POETRY OF SCIENCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 725, 26 January 1910, Page 4

POETRY OF SCIENCE.

IMPACT OF COSMIC SYSTEMS. (By PROFESSOR A.' W.' BICKEETON.) <V • V Wc havo-/now' takSn/a'cursory;, glnnce at tho amazing mass ..of .phenomena itliat rigid deduction'. from tho laws .of mattor. and.motion tell.us must occur should dead suns como into grazing collision.' To sum up, astronomers tell us there are' certainly dead suns;. that many; lines of reasoning- suggest that these: bodies exist in countless myriads; suggest also that there is, reasonablo expectation of occasional collisions; that on tho doctrine I oJ probability: thesa collisions will bo'of a grazing character.' .They toll us also that every body and system that havo been deduced as evolving, from the impacthave many, representatives; , that 'such bodies and systems possess every detail of : structure,. of association, and of spectra , that these deductions; point out; that the mass of correspondences between'■ deduction and; fact is.. so extraordinary in their intricate.. complexity;! that .any suggestion of their being >tho ;result of chance is: altogether absurd. Gilford's opinion on this ! matter is conclusive., On'the other band, as- Gilford has pointed out, '.there is-ab-solutely no .explanation save-this one but breaks down utterly when compared with a : mere tithe of. the .facts. This intimate, correspondence of fact and theory, as seen in the partial- impacts of .suns;: is.but a. small portion- of the wholo work;: yet this,: portion .is so -rich -in - discovery, ■ in suggestion for further lines of research, so ; classifies. and;' comitates'" phenomena,' that did it stand alone it would be epoch-' making. .But it does -not: stand : alone; it -is directly . relatod, to other .branches of . cosmic evolution; ; .when; all is,.well known. it must -influence ; the basic phil-. osophio thoughts ;of -.mankind; and that promises a- veritable world harvest of' joyous results.

Cosmic System May Clash.

,- Leaving these ;. thoughts wo will c si; vante on our,.journey, in the realm of constructive collision.; Wo .'havo talked .of ' the impact of dead suns.-But' other: oosmio. system's may clash.; living, light-, giving,-. -luminous- suns may ..collide, moteorio 'swarms'/.of v star-'clusters may/ plunge through one another,' nebula may. ;coUide;,with nebula, vast: cosmic; systems, 7 , as' the Magellanic clouds of' our. "6ivn :; gal--aotric- system,' that we. commonly call the /Universe, ■■ may meet similar ; cosmic, systems and for: millions 7 of ; centuries >be - 'passing, through: ; each', other. - Or ,a dead sun or a -vivid star may' collide' with one another; "or, eachof these may; collide with other systems 1 iiriitoite,;yariety;; each, collision haying definite kinetic ftiiil kinomatio examples on' examples of -which are represented via-the clestial, sphere. \ So rich in possibility is the. whole con-, ception that the. mind, reels iixattempting to take in the. stupendous; wholes/Change of thought becomes : a necassity, and a: new start must-be made later on;' even' in; studying.;, some beautiful; detail of: :tho. vast structure the; same richness oppresses -1 one. But it is not a feries otlarge quarto-' volumes we are >.at /present at-., tempting, c But ■ a few, articles,; showing ill 1 detail:_somo of the/earlier ideas that grew, up .into.vthe..vast science of. cosmic! evolution. / Such articles.' permit only 'an illuminating, glance., at; tlio complementer--, acting: agencies .that give us tho possibilities- of - ah;. immortal, cosmos: vf ! A : partial impact'.of. dead suns or vivid'starsj is an explosion; with something; -of a•' whirling action threading itself through the. -tremendous event,] although the"; remnants of. the' whirl, will, generally 'prevent any ; massive .aggregation,' and. wjll give : ug meteoric swarms and- star/clusters.;, It will .not produce the lovely-Vspirals, spindles. or other exquisite forms, of nebulae such as. exist :_and;fqrm/ the floral beauties' of thecelestial; giltdeii';;- , ;But-;:--iili3iough'.-.' a/. partial graze of a.star miist.be an explosion blowing it largely to independent, atoms; the graze of a globular nebula would .be quite, another thing.. The 1 graze s 'of an jordinaryVstar';is^over,; inSan. .-hour,; .jnot;,'so "a/jiebula'r grazed tnor<''tpjqof swarm.v "Not; hours, nor, - mariy .centuries w;ould bo required to completo' the grazing collision; of diffused. masses having ■ dimensions-many, times/those, of /.the,'solar system.'/. And ( .that; is-.the/scale-on; which lieliulab are built.' ' - - :

