264 FROM NEBULA TO NEBUIA 



and the earth's (unity) for m, and working the problem 

 out, we shall find that the sun's integral attraction (were 

 his density the same as the earth's, instead of only one- 

 fourth, as it is) would be 69 times as great, whereas, 

 computed on the basis of his real density, this ratio is 

 only 27.6 to one ! What, I pray, becomes of the tremen- 

 dous surplus of this potential attraction (by which name 

 we will hereafter refer to it) over the observed! So far 

 as my reading has extended, I have found no suggestion 

 about it anywhere, much less an attempt to fit it into the 

 web of scientific theory. Yet what could be more likely 

 a priori than that this surplus energy is utilized in the 

 wise economy of nature for two things, first, to gaseously 

 inflate the sun for certain cosmic ends, which I have al- 

 ready outlined, and, secondly, to generate the light, heat, 

 and, perhaps, magnetism that is radiated so lavishly to 

 the planets? Without going into the complicated minu- 

 tiae, it can be shown by mathematics that the density of 

 stars diminishes as the "potential attraction" increases, 

 and in making this statement I am not unmindful of the 

 apparent, but only apparent, contradictions of some of 

 the planets ; and by the same process of computation, it 

 can further be proved that the shell, though it increases 

 in absolute thickness, diminishes relatively to the length 

 of the radius, with the star's growth. 



(In passing, be it said, the reason why the sun's 

 density seems to be greater than that of the major 

 planets is because the ball of the former being luminous, 

 we see it directly, despite his tremendously deep and 

 dense atmosphere. Were the ball to lose its brightness, 

 we should see him as a dark disc whose diameter would 

 appear much greater because it would then include the 

 thickness of his atmosphere; and his density would suf- 

 fer in the computation accordingly). 



VELOCITY. Owing to two misconceptions hitherto 

 prevailing, namely; (1) that dull stars are old, and hence 

 presumptively massive, and (2) that proper motions are 

 "inherent", Newtonians have been unable to formulate 

 any rule whatsoever regarding stellar velocities. These 



