The sun and its office in the universe

Abstract

The sun, to us, is not only the largest apparent star in the universe, but also the most brilliant, and that which exercises over the earth the most dominant influences. It is from him that all the energies developed on the surface of the earth incessantly flow, and are continually and successfully carried on by the two hundred and thirty millionth part of the force radiated, which is all the earth is able to receive of the sun's rays. From him also, at epochs immensely distant from us, the planets have been thrown out successively, at first in the form of nebulous rings—agglomerations of matter which have in the end become condensed, and now form the planets of our system.