Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1841-12-04


Mr.. HoLLowAY.-I henrd The other dav some
conversation IN company, respecting a description
in the Palladium some II or ID months pnst,
of the coufac Grafton Of fixed star in Cassinpeia
described in Bnrrlit, page 80, and that the
fagratton continued for sixteen months before II
consumed Now, in order that the people OF
this day may not be msiniormed by the ideas of
ancient Astronomers, believe il would not he
improper to Law before them, some calculat tons
explanatory of such conllagration, and what
time Is required Tor hGf, to act on such bodies as
the fixed stars must be.
1t is very evident from the action Of heat
such conducting matter rs our Earth is composed
Of that # Earth thrown into great fur
mace, ten thousand times as hot common iron
furnace, that ii would there require moro than
20 thousand wears To bring 1t To a melting heat
10 The cantrc. and n much longer time before ii
would all be consumed, allowing the E1rth to be
three thousand nia,, hundred and sixty.two miles
from its surface It's ccn,i@; ana caicuatinG from
the time required To melt a bali u, clay and sand
one foot lnsdameter in common glass fu,: ,ace
and the tune required in proportion to the square
OF their senl-dInnc'ers. and according TO the
same calculation, II n Globe rs large as our sun
was exposed to the like heat. il would not be mel
ted in two hundred million of wears And it is
now believed by most astronomers, and pretty (
well ascertained that there is no fixed star visit
bic to oar naked eyes but those thu, are much
larger than our sun. and of course would take n
mach longer time 10 melt consume them, and .
IN order 10 consuce such Globe. it must during
the whole OF that incoGcciveahle long space of
time be enVeloPcd in a body ot flame least five +
millions OF miles In dia meter, nd yet the Astron
omers oil the sixteenth century were Of The opin-
ion that such a Globe could be consumed in the
snort space Ht sixteen months; but the greater
probability Is that the star which they saw was
some great Comet whose line of direction was
from rs on Tight angle leaving it's Crea, tail be-
hlho IN direction toward rs. which caused IL to
briu Int 1 lie n
'le distance II diminished in brightness and IN
SIZE, anu me distance it occupied from the in
lis progress caused the difference OF the appear
ance ut rs light. When we make the following
caicu.ation i, will also show the great possibilit;
OF that being the case. to wit: that the distance
between Tue orbits Of Jupiter and Of Hcrschcl is
over thirteen hundred million of miles and that t
II Jupiter TO leave lis orbit and iy in sirnigh,
direction toward the orbit of Herschel at the
ton'shng rapidtv Of one hundred thousand miles .
per hour. II would be eighteen months before it
reached the orbit Of iIerschel and would still be {
visible TO with the naked eve. /
n'' such IS mnn; snch he has been, and such f
ne now is. filed with the marvellous without en- 4,
curing what such marvels would be- or what re
SUITS would be produced by such effects as their
consider aad reflect. When behold the vas,
Immense and boundIess universe, bespangIed !
With stars that are globes OF mos, prodIg ious size
in comparison TO ours. and that the like extent is
eN'enheu W lhhhl'y oeNouu our S'Uh', me Hfnt!S
Of whirh we cannot conceive. Consider and re- c
feet, this is Gods throne and that he rules il e
by fixed and Interchangeable laws. He does not :
manisfest his dignity by pulling part down TO .
dav. and building II up in another place 10 NOR r
row. But on the contrary, He manItes:s himself
and his power BY his unchangeabeness. md the +
of his laws By creating a Fl
universe as boundess as he is great, and govern o.
ing IL ov laws as interchangeable II is houndless =
by showing that unchanre bleness Is perfection. -
ana changeabeness imperfection. By showing
'ha' me things which changeth endeth and that IL
NE things which cbangeth no, ende,h not, By Ii