large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb_121
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb
English
12904
In 1854 Helmholtz came up with something better. He suggested that the sun was contracting. IN EIGHTEEN FIFTY FOUR HELMHOLTZ CAME UP WITH SOMETHING BETTER HE SUGGESTED THAT THE SUN WAS CONTRACTING
 mixture of hydrogen and oxygen and it were burning at a rate sufficient to produce the energy at the rate it was giving it off. If that were so, all the hydrogen and oxygen in its mass would be consumed in 1500 years. No chemical reaction in the sun could account for its having given us heat and light since the days of the pyramids, let alone since the days of the dinosaurs. Was there some source of energy greater than chemical energy? What about the energy of motion? Helmholtz suggested that meteors might be falling into the sun at a steady rate. The energy of their collisions might then be converted into heat and light and this could keep the sun shining for as long as the supply of meteors held out—even millions of years. This, however, would mean that the sun’s mass would be increasing steadily, and so would the force of its gravitational pull. With the sun’s gravitational field increasing steadily, the length of earth’s year would be decreasing at a measurable rate—but it wasn’t. SS WERE A MIXTURE OF HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN AND IT WERE BURNING AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TODUCE THE ENERGY AT THE RATE IT WAS GIVING IT OFF IF THAT WERE SO ALL THE HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN IN ITS MASS WOULD BE CONSUMED IN FIFTEEN HUNDRED YEARS NO CHEMICAL REACTION IN THE SUN COULD ACCOUNT FOR ITS HAVING GIVEN US HEAT AND LIGHT SINCE THE DAYS OF THE PYRAMIDS LET ALONE SINCE THE DAYS OF THE DINOSAURS WAS THERE SOME SOURCE OF ENERGY GREATER THAN CHEMICAL ENERGY WHAT ABOUT THE ENERGY OF MOTION HELMHOLT SUGGESTED THAT METEORS MIGHT BE FALLING INTO THE SUN AT A STEADY RATE THE ENERGY OF THEIR COLLISIONS MIGHT THEN BE CONVERTED INTO HEAT AND LIGHT AND THIS COULD KEEP THE SUN SHINING FOR AS LONG AS THE SUPPLY OF METEORS HELD OUT EVEN MILLIONS OF YEARS THIS HOWEVER WOULD MEAN THAT THE SUN'S MASS WOULD BE INCREASING STEADILY AND SO WOULD THE FORCE OF ITS GRAVITATIONAL PULL WITH THE SUN'S GRAVITATIONAL FIELD INCREASING STEADILY THE LENGTH OF EARTH'S YEAR WOULD BE DECREASING AT A MEASURABLE RATE BUT IT WASN'T
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