﻿120 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Miscellaneous. 
  

  

  place, 
  but 
  v/ould 
  tend 
  to 
  diminish 
  rather 
  than 
  increase 
  the 
  intensity. 
  How 
  

   inadequate 
  combustion 
  would 
  be 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  pound 
  weight 
  

   would 
  develope 
  about 
  forty 
  million 
  units 
  of 
  heat 
  in 
  falling 
  upon 
  the 
  sun, 
  and 
  

   the 
  combustion 
  of 
  a 
  pound 
  of 
  mixed 
  oxygen 
  and 
  hydrogen 
  would 
  only 
  

   develope 
  about 
  4000 
  units. 
  And 
  again, 
  in 
  either 
  case 
  the 
  chief 
  luminosity 
  

   must 
  be 
  from 
  the 
  fused 
  material 
  ; 
  a 
  continuous 
  spectrum 
  would 
  then 
  result, 
  

   which 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  star 
  at 
  least 
  is 
  altogether 
  contrary 
  to 
  observation. 
  The 
  

   precipitation 
  of 
  a 
  body 
  upon 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  a 
  dead 
  sun 
  is 
  much 
  more 
  

   probable 
  ; 
  so 
  likewise 
  is 
  the 
  meteoric 
  theory 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  former 
  case 
  if 
  

   sufficient 
  heat 
  could 
  be 
  developed 
  a 
  fused 
  mass 
  would 
  almost 
  certainly 
  

   result, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  case 
  nothing 
  short 
  of 
  a 
  marvellous 
  combination 
  

   would 
  prevent 
  its 
  resulting. 
  The 
  latter 
  hypothesis 
  Proctor 
  bases 
  on 
  the 
  

   bright 
  momentary 
  light 
  once 
  observed 
  on 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  ; 
  he 
  assumes 
  

   that 
  the 
  gaseous 
  photosphere 
  was 
  temporarily 
  raised 
  to 
  a 
  high 
  luminosity 
  

   by 
  meteors. 
  I 
  think 
  this 
  of 
  itself 
  is 
  very 
  improbable. 
  I 
  cannot 
  conceive 
  

   how 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  were 
  raised 
  to 
  incandescence 
  it 
  

   could 
  cool 
  again 
  in 
  so 
  short 
  a 
  time 
  as 
  two 
  minutes. 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  far 
  more 
  

   probable 
  that 
  that 
  most 
  wonderful 
  phenomenon 
  (affecting 
  as 
  it 
  did 
  the 
  

   entire 
  earth) 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  collision 
  of 
  two 
  bodies 
  revolving 
  in 
  approxi- 
  

   mately 
  opposite 
  directions 
  around 
  the 
  sun. 
  Such 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  bodies 
  would 
  have 
  

   their 
  temperature 
  raised 
  to 
  about 
  one 
  hundred 
  million 
  degrees 
  Centigrade. 
  

   I 
  need 
  not 
  say 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  temperature 
  would 
  quickly 
  volatilize 
  such 
  small 
  

   bodies 
  and 
  produce 
  an 
  intense 
  light, 
  the 
  phenomenon 
  is 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  

   explained 
  without 
  any 
  assumption 
  other 
  than 
  known 
  laws. 
  The 
  basis 
  of 
  

   the 
  meteoric 
  hypothesis 
  is 
  thus 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  highest 
  degree 
  

   improbable, 
  and 
  even 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  admitted 
  it 
  would 
  require 
  an 
  inconceivable 
  

   number 
  of 
  meteors 
  to 
  raise 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  of 
  a 
  dark 
  body 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  

   temperature 
  as 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  luminosity 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  our 
  sun's 
  and 
  of 
  some 
  

   months' 
  duration. 
  Still 
  more 
  inconceivable 
  does 
  it 
  appear 
  that 
  the 
  body 
  

   upon 
  which 
  they 
  impinge 
  should 
  only 
  have 
  its 
  atmosphere 
  raised 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  

   luminosity, 
  whilst 
  the 
  body 
  itself 
  remained 
  non4uminous. 
  Altogether 
  the 
  

   theory 
  of 
  Meyer 
  and 
  Klein 
  appears 
  the 
  only 
  possible 
  one, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  when 
  

   both 
  bodies 
  are 
  of 
  sach 
  stupendous 
  dimensions 
  as 
  to 
  produce 
  complete 
  

   volatiHzation 
  that 
  the 
  hypothesis 
  agrees 
  with 
  spectroscopic 
  observation 
  j 
  

   and 
  such 
  a 
  case 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  contemplated 
  by 
  the 
  authors 
  or 
  they 
  

   would 
  scarcely 
  have 
  suggested 
  a 
  planet. 
  Complete 
  dissipation 
  into 
  space 
  

   could 
  not 
  take 
  place 
  by 
  the 
  entire 
  coalescence 
  of 
  two 
  bodies 
  ho»wever 
  large, 
  

   unless 
  they 
  had 
  a 
  higher 
  initial 
  velocity 
  than 
  observations 
  of 
  the 
  proper 
  

   motion 
  of 
  stars 
  render 
  probable. 
  No 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  hypotheses, 
  therefore^ 
  

   appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  satisfactory 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  phenomenon. 
  

  

  An 
  hypothesis 
  that 
  agrees 
  better 
  with 
  observation 
  would 
  be 
  one 
  o! 
  

   partial 
  impact, 
  if 
  two 
  immense 
  bodies 
  inoYiBg 
  in 
  space 
  some 
  wall 
  wiilm 
  

  

  