Menzel's Theory Proposes Numerous Unseen Planets

There may be millions of planets in the universe on which life exists, if the new theory of planetary origins proposed by Donald H. Menzel, professor of Astrophysics, is correct.

In an article in the November issue of The Atlantic, Menzel described his theory as new, and not possessing "the seal of approval of my astronomical colleagues," but not "altogether revolutionary."

According to Menzel's hypothesis, all stars would be capable of producing planetary systems similar to ours because of certain electromagnetic fields present on their surfaces. Since the theory does not depend on chance collisions between stars, the possibility of many systems like our own is increased.

Billions of years ago, "electric currents of enormous intensity may have flowed around the equator of the primitive sun," he hypothesized. "The forces of such currents would cause the equator to bulge." Then, according to the theory, a doughnut ring might be torn loose from the sun by the currents. The ring of matter would break up into small pieces, the larger of which would become the seeds of the planets we know today. That is, other matter would condense on the surfaces of these pieces.

Summing up his electromagnetic theory, Menzel said that "the solar system resulted when the sun 'blew a fuse.'" If there are many other planets in the universe, he concluded, "Life, even human or superhuman life, may exist in millions of places in the universe."

Menzel, who is Director of the College Observatory, also discussed previous theories of planetary origin and pointed up some of the obstacles which his theory tries to overcome. His theory attempts to describe a universe with many planets, although "We have no direct proof that any planets exist beyond our solar system."