Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-10-02

The first thing which strikes sclen-
tihc observer OF the fixed stars, IS thei'
Unreasonable distance If the whole
planetary system were Lighted up into |
olobe Of fire, il would exceed, by many |
millions of times. the magnitude OF this
world, and yet only appear a small lucid
point from the nearest OF them. Ii a body |
were projected from the sun with the We
locitv of a cannon-ball, it would take hun
dreds Of thousands of years before il de-
scribed that mighty interval which separ-
ates the nearest of the fixed stars from our
sun and from our system. If this earth,
which moves at more than the inconceiv-
able velocity of a million and half miles
a day, were TO be hurried from its orbit,
and to take the same rapid flight over this
immense tract, il would not have arrived
at the termination ofits journey, after taxi
ing all the time which has elapsed since
the creation of the world. These are
great numbers. and great calculations,
and the mind feels its own impotency il.
attempting to grasp them. We can state
them in words. We can exhibit them in
figures. We can demonstrate them bv
the powers Of most rigid and infallibe
geometry. But no human fancy can
summon up lively or an adequate con-
ception-can roam in its ideal fight over
this unreasonable largeness-can take
IN this mighty space in all its grandeur,
and IN all its immensity sweep the
outer boundaries of such a creation-or
lift itself up TO the majesty of that great
and invisible arm, on which all is suspend.
ed.
But what can those stars be which are
seated so far beyond the limits of our plan
etary system! They must be masses of
immense magnitude, or they could not be
seen at The distance of place which they
occupy. The light which they give must
proceed from themselves, for the feeble
reflection of light from some other quar-
ter would not carry through such nigh.
~ tracts 10 the eye of the observer. A
body may DC visible in two ways. 1t NAV
be visible from Its own light, as the fame
Of candle, or The brightness of fire, or
the brllliancy Of yonder glorious sun,
which lIghlens all below, and is the lamn
OF the world. Or it may be visible from
the light which falls upon it, as the bod y
which receives its light from the per ,ha,
falls upon it--or the whole assemblaoe
ofobjects on the surface ofthe earth. which
appear only when the light of day rests
upon them-or the moon, which, in that
part OF i which is towards the sun, gives
out silvery wilderness to the eye Of the
observer, while the other part forms a
black and invisible space in the frmamen,
--or as the planets. which shine only be
cause the sun shines upon them, and
which, each ofthem, present the appear
ance of dark spot on The side that is turn.
ed away from it. Now apply this cues.
lion TO the fixed stars. Are thew lunin.
Gus oil themselves. or do they derive their
Ightirom the sun, like the bodies of our
planetary system9 Think of their i'm
mense distance, and the solution of this
question becomes evident. The sun, like
any other body, must dwindle into less
apparent magnitude as you retire from il.
AT the prodigious distance even of the
very nearest of the fixed stars, it must
have shrunk into a small indiyisible noint
In short, il must have become a star itself
ana could shed no more light than sim
gle individual Of those glimmering mvri.
ads, the whole assemblage of which can.
not dissipate, and can scarcely alleviate
the midnight darkness of our world
These stars are visible to us, not because
the sun shines upon them, but because
they shine OF themselves, because they are
80 many luminous bodies scattered over
tho tracts OF immensely; in a word, be-
cause they are so many suns each thron.
ed in the centre of his own dominions. and
pouring food of light over his own nor
ton OF these unlimtable regions.
AT such an immense distance for obser.
Vatlon, It Is not to be supposed, that we
can collect many points of resemblance
between the fixed stars, and the solar star
which forms the centre OF our planetary
system. There is one point of resem-
blance, however, which has not escaned
the penetration Of our astronomers We
know mat our sun turns round upon him
sell, in regular period oftime. We al.
so know, that there are dark spots scatter.
Cd over his surface, which, though invis.
IDLE to the naked eye. are perfectly notice.
able by our instruments. IF these sno,s
existed IN greater quantity upon one side
tnan npon another, it would have the gen.
eral effect Of making that side darker. and
tne revolution Of the sun must, in such .
case, give as brighter and fainter side
oy regular alterations. Now, there are
some of the fixed stars which presen, his
appearance. They present as with nar;
odical variations of light. From the srIaa
dor OF a star ofthe first or second magni.
tude, they fade away into some Of The IN.
ierior magnitudes--and one, by becoming
invisiblesmight give reason 10 appreh.nd
that we had lost him altogether-but we
can still recognize him by the telescope.
tlll at length be re-appears in h;s own