The' giant ring of' the" orbit, of' Ncpi tune .' would, be out . as' ail inch-tape to measure'the: miles of many, ."nebulae. Here 1 is a fact Ldckye'r has overlooked: -no'new' star would be born -'in 'aa hour by; tho impact of ; nor even Jin a- year. l .• Many. years would be' required', to evolve a . body whose' intrinsic - light •ivas a thousand times'.that' of,, the'sup;: were:. it. produced' by impacting , meteoric swarms;' arid-thousands"of years :would 1 bo required for its 'cooliiig . and V disappearance. -•/ • .

Starching the Celestial Vault. - , Globular'. nebular. grazes .would • givo a lpng strip: ofv.liglit,,between* the grazing surfaces; ; many . nebula®, show,..this,mow. This, portion' yould bo brighter 'than , the, . general,. l surface.,. -Then -'a': - spindlo might' appear, /then;, an. incipient spiral • would show' in:, the" spindle; • - Then fully*: developed .spirals .would; appear, almost always double, as they are in Nature.' Then,. byN continued, action, ;the •/ spiral i would.' slowly ■ pass into-.* discsvwith spiral' structure.' .ifany other lririematio changes are to; be deduced," if we think' of dif-; ferences V ofdepth is of impact,':. differences' of volume of the two grazing nebulae, differences: of, density of ■ the, gaseous bod-' ies; 'and difference in initial velocity. Industrious searching of the, celestial, vault shows each and .every- one of those definite forms, that-theory. has i deduced;' and show, them-.wheret-wo. should texpect. them' .to'bo—not, among, the myriad marvels of tho Milky Way, but: at-the>'pole's of that' wondrous ring of stars, midst , tho globular . nebulaey that clothe; - the regions :'at the . poles of that -stellar ring; ./Tie 'same kinematio;'reasoning - carries 'us: to. im- ; pacts of meteoric..6warms-and.:star clus-/ -tors, and we soo emerging from-the storm, of the conflict systems.-, similar to . our solar system. ■ The! larger, of tho orignal masses , of material would, form: tho nucleus. of' our' present 'planets.' These, after, a long baptism' of fire,-cool, solidify; ■and_ become ocean and continent. Then; as in the 'case !of r our.: rarth, 'this.'mayi break into . a" glorious ;. inflorescence: of. •vegetation,';,with: 1 ' its'accompanying ; animal 'life;"evolving' to -the divine:charactor ;of the Christ-like man. ' Then- the : 'eye of the'.imagination ' sees : cosmic ": systems of such ' order , as the Magellanic: oldnds plunging .for. millions'on' millions, of .years' through each: other; .the outer ; ;parts whirling; around. one another,;.and givingv birth -to" a' rough circle -of stars similar to our Milky Way; , It; is easy to picture,as the outer parts of such vast, masses. : swirl .' around ; each; other, and' form tho irregular ring, /how. the' parts actually colliding, will not bo heated and will.. volatilised forming: a great' central furnace, that"; grows' in extent , and temperature with every impact.

