258 THE UNIVERSE 



Both would do great local damage to the spot and 

 vicinity where they struck, but neither would pro- 

 duce any great general disturbance and injury to 

 these orbs. Many times the size of the earth would 

 mean naturally something like a dozen times the 

 size of the earth. 



Let us estimate the general result by comparison. 

 The sun is one million three hundred thousand times 

 larger than the earth. It is so large that if we 

 could drop our earth into the center of the sun, 

 our moon, which is two hundred and forty thou- 

 sand miles from us, would only be about half way 

 to the circumference or outer rim of the sun. Now, 

 a star many times the size of our earth, striking 

 the surface of the sun, would create great heat by 

 the compact, and great distruction in the locality 

 where it struck ; and would likely imbed itself in the 

 sun, like large meteors do on the earth, and become 

 a good sized mountain on the sun's surface. It 

 would not increase the electric currents or radiation, 

 of the sun sufficient to melt the snow on the moun- 

 tains of the tropics or set fire to a haystack on 

 the earth. Its effect on the earth would not be ex- 

 cessive in temperature, and would be very tempo- 

 rary. For my theory is that the sun sends only 

 such currents of electricity to the earth as the earth 

 draws and demands by its opposite polarity. 



Only a great sun a thousand or a million times 

 larger than our earth would make any great im- 

 pression on the sun in case of a collision ; and then 

 it would not result in its destruction, or that of 

 the earth and planets. Its size and power would 

 be increased, but that would not necessarily in- 

 crease the heat of the planets, if, as I contend, the 



