New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-01-01

I
awe ancvl ledge with regard 10 he distance Of the
hed starr II nust be % great that the whole
haths ortft viewed from them. ~oald shrink
/, sa.o m INV able point
| SO scon a. Telescopes were perfected and the
divisoa Of the circle obtained in the most accurate
manner possible. BY means 81 vhich TIE moss deli
cate ooserv atoms could be made, the human mind
again returned 10 this grand problem and auem
70 pas these hitherto seemingly impossible limits
/, 20 measure the distance q the fxed stars And
oov let me attempt to explain one Of the methods
| adopted 10 accomplish this grand object
Suppose were possible to erect IN the center Of
this rom 4 rocky pier going down through the
base upon the sosd rock itself be perfectly
immovable Now then upon this rocky pier lei
me adjust telescope of the highest possible csps.
city and let the axis Of that instrument be erected
% a. 10 have dirtctipn exactly vertical H.vipc
accomplished this. let me screw u To this rock 90
that Il shall never move. bot be forever permanent
Nov To determine the exact axis Of thus telescope
and ~ make apprsciable. let me ~ 10 the Ecu.
Two moot delicate lines OF spiders cd winch are
- very hne that they may be regarded alu,os, q.
| invisioie mathematical lines Let the N interseot
each other In the AXIS o; the telescope and their
point OF intersection upon looking upward will give
. precisely vertical direction. Now have piece
OF mscpinery prepared 20 make my examination Of
lev OF the nxed stars. % determine whether
there be any char re from the fact that the Earth
/ agweepiag round in It's orbit. Place the eve 10
J you may have selected and which lies exactly in a
vertical direction passing through the zenith shall
reach precisely the central point Of the telescope
, % that the line OF visios. like . prolonged AIS
pierces the star exactly Now record the OBJ
serston which 10 made at particular hour. and
when the srth shall have rolled round ts axis and
! brought IL TO the same point We observe II again
and % through the Whole year Now then n there
be no change. that star will ever pass at the same
moment exactly through the same point scrus. the
af fk. f.l. a
| deviate q little from the point Of intersections
and at the end Of the year II shall have described
minute orbit the center OF which 10 the central point
where the AXIS Of the telescope pierces the hesv
ems the magnitude OF this LILLE orbit accurately
| determined 10 the amount OF apparent change &C
cssooed by the revolution Of the srth in its orbit
and this would be the parsllsctc motion Of the
star
This method was adopted By one oil the distn-
/ guished Astronomers WIN ate pied the rcsoia
ton Of the problem OF the distance OF the Fixed stars
! He did not succeed It dehed bis ingenuity stu.
ne was ewarded ia his efforts ifnot by the attain
ment Of the object To be accomplished At least by
| others equally important He found the star upon
|! which be fixed bis eye moving not a. he supposed
IL must move in para actIc change. but taking sdf
| feren, course. For long ti-ie the cause seemed
| 10 be wrapped IN impenetrsble mystery but
be finally iound Il 10 be due 10 the lac, that tue
| Earth was moving with a certain amount Of velo
city. and llg also Was coming with certa We
1
star al apparent moton which. when the cause
| WAS known was perfectly expicsbie- tie discov-
| cred IN this way the alteration ~ Ligh and also
. certain other change. shown by the TACT that the
Earth axis 10 not precisely parallel 10 itsei. OUT
! owing TO the influence which the Sun aud Mcoa
exert upon the protuberent matter around the
equator 1t 10 made To vibrate a. II were, through
| a very minute In the Heavens. This 10 called
! NHfafIoH and these two great discoveries were
| made IN the effort re-ose the problem measur
A a.. "A. .,tf ..s w.Ts
| desire 10 trace up the history of this examina
| ton % show how Science has progressed. and how
| Art has been gaining Une victory after another.
| even when II seemed To be impossible :, make the
slightest progress pass rapidly do~n 10 the sc
| cond great effort made to determine the parsllsx
| of the stars
| Gsllileo had even projected this plan but never
| found himself in possessoa OF instruments requisite
| to make the examination. The plan 10 simple and
| will be easily understood by all who hear me. In
| examining the heavens we mud among the hxed
| star. certain ones that appear single To the com
| mon eye. but when examined with powerful ia
| strument they found TO be composed ci Two
three. four. and sometimes as many rs su Gus
tered closely that to the naked eye they
] appear as q single object Now after Hcrschel
l commenced his review az the heavens he found
these clustered stsp altered profsscly. and the
idea occurred to him that the apparent near prox
unity of them occasioned 10y the TACT that one
| WAS sank in Space far deeper than the other and
the visoai ray passed near or exactly through thc
/ least distant one In case this hypothess might
be received q true. these double stars. IN which
| one of the objects was double the size' ara Va
this sense appearing t. be halt the distance OF the
\ other would furnish most admirable means u de
| termining whether any Psrallscuc change tooh
place in consequence the revolution OF the Earth
Suppose am % situated ss q occult any OBJECT Ia
| this nom by one OF the columns before me ny
throw ing my he al slightly t. the night the object
hidden will appear To come out on that side or by
throsipg my head to the left the same object Will
appea or 10 come out inum the other SIDE JUST 81 w
| these minute double stars. II the observer start
from one extremity OF the karhs annual orbit, snd
find this minute star the right hand aide OF the
| larger one ii he come round and continue has Oh
| serv alton tl he reaches one quarter OF the whole
| circumference. when he hnds II 10 hidden bchinh
the larger star. II he reach other extremity oi
\ the circuit and tnd now the minuts star {" coming
out ON the opposite side n, moreover, this change
| occur every time the Earth makes ITS annual reNo
| luton IL will demonstrate most concl1sNely INST
| these changes are parallactc, and occasioncd oy
| the fact that the observer 10 sweeping sround "a
the Eartas orbit, aud viewing the objects from dn
| ferent positions.
such il the nature Of the alton undertaken
by Hersche and there seemed To be ever, reason TO
| believe he would be successful hut dia he sue
| coed No He found that these stars were NOV
| ing. and here again we're his efforts fessrned oy
one of the most brilliant discoveries ever made.
He found In these closely united objects thst thef
was q motion but not OF the Kind he anticipated
he found that the one Was moving about tne "'nr'
I and on a better view that they were both rev"i''
| ,ny about their comm1n center Of gravity. Ia II
possible that there distant orbs we're cnereized by
the same Kind OF influence which operates on toe
l Earth's surface. and that this Law OF urs'ltsuon
extending over this immeasarabie gull seled these
suns and held them obedeot To its control, causing
them TO revolve about each other
| The announcement that these motions wer~ go
Inc on filed the astrvnomics world with a'on"h
ment IL seemed that new held was sunuen,y
| di.closed v hch promised TO be interminable IL
these stare, go profusely scattered and so closely
| united. were really double suns then had A'tron'
omy only begun its career. II to hnd INC pefiSs
.n3 measure the orbits Of the planets had occupied
the attention OF the human race up to the pre'r"
| time how much tine would be necessary u me'
ure the periods and determine the ore'ts OF ihess
! mighty suns sunk deeply In Space But the
| ea~t IA. been made and 1t 10 progressing. A soil
tsry object one OF be sutisl ~ sten vas taken
AID measures made year after year, uu hnaly
Sufficient amount OF data are obtained !" oenmenoe
l a.. n a.