More -and More .Fervent Heal. . -The .members . of: the newly-formed double, stars will : have ,had their onward motion: beat into ellipses, the whole becoming a vast cosmio-. area''. of blocked progress.. As tie mass concentrates attraction •• increases;, 'and 'every .collision, produces ii more and nioro fervent heat. Present;, as. the,, centuries.. pass' 'and'-.; the | heat of the- furnace becomes more fervent, every dead sun and vivid star that enters this" region of glowing', gas., will even, without impact: be converted into, blazing meteors, as. are, the particles',of cbsmio' dust that' rush through . our' atmosphere; ;. With: every new arrival the pressure and heat increase till' imagination; quite-fails to grasp' the millions of,the atmosphere of procure and tho thousands of millions of. degrees of "temperature. The pressure will, of conrije, net in 'all directions. This, hfeated- gas ' will be enolosed all around -in tho plane of motion, ana,it will bo forced out in tho two directions 1 of tho-polar axis, clothing each* polo with vast caps of gas: and cosmio dust. In; many ways nuclei will form, in this gas, and then will be condensed into globular nebulae, .arid these "by collision will form the dumbbells, the spindles and spirals already described,* aria that stud those":very regions 'of the oolestiaL vault. ; . .

On the other.hand, iii'tbo stellar fin? itself, with its ! -dead.'suris and bright stars,, we should-expect, to "find- the result of the; collision-of these' bodies,; namely; irieteorio swarms and star olusttrs, - temporary, .variable,.-and. double stars, - and !the: disc-on-disc-like ■; planotary. nebulae., Thcro wo should 'alsoexpeot . to find many streams and . sprays of stars and much community of: star , motion. . And on oarefnlly searching wo; actually find

all' these wonders'-iii this 'very-ring,' l'exactly where wo should cxjicct them to

Although the vast central furnace of ';■' our galactic univ«rso blew itself outaees • "SO.' aa'l the-; high; kinetol of thegaLs left ( tho > wnpt#J. it v. would ieeein, -howerer.-.bj^tho^latestfphdtograpta that' ■ • iini thegreat'-,'-nebula : df ; Andromeda- • inaye .still; a' system' with.:,'the central'indsa & - plftzipg.. v.'' , ;V j, When ffio;stronj*;.attraction of the' ci'n-/ ' , tral mass i ceased, to - act the great galaxy-' ■';• .usixl up much- of .the: velocity of tho stars" ■ }}}.., r n ?reasingthe' 'diameter: of ;• itß"'giSt : ' : ring,. doubtless many .of'- tho stars - ivan- •• . ■ denng into distant'space,\but -tlie'.great-- - majority.;, aro stillhold in, leash , liy ttiax r -: mutual attraction of tlie mighty- whole ' " ' each; sun ~pm'suiiig-its : stately, maich a inember' of one: of tho. iivo HKijestio - streams ': of stars; that'; are ' etill i' : - penetrating one another. :i V ' ?. Thus,- then, wo liavo, - traced out the .: mode, of birth of. our .risible-univers£:'' : and_ after •». slight, sketch of theiiMd*?*:.- 1 . * of .tho ,rebirth' of. such; cosmio bodies**. we must finish our, sketci. v| z.

