Ch 1 : The Dying Sun : Book 2

 

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h # 1         The Dying Sun

                                                                                    (Sir James Jeans)

Author Background:

Sir, James Hopwood Jeans (1877, 1946) was a great scientist and the writer.  He was an English physicist and mathematician who was the first to propose that matter is continuously created throughout the universe. He is best known as a writer for his astronomical works.

Significance of the Title:

"The dying sun" is an informative and scientific essay. In this essay, the writer informs us how our earth and the other planets were created. The title “The Dying Sun” has metaphorical meaning. It means that sun is a source of life in planets and carrying on many vital process in them. Due to fusion reaction, sun is becoming weaker and weaker.

 

Word	Meaning	Synonyms
Ailment	an illness, typically a minor one.	Illness, disease, affliction, sickness
Probably	as far as one knows or can tell.	Likely, possibly, presumably, doubtless
Contain	have or hold (someone or something) within.	Carry, Accommodate
Rare	(of an event, situation, or condition) not occurring very often	Infrequent, sparse, few
Crucial	Decisive or Critical,	Pivotal, critical, decisive
Substance	a particular kind of matter with uniform properties	Material, matter, stuff
Gradually	Slowly	Slowly, gently, moderately
Seldom	On very few occasions	Rarely, infrequently
Humble	Showing a modesty	Respectable, meek, modest
Radiation	the emission of energy as electromagnetic waves	Emission, rays
Preserve	maintain (something) in its original	Conserve, protect, maintain
Immense	Very large	Vast, gigantic, massive

Answer the following questions:

Q1. How is it that a star seldom finds another star near it?

According to the author, several stars move in space and there is millions of distance between these stars. They travel in complete loneliness likes ship in an empty ocean. This is the reason while moving through space, a star seldom finds another star near it.

Q2. What happened when, according to Sir James Jeans, a wandering star, wandering through space, came near the sun?

Q3. What happened when the wandering star came nearer and nearer?

Q4. What are the planets and how did they come into existence?

The author believes, a wandering star, wandering through space, happened to come near the sun. Because a strong gravitational pull, huge tides were produced on the surface of the sun. The same pieces, in the shape of planets, started revolving around the sun. These were our planets and the Earth is one of them.

Q5. Life does not exist on most of the stars. Why?

According to the author, stars are like a collection of fires in space. There is thousands of degrees’ temperature on them. Away from these stars, there is cold of hundreds of degrees. So outside them, life would be frozen.

Q6. Write a note on the beginning of life on the earth.

According to the author, the earliest living organisms were very small, i.e. unicellular. They had the ability to multiply before death. By this, a stream of life was produced which ultimately gave rise to present living organisms.

Q7. Why is the universe, of which our earth is a part, so frightening? Give as many reasons as you can?

According to Sir James Jeans, the universe is frightening because of its immense distances, because of extreme stretches of time, our extreme. This feeling of the littleness of our planet also makes us frightened.

Q8. What, in your opinion, should be the conditions necessary, for the kind of life we know to exist on other heavenly bodies? DO such conditions generally exist?

There are many solid reasons like Air, water, and moderate temperature are necessary for life. Most of the stars are not present in an ideal temperature belt. So, outside these temperatures belts, there is a very rare chance of human life.

Q9. What do you understand by absolute zero?

Absolute is 484 degrees of Frost on the Fahrenheit scale. It is the temperature before reaching which all the gases and liquids lose complete temperature and change into solids.