METEORS, I?! 



The most obvious objection to this hypothesis resides 

 in the fact that what appears an utterly incredible 

 velocity must be communicated to the expelled matter 

 in order to render the explanation available. It is 

 necessary that the stellar volcanoes should propel 

 meteoric matter from their interior with a velocity 

 sufficient to free the missiles for ever thereafter from 

 the control of their parent star. Now, to take the case 

 of our own sun, any matter shot forth from his interior 

 at a rate of less than 380 miles per second would return 

 to him again under the influence of his far-reaching 

 attraction. It would, if undisturbed by planetary attrac- 

 tion, return (after a long excursion) in such sort as to 

 strike his surface as squarely as it had left that surface. 

 But even taking into account all disturbing forces, it 

 would still return to the sun. A velocity exceeding 

 that just named would free the erupted matter from 

 the sun's influence, to this extent at least, that though 

 the sun would continually retard the motion of the re- 

 ceding matter, he would never be able to destroy that 

 motion or change it into a motion of approach. But it 

 seems incredible that any forces residing in the sun 

 would be competent to propel matter from his globe 

 at a rate so enormous. 



And yet the evidence obtained during the past few 

 years respecting the motions of the solar prominences 

 seems to show that a velocity fully as great as that 

 which I have spoken of may be imparted to matter 

 expelled from the sun's substance. It is generally ad- 

 mitted that the prominences are due to some eruptive. 



