THE SUN 243 



the gases occupying the central reservoir, and for the 

 weight, also, of the solar atmosphere. It is not altogether 

 guesswork if we allow for these claims about one-half the 

 shell's thickness, reducing the latter to, say, 25,000 miles, 

 in round numbers. 



.A few peculiarities of this shell demand attention. 

 One of these has to do with the observed inclination of 

 the sun 's axis, which prima facie should, according to my 

 theory of the stellar resultant and systemal equilibrium, 

 parallel the axis of the earth. As a matter of fact, how- 

 ever, the solar axis is inclined, not 23-*^, but only 7, to 

 the plane of the ecliptic. What explanation can there 

 possibly be for this apparently fatal discrepancy? 



My answer is this: that were the sun rigid to the 

 same degree as the earth, he would undoubtedly, like 

 Mars, lean as does the earth, but not being rigid, he 

 ceases ipso facto to be a trustworthy criterion of the 

 main question. Prior to the ocular discovery of the sun's 

 equatorial acceleration, and that from his middle lati- 

 tudes to his equator this acceleration is gradual and con- 

 tinuous, and even reducible to a formula, what astrono- 

 mer would have supposed such a thing physically possi- 

 ble ? When, therefore, I say, as I now do, that the solar 

 shell consists of many plies, and that each ply has its own 

 velocity of rotation and its own PLANE of rotation, it may 

 sound quite as incredible to the same ears. According to 

 my interpretation, the innermost ply of the solar shell 

 revolves about an axis nearly, or quite, parallel with the 

 axis of the earth, while his outermost envelope, at the 

 equator, revolves about one that nearly approximates a 

 perpendicular to the plane of the planetary orbits. 



A second peculiarity about the sun that is not true of 

 the earth is, that the former exhibits no oblateness of 

 figure whatsoever, but presents at all times a sensibly cir- 

 cular disc. Were the sun as rigid as the earth, he would 

 be flattened at his poles, but, because of his inflation, his 

 rotundity is being perpetually retrimmed. The ball of 

 our planet lacks elasticity and, as in the case of a ball of 

 putty, its settling and flattening become more and more 

 confirmed as time goes on. Were a close physical exami- 



