﻿BicKEBTON, 
  — 
  On 
  Partial 
  Impact) 
  181 
  

  

  tliis 
  liypotliesis 
  agrees 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  spectroscopic 
  observations 
  of 
  comets, 
  

   in 
  which 
  the 
  tail 
  gave 
  a 
  feebly 
  continuous 
  spectrum, 
  showing 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  solid, 
  

   and 
  the 
  nucleus 
  a 
  banded 
  spectrum, 
  showing 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  gaseous. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  

   possible 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  other 
  gases 
  whose 
  temperature 
  of 
  decomposition 
  is 
  

   lower 
  than 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  volatilization 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  their 
  constituents, 
  such 
  

   as 
  fluoride 
  of 
  silicon 
  and 
  generally 
  halogen 
  compounds 
  of 
  infusible 
  bases. 
  

  

  The 
  Stui. 
  

  

  I 
  shall 
  now 
  attempt 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  agencies 
  at 
  work 
  which 
  

   may 
  cause 
  a 
  great 
  difference 
  of 
  temperature 
  between 
  the 
  poles 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  

   and 
  its 
  equator. 
  This 
  may 
  give 
  us 
  an 
  insight 
  into 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  tremen- 
  

   dous 
  cyclones 
  of 
  the 
  meeting 
  solar 
  trades, 
  and 
  these 
  cyclones 
  are 
  possibly 
  

   the 
  cause 
  of 
  such 
  sj)ots. 
  If 
  this 
  hypothesis 
  really 
  represents 
  the 
  formation 
  

   of 
  the 
  solar 
  system, 
  then 
  it 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  radiation 
  is 
  greater 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  

   perpendicular 
  to 
  the 
  ecliptic 
  than 
  in 
  its 
  plane. 
  Again, 
  the 
  combined 
  energy 
  

   of 
  gravitation 
  and 
  centrifugal 
  force 
  would 
  cause 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  absorbed 
  matter 
  

   to 
  fall 
  wpon 
  the 
  sun 
  about 
  the 
  equator 
  ; 
  both 
  of 
  these 
  causes 
  may 
  produce 
  

   a 
  great 
  difference 
  of 
  temperature 
  between 
  the 
  poles 
  and 
  the 
  equator 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  

   sun, 
  sufficient, 
  perhaps, 
  to 
  produce 
  cyclonic 
  spots. 
  The 
  projection 
  of 
  bodies 
  

   upon 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  sun, 
  bodies 
  trapped 
  by 
  the 
  sun 
  itself, 
  might 
  probably 
  

   produce 
  the 
  sea 
  of 
  flame 
  which 
  surrounds.it, 
  and 
  the 
  protuberances 
  so 
  often 
  

   seen 
  upon 
  its 
  limbs. 
  The 
  precipitation 
  of 
  bodies 
  upon 
  its 
  surface 
  appears 
  

   to 
  me 
  to 
  offer 
  the 
  only 
  conceivable 
  explanation 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  velocity 
  which 
  

   the 
  hydrogen 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  sometimes 
  possesses. 
  The 
  speed 
  

   of 
  some 
  comets 
  proves 
  that 
  bodies 
  in 
  space 
  may 
  have 
  a 
  velocity 
  of 
  many 
  

   hundred 
  miles 
  per 
  second, 
  and 
  we 
  know 
  that 
  a 
  body 
  at 
  rest 
  would 
  acquire 
  

   nearly 
  400 
  miles 
  a 
  second 
  by 
  the 
  sun's 
  attraction 
  alone. 
  Therefore 
  many 
  

   bodies 
  may 
  fall 
  upon 
  the 
  sun 
  with 
  a 
  velocity 
  of 
  500 
  miles 
  a 
  second 
  or 
  more. 
  

   Such 
  a 
  body 
  would 
  bury 
  itself 
  ftir 
  down 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  cleariug 
  the 
  gas 
  by 
  

   pressing 
  it 
  down 
  before 
  it 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  many 
  thousand 
  

   miles 
  iuto'the 
  sun, 
  and, 
  its 
  motion 
  of 
  mass 
  destroyed, 
  a 
  temperature 
  of 
  

   190,000,000 
  might 
  readily 
  be 
  developed, 
  which, 
  even 
  if 
  the 
  density 
  of 
  the 
  

   body 
  were 
  no 
  higher 
  than 
  air, 
  would 
  amount 
  to 
  a 
  pressure 
  of 
  400,000 
  

   atmospheres, 
  and 
  would 
  most 
  likely 
  be 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  this. 
  Here 
  are 
  

   all 
  the 
  conditions 
  for 
  a 
  most 
  powerful 
  explosion, 
  amply 
  sufficient 
  for 
  all 
  

   that 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  of 
  the 
  prominences. 
  It 
  is 
  quite 
  evident 
  that 
  if 
  there 
  

   are 
  trains 
  of 
  bodies, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  into 
  tho 
  orbits 
  around 
  the 
  

   sun, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  phenomena 
  of 
  periodical 
  variations 
  of 
  spots 
  and 
  protuber- 
  

   ances 
  may 
  be 
  explained 
  on 
  the 
  assumption 
  that 
  these 
  bodies 
  plunge 
  

   obliquely 
  into 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  sun. 
  

  

  On 
  Double 
  and 
  JSIitltipJe 
  Stars. 
  

  

  When 
  the 
  original 
  proper 
  motion 
  is 
  small, 
  and 
  the 
  proportions 
  struck 
  

   off 
  large, 
  after 
  partial 
  coalescence 
  the 
  greatly 
  increased 
  attraction 
  acting 
  on 
  

  

  