ON THE ORIGIN OF THE PLANETARY SYSTEM. 185 



that all stages of that process can still be found to 

 exist. 



For as we have already seen, the larger bodies 

 which are already formed go on increasing with the 



FIG. 13. 



development of heat, by the attraction of the meteoric 

 masses already diffused in space. Even now the 

 smaller bodies are slowly drawn towards the sun by 

 the resistance in space. We still find in the firma- 

 ment of fixed stars, according to Sir J. Herschel's 

 newest catalogue, over 5,000 nebulous spots, of which 



