Bickerton. — On Cosmic Impact. 545 



themselves to be the agents that will give more joy than most 

 of the results of commerce or business, or any of the material 

 achievements so lauded by practical men. When the per- 

 fection of the cosmos is realized, joy will be seen to be the 

 true lot of man, whilst pain and misery will only be suffered 

 long enough to ascertain the alterations in our mode of life 

 that are necessary for their removal. 



Art. LXIII. — Synoptic Statement of the Principles and 

 Phenomena of Cosmic Impact : prepared for the Criticism 

 of Scientific Men and Societies. 



By Professor Bickerton. 



'Read btfore the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 7th November, 



1894.] 



1. The new photographic charts have demonstrated that 

 there are over a hundred million bright stars in the Milky 

 Way. 



2. The companion of Sirius and the dark component of Algol 

 prove the existence of dead suns. These are possibly very 

 numerous. Sir Eobert Ball thinks them more numerous than 

 luminous ones : for other theoretical reasons I believe him to 

 be right. 



3. Stars have an independent velocity or proper motion of 

 about ten miles a second upon an average. Recent spectro- 

 scopic observations seem to suggest a slightly higher velocity 

 than this. 



4. This motion is apparently without much order. It will 

 alter the relative distance of stars, and may bring them near 

 each other, and possibly into impact. 



5. If they are brought near each other their mutual attrac- 

 tion will alter their velocity, and curve their courses into hyper- 

 bolic orbits. If they do not graze they will ultimately again 

 attain their original proper motion. 



6. When stars are very near each other their attraction will 

 cause them to be distorted into an egg-shape. 



7. The tendency to collision will therefore be increased by 

 their mutual attraction in these two ways, for it will cause 

 them (1) to curve their courses, (2) to be distorted when very 

 near each other. The chances of collision will thereby be 

 made one hundred times greater on an average. In the case 

 of two such bodies as our sun the chances of collision would 

 be one thousand times greater. 



35 



