The Origin of the Galactic Universe.

67. If two Cosmic systems such as the Magellanic Clouds come into grazing impact, an annular cosmic system will result, the poles of which will be covered with nebulous matter owing to the outrush of gas during the millions of years of the impact.

68. This principle of outrush needs some explanation. As two globular masses close in upon each other, the motion will lie chiefly in a plane which might be called the orbital plane. It is obvious that the pressure of the heated gas resulting from the impact, as the bodies close the gas in, can find 110 escape in this orbital plane, but can only escape upwards and down-wards.

69. Stars will pass into such caps of nebula as originally covered the galactic poles, and will there be entrapped, and will attract nebulous matter. They will thus become nebulous stars; or they may be volatilized altogether and become globular nebula;. Such a distribution of nebula; exactly corresponds with our universe.

70. Where globular nebulae are thick we should expect double, spindle, and spiral nebulae. These nebulae are actually found amongst the page 22 nebulas at the polar caps of the Milky Way. Again, where stars are thick we should expect planetary nebulæ, double, temporary, and variable stars, and star-clusters—all the result of the impact of stars. These, as the theory requires, are almost entirely found within the Milky Way.

71. If the universe were formed by such a graze as we describe we should expect a greater density of stars in those parts of space where their motion chiefly directs the two original cosmic systems. Proctor speaks of two such clustering masses as striking features of our universe.

72. If our galactic system were the result of impact there would be much community of motion in adjacent stars. This is a remarkable peculiarity of the stars in the Milky Way. A large number of further coincidences are debated in my papers "On the Visible Universe," in the N.Z. Phil, transactions, and in the body of the present volume.