Abstract
UNDOUBTEDLY, the mass of the radiation should be added to the mass of the stars and of the nebulous matter in computing the total mass of the universe. But the general belief is that its contribution is comparatively small—less than 1 per cent of the whole. This is not inconsistent with the figures cited by Admiral Beadnell. With radiation at the rate of 4 × 1028 tons per second, it would take 5 × 1018 seconds, or more than 1011 years, to accumulate to 1 per cent of the total mass 2 × 1049 tons. According to cosmological theory, the age of the stars can scarcely exceed 1010 years.
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EDDINGTON, A. The Mass of the Universe. Nature 145, 549 (1940). https://doi.org/10.1038/145549b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/145549b0
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