Abstract
ALL incandescent bodies shrink rapidly if permitted to radiate freely, the rate being nearly proportional to the degree of incandescence. The enormous temperature maintained at the surface of the sun must therefore produce rapid shrinking, although we do not know the rate by actual observation. We know, however, what amount of mechanical energy the sun parts with in a given time, and we know the size and the specific gravity of the solar mass.
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ERICSSON, J. The Source of Solar Energy . Nature 6, 539–541 (1872). https://doi.org/10.1038/006539a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/006539a0