An Immortal Cosmos. > Deduction and observation both tell u"9 that, space and it: is StruvoV - •mS. ?i this,;dust acts ■ as; a' ourtaiii : V-,'; ft-S 9,1t, tho .view, of;most of the die- ' = xant cosmic systems..: ' - <. •' Tho character' of the two Magellan; -! clouds.jsuggests that these two smaller' systems are- of -ttio same cosmic order-aa'v our- galaxy..Herschel ■ was ' opinion that .some irresolvable; might be • so, also. ._ Dufc. if; as -suggested by this ; :.ft?,. galaxy showsby its, struci 'vturo: that;itnvas actually; fdrmM-liy '&«■ ' collision of two, previously: existing cbZ' ofVchs^m^ 11 - thMa 'sorEfci' h; ' gllt Eas ,that ;by-atom^;",,}, sorting agencies is-flying fronii -" ; ;W 1 .bnger longest' where-'matiV vi• ■- tel.. is rarest. In thesa' eparsoly-sureai' ' ' .rogions it wll ■ accumulate.. In tliis W ■■■i, .matter.-, tends,..to. segregate,' tho heavy"' atoms -remamng- in:.tlia ;old oosmio;svsV - V terns ;and; tho light atoms, taken there ,Ws-' their lugh .kinetol,-.tending to ,fill th 3 'Ki2, :0f .tiat gravitate; V «RK"!Bating tenden-ir* Cies. in- Nature, gravitation tending to> concentrate,liwy„atoms, into star- chis'' dead .ysuns , and /stara, and ' •newly-detebted'-'agehcics that together tend'to carry, .away , concentrate the ; liehtv 5 : . ffif?!;' rpgions;. of space;'. i.: > ;!p^way,-- stars. ?;:> may pass through' ; ' ; buch; sretems .as ours, tint',.will be enV ' trapped:by these.vast fields of gas thai;'' the ; parts of spaca ; most distant from' stellar i v . iLonce: cosmic birth, arid "infancy, - by- ' tho', assembly; of„.'the ; • atoms of. matter j in'. the : erapty parts : of' ! :/ space,, and cosiiuc ;,dcath-;by 1 tho i' gation of: heavy*atoms. • v.y youth- is brought; about by tjle"' : acnon. of oxygen, .chlorine'and: Such ncgo>V.., : tive atoms;, >vedding . positive - - atoms * and > • forming compound ■ molecules, and by ; tho .entrapping: of errant'bodies, -whilst > ', tho negative; are -produced,' by-; the interfusion of., aged ; and ; youth- : .ful .cosmic.' systeins.-./'Tho complex' agenwhich radiant;onergy is picked.up^by'the dust'of-space;.-how this'energy -v lDec'omes • tho. kineticenergr, ~of," motion : ,ol i ligfht,' moleculesj;-how; this ; in . turn fe . - ■ comes,potential" 6t gra-vifaiiidit^lqf^. ! .v." carrying,, such -f light,;- atoms V,to; ;'.distant'-;i : .' space,;- thus converting' the -.lowert ;form:;'V-' of;, dissipatedsener^ito-its-highest form! and I ,many potherVagencies—aro not; Vv contained in ' the "Romance -of tho - -Heavens,'''iii "A:Kew Story/of. the Stars,'? ' iri.:- : ther,''Perils;;pf;.'a' : Pioneer," and 'ia inany technical,; paper®.;, '-~y:'v', ■'./"i;.ijiAnd, is_ it an ; beUef; > that!' V: funds.,will' bo forthcoming, ;. and that; - these scattered,-portions of ; the more com-*-pleri conceptions,; of-this, systemi :of cosS' ■%(< micy cyolution- may -ljo ..brought: together,-; - / may,, have .theirs details-.filled in.'-by spe-i ■' : cial experts,, may-bo fully: treated. both ' ■; , graphically andi analytiqally i.- and nnb- ■: :; volumes'.: in "a" .form' worthy fof .thefcinipdrtanci, in this way- ' ■giyiuK. : AJdis . lias •' sug- , ,'■ gosted; -a new- "Mecahique,- Celeste," .in , .' ,which..- not nlone'..iß- mpde of the . ' : : origin of the -solar systems V developed;- : -'• , jP ui ? J ;t!jPß'risiHl6ff <®»jrr.lj{dy,;aiidS?ysffiß» in.'the '.universe and,, the' of "our ' galactic universe itself ? -'-Hero we, should' V"-, ;havo; displayed;;not mefbly- the v inodo' of -'V. 'death,:-but, also - tho - full'-mechanism of "itj / .rebirth, .-composing' a- cyclid:; scheino: ,'in. . which;.there : is'-.no' evidenco. of a' begin-; '; ning'.or'promisb;.of, an\ i ■ creation:, flawless. and. immortal.