American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-09-15

CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE. A paper from
the Cincinnati Observatory, dated the Sth inst,
quotes from an article Of the "Astrounische
Wachrchten," journal published at Altona
near Hamburg, and conducted by professor
Schumacher. This article announces that Dr.
Maedler, director of the Dorpat Observatory,
Russia, has made the extraordinary discovery
Of the great central star or sun, about which
the universe of stars is revolving, over our own
sun and system among the rest. That such
sun does exist has been admitted by the ablest
astronomers, and we think that DR.. Alembert
states its precise location, and that he had
a view Of it. But his central sun was not the
central sun of the universe. 1t was only the
centre around which the fixed stars, Cor suns,)
which we see, revolve-itsell,and all its attend
ant suns and systems, revolving around still
more magnificent sun, which he supposed to
revolve III the centre of the universe The
human mind cannot conceive the magnitude OF
such Il sun, if it be some -four or five times
greater than the aggregate mass OF its atten-
dant suns and satellites, as it must necessarily
be to hold them in subsection.
That our sun, accompanied by The planets OF
the solar system, revoves arosnd some great
central globe, we consider almost demOnstrable;
and that it is illuminated and located by the
said central globe in the same manner that we
derive light and heat from our sun, we think
I;l,,,I, n,r SIM hoe all tho pootionS nepessarv
to produce the alterations of day and night and
the seasons, which indicate that it is not inde-
pendent in its action, bnt is held in subsection
by superior sun, in the same manner that our
earth is controlled by its superior. Admit
ting then, that great central sun does exist, it
remains for astronomers to determine, whether
DR.. Maedler has actually discovered its precise
location, and identified the sun with any star
known to them. This can only be done, we
presume, by long series Of observations. The
Doctor announces his discovery in the follow
ing language;
81, therefore, pronounce the Pleiades TO be
the central group Of that mass of fixed stars
limited by the stratum composing the milky
Y,
group, which among all others, combines the
greatest probability of being the true Central
Sun"
We annex the following observations, which
accompany the communication from the Gin
cinnati Observatory. We do not know that
the discovery itself, (freally made, or the dis
cussons to which it may give rise, will contri-
butte any thing to the happiness Of mankind
but they will tend to prove to the most enlight-
ened astronomer, that his gigantic intellect
cannot grasp the designs of an all-wise Prov-
dence-that, in fact, with all his knowledge he
knows nothing, in comparison with what re-
mains unreVealed
The following are the remarks referred to:
"By tram of reasoning which shall not
attempt to explain, he finds the probable para-
lax Of this great central star to be, six thou
sandths of one second arc, and its distance to
be "a millions of times the distance of the sun,
or so remote that light with a velocity of l2
millions of miles per minute, requires period
of 537 years to pass from the great centre TO our
sun.
s. GAS first rough approximation he deduces
the period of revolution of our sun with all its
train of planets satellites and comets, about the
grand centre 10 be eighteen millions tt0O hundred
thousand years.
The ascending node Of the orbit is (lS40) in
2s6 deg IS min. Of longitude, and the sun will
reach this point A. d. l54, 500 or in about one
hundred and fifty-two thousand six hundred
and sixty years
"Au these numbers are given as first rough
approximations. The author of this wonderful
theory throws it before the world and declares
that he viii yield ton condition that one single
star can be found, by any astronomer, within
20 deg or 25 deg. Of his great centre, in which
a well determined motion towards the north
exists. His theory indicates that the proper
motion of all stars thus situated must be to-
wards the south Such is 4 brief outline of the
wonderful facts announced by Dr. SiaedIer.-
The entire paper will be translated and pub
Iishet in the Slderial Messenger"