MECHANICAL ENERGIES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM. 



73 



Table II. Mechanical Energies of the Solar System. 



Sun, . . 

 Imaginary planet, 

 of 10 21 lb. of 

 matter, close to 

 the Sun, 



Mercury, 



Venus, . 



Earth, . 



Mars, . 



Jupiter, 



Saturn, 



Uranus, 



Neptune, 



Moon, . 

 Earth (rotation), 



Total, 



Potential Energy of gravitation to 

 Sun's surface. 



In foot-pounds. 



57 x 10 33 



697 x 10 33 



790 x 10 33 



105 x 10 33 



268,800 x 10 33 



80,440 x 10 33 



13,430 x 10 33 



15,750 x 10 33 



Equivalent to supply of 



Solar Heat, at the present 



rate of radiation for a 



period of 



6 yrs. 214 days 



83 



94 



12 



32,240 



9,650 



1,610 



1,890 



227 

 303 

 252 



To the Earth's surface. 



2,846 x 10 27 



380,000 x 10 33 



3*0 hours 



45,589 years 



Actual Energy relatively to Sun's centre. 



In foot-pounds. 



967,000 x 10 30 



333 x 10 29 



347 x 10 30 



2,252 x 10 30 



1,843 x 10 30 



160 x10 s0 



119,980 xlO 30 



19,580 x 10 30 



1,625 x 10 30 



1,217 x 10 30 



Equivalent to supply 



of Solar Heat, at the 



present rate of 



radiation for a period of 



116 yrs. 6 days. 



1-44 •• 



15-2 

 98-5 

 80-7 



7-0 



14 yrs. 144 

 2 •• 127 

 71-2 

 53-3 



Relatively to Earth's centre. 



2,347 xlO 25 

 14,310 x 10 25 



1,114,004 x 10 30 



1*48 minutes 

 9-03 



134 years. 



Additions (May 9, 1854), No. I. Conclusion of Physical Astronomy against the Extra- 

 planetary Meteoric Theory. 



Meteors which when at great distances possessed, relatively to the centre of 

 gravity of the solar system, velocities not incomparably smaller than the velo- 

 city due to gravitation to the Sun's surface, must strike the surfaces of the 

 earth and of the other planets not incomparably less frequently than equal areas 

 of the Sun's surface, and with not incomparably smaller velocities, and conse- 

 quently must generate heat at the surfaces of the earth and other planets not in- 

 comparably less copiously than at equal areas of the Sun's surface. But the whole 

 heat emitted from any part of the Sun's surface is incomparably greater than all 

 that is generated by meteors on an equal area of the earth's surface, and there- 

 fore is incomparably greater than all that can be generated at his own surface 

 by meteors coming in with velocities exceeding considerably the velocity due 

 to his attraction from an infinite distance. Hence upon the extra-planetary 

 Meteoric Theory of Solar Heat the quantity of matter required to fall in cannot 

 be much, if at all, less than that required upon the hypothesis that the work done 

 by the Sun's attraction is equal to the mechanical value of the heat emitted from 

 his surface, and must therefore be, as found above, about -000060 of a pound per 

 square foot per second, or 1900 lb. per square foot in a year. The mean density 



