Abstract
IN the larger problems of astronomy it is not to be expected, or indeed to be desired, that there should be universal agreement. The subject of this book, as indicated by the title, is the ultimate problem of all astronomical and physical research, and a final pronouncement at the present time is obviously out of the question. Cosmogony, in fact, has only just emerged from the field of unalloyed speculation, and the tentative hypotheses which can now be put forward are more of the nature of convenient summaries of known facts and indica tions of new directions of observation than aspirants to the dignity of absolute truth. In the volume before us, M. Verronet, following lines of thought previously laid out by Henri Poincaré, considers the problem of the past, present, and future constitution of the individual bodies in the universe and of the universe as a whole. He reaches some very definite conclusions, which differ considerably from the more familiar views which we associate chiefly with the names of Eddington, Jeans, and Russell. For example, he maintains that the interior of a star is homogeneous, and has a sensibly uniform temperature about double or triple the surface temperature. Needless to say, he rejects Eddington's theory of radiative equilibrium, which he regards as being mathematically impossible. The age of the sun is placed at a few million years, and the past history of the universe is held to be almost negligible in duration compared with the future. These views are sufficiently unfamiliar to attract attention, and since M. Verronet gives reasons for the conclusions at which he has arrived, his work demands respectful consideration. It will doubtless not meet with general acceptance, but may nevertheless have some part to play in the advancement of knowledge.
Constitution et évolution de l'univers.
A.
Véronnet
Par. (Encyclopédie scientifique: Bibliothèque d'astronomie et de physique céleste.) Pp. 475. (Paris: Gaston Doin et Cie, 1927.) 28 francs.
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Constitution et évolution de l'univers . Nature 119, 850 (1927). https://doi.org/10.1038/119850a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/119850a0