck before the era of man,and that In our solar system we mayI fairly believe that aU comets of the destructive sort have been eliminated, ami1 that for tua usages still to c onic the suu pf will contiuuflsto discharge his duties a* j Are, ligUyflklife of the solar system.
Newspaper Details
Alleganian and Times
Cumberland, Maryland, US
Fri, Mar 23, 1877
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 11 Oct 2022
Other Publications Near Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland Daily Alleganian and Times
Alleganian and Times
Cumberland News
Cumberland Times News
Democratic Alleganian
