The effect of interstellar matter on the sun's radiation is considered with a view to explaining changes in terrestrial climate. It appears that a star in passing through a nebulous cloud will capture an amount of material which by the energy of its fall to the solar surface can bring about considerable changes in the quantity of radiation emitted. The quantity of matter gathered in by the star depends directly on the density of the cloud and inversely on the cube of its velocity relative to the cloud. Thus vastly different effects on the solar radiation can be brought about under fairly narrow ranges of density and relative velocity (ranges that are in accordance with astronomical evidence). In this way the process is able to explain the small changes in the solar radiation that are necessary to produce an ice age and, under conditions less likely to have taken place frequently, the high increase in radiation required for the Carboniferous Epoch. Despite the large effects that the mechanism can bring about, it is shown that the mass of the sun does not undergo appreciable change and hence reverts to its former luminosity once the cloud has been traversed.

Raymond Arthur Lyttleton (1911–95) was a British astronomer who won the Royal Society Royal Medal in 1965 for significant contributions to his field. In this book, which was first published in 1953, Lyttleton presents an account of advances in relation to a classical problem of mathematical astronomy. The text is mainly concerned with those parts of the theory most directly involved in determining the evolution of gravitating liquid masses. The important conclusion is reached that the dynamical evidence is against the so-called 'fission process' of binary system formation. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in astronomy and the history of science.

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Difficulties associated with the evolution of stars by radiation alone are briefly discussed. It is clear that some other process is also affecting the stars and it is shown that the stars are capable of adding to their mass by the process of accretion of the cosmical cloud. The gravitation of a moving star causes additional collisions of the atoms of the interstellar matter and the motions become randomized to such an extent that the star probably captures all material passing within the distance at which the velocity of the star relative to the cloud is the parabolic velocity. This rate of accretion of mass of a star is 4πγ2ρM2/ν3, and is accordingly of great importance for stars of low velocity. Stars of high velocity are least affected by accretion and therefore in general remain of low mass, while stars of low velocity must attain great mass. The periods of time involved in bringing about appreciable changes in the mass of a star are of the order of 5 × 1010 years and are in agreement with independent estimates of the time scale, as deduced, for example, from the companion of Sirius. The evolution of the components and orbits of binary stars are consequences of the accretion process. The more massive component increases in mass more rapidly than the less massive component in the case of wide pairs, and may therefore in general continue to emit more ergs per gram. The orbit evolves in such a way that the total angular momentum remains constant. For equal masses the separation is proportional to the inverse cube of the mass, and the period to the inverse fifth power, so that great changes of separation and period occur. The evolution of the stars is governed almost entirely by their velocities relative to the cosmical cloud. In the case of double stars the evolution takes the form of decreasing period and decreasing separation. Such features as galactic concentration and the correlation between spectral type and velocity are direct results of accretion.

In an earlier paper of the same general title (1) the possibility that the core of the Earth, in view of its supposed liquid nature, does not partake of the rigid-body motion of the outer shell was discussed with particular reference to the secular diminution of the angular velocity. In addition to this small rate of change of the magnitude of the angular velocity vector of the shell there occur changes in its direction consisting of the precession and nutation, but all the rates of change therein involved are small. The secular retardation takes place with extreme slowness, the nutations involve deviations of the axis with small angular amplitudes, while the precession, though of large angular amplitude, is of very long period compared with the rotation period of the Earth. Accordingly, it may be supposed that the effects of these various changes in the angular velocity can be considered separately in their relation to the motion within the core, and it is the object of this paper to give an account of our investigation into what may be termed for brevity the precession problem. It should perhaps be stated at the outset that the work does not constitute a solution of the problem, which our studies have led us to believe is one of the utmost mathematical difficulty presenting features of an exceptional character in hydro-dynamic theory. After first obtaining the equations of steady motion applicable to the interior, and those applicable to the boundary layer, the solution of the latter equations has been obtained; but in respect of the former equations we have been able to carry the question of the interior motion only as far as showing that no motion representable everywhere by analytic functions and consistent with the boundary conditions is possible. The investigation strongly suggests that no steady-state motion of a permanent character is possible for the interior, though the precise nature of the motion that actually occurs poses a problem of special interest from a hydrodynamic standpoint, but it is one to which we are not able to arrive at any definite answer at present. Without making any progress with the problem thus produced, the paper nevertheless makes clear the inherent difficulties of the problem and also serves to emphasize the inadequacy of any simplified mode of attack assuming classical fluid and resembling, for example, Poincaré's method for the nutation problem adopted by Lamb (3). Thus despite its incompleteness it seemed worth while to publish some account of such progress with these highly interesting questions as we have been able to make.