72 J. H. Lane on the Theoretical Temperature of the Sun. 
to give out, in cooling down to zero, twice the heat emitted by 
the suninone minute. It will be seen, (equations (17) and (19); 
that this thickness, retaining the constant value 2, would 
inish with the 2} power of the masses of ‘the atoms into 
which the sun’s body is hypothetically resolved (the reciprocal 
of the value of 0), and I leave each to form his own impression 
how far this view leads towards verisimilitude. 
It is important to add that the depth of the layer of 54000° 
Fah. below the theoretic upper limit of atmosphere, when cal- 
culated with value k=1:4, 7=800 feet, comes out only 1107 
miles, and with the values s=1% and 7=1600 feet only 1581 
miles. This calculation of the depth, unlike the other results 
above, may be said to he independent of the question of the 
constitution of the sun’s interior mass. It is alike difficult, on 
any plausible ype to reconcile a temperature no higher 
than 54000° F; any Penoapaie atmosphere extending 
many thousand miles above, and yet no less an authority than 
Prof. Peirce has assigned a ea a ra d miles as the 
Ww 
level of the photosphere. cia all are not yet agreed that the 
appeararions seen at such distances from the sun are proof of 
e existence of a true atmosphere there. It will be seen ics 
the numbers I give above were obtained from a first hypothes 
of an atmospheric limit 20,000 miles above the chcsncuben 
but for the purpose of this aper it is of no consequence to 
ne the calculation from a different limit. 
suffice here to repeat that the above numerical results, so far a8 
they may be thought to give countenance to the theory in its 
mechanical aspect, require that the entire inner mass of the sun 
shall have, at a mean, (in the su aoe peat dissociation), 
the v very small atomic weight specifi notice in this 
fe. ae dies Een st Oe beat iecccle ts or mi at which 
Fon ate wi es 
