Bickerton. — On Cosmic Impact. 557 



97. This action will tend to go on until attraction is equal 

 in different parts of space. Thus we should have, if there were 

 no counteracting influence, in one part of space bodies in mass, 

 in another part diffused hydrogen. 



98. But long before this equality of distribution can ensue 

 another action is set up. The mass of hydrogen will become 

 a retarding trap to indiscriminately-moving bodies. 



99. Free bodies moving indiscriminately will tend to pass 

 through a group of masses similar to our universe, through 

 which 1830 Groombridge is passing now. But they will tend 

 to be trapped in any mass of hydrogen they encounter. Thus 

 the place that was most void of matter now begins to have 

 more than a regular distribution of matter. A new universe 

 of the first order has begun to form. 



100. The Magellanic Clouds are probably universes of the 

 first order. Our universe was probably formed from the im- 

 pact of two other universes, and hence has a greater definite- 

 ness of configuration. 



101. Mutual gravitation between the entrapped bodies 

 would tend to concentrate the diffused mass. The new 

 universe would be taking form. 



102. When three bodies pass near each other, one at least 

 has its velocity increased. In this way it is possible to ac- 

 count for the enormous velocity of 1830 Groombridge, although 

 this high velocity might also be due to the attraction of our 

 universe, or of a near dead sun, the truth of which latter idea 

 could be ascertained by observations of its regularity of speed. 

 Whenever the velocity is great enough to enable the body to 

 escape the attraction of the universe, the body is lost to it, 

 and the other two bodies would be moving more slowly. If 

 this should occur only once in a thousand cases — seeing that 

 when it does occur the body escapes — given time enough, much 

 of the energy of any individual system must thus be used up 

 in allowing the escape of bodies. 



103. If it could be shown that the impact of two similar 

 universes would result in the formation of one which, in a 

 similar stage, was of larger mass than one of the originals, 

 then impact would be, on the whole, an aggregating agency, 

 and the permanent equilibrium of the cosmos would be dis- 

 turbed. 



101. This is probably not the case, for during the impact 

 of the universes themselves much matter would escape, and 

 at every impact of individual bodies within the new universe 

 light molecules would be set wandering that would ultimately 

 leave the system. When the new universe has become more 

 dense, during the approach of any three bodies one would 

 occasionally be sent out of the system. There are other 

 agencies that, together with these, render it possible for two 



