Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1851-02-28
RECENT ASTRONOMY

Professor LOOMS recent work on Astronomy
contains great amount interesting knowledge
One section of this history treats OF the emotion
OF the sun and stars in the great celestial sphere
Though we speak of the sun as the centre of the
planets and comets, or the solar system. anal.
ogy would lead to the probable motion Of the sun
and his attendant bodies, around its common cen.
tire. Astronomers have for considerable time
| more than expected this to be the fact.
The fixed stars retain "the same relative posi-.
ton from age to age but so minute and accu-
rate have the observations become by reason OF
the improved instruments of astronomical re-
search that 'relative motion in large num-
Der" of the stars has been certain This mo-
ton is to be accounted for to a great extent, bv
the real motion of the centre of the solar sys-
ten. 1t has been noticed that the stars in one
part Of the heavens are slowly approaching each
other, while in the opposite part, the stars are
recedng from each other. This must result
from the real motion of the centre of our system.
from the former and towards the latter As ear
ly as 1888, Ilerschel computed the point to-
wards which our sun is moving, to be in the con-
stellaton of Hercules. Others have at once
come to the same result The mean of various
results places this point in right ascension about
260 deg, and declination 35 deg.
Later computations render it probable that the
motion of the sun is in huge curve, in which
its velocity may be 1900 miles an hour
So minute and extensive have been the OBJ
seryatonS on the fixed stars, that astronomers
have aimed at computed results which transcend
nconceivably all the anticipations of former
times. Newton himself, would be amazed at
the present state of astronomy.
Prof. Nader, OF the Dorpat Observatory, has
even calculated the probable centre of the uni
verse around which our system is revolving
This centre "must be found in the circumference
OF great circle, whose pole is that point towards
which the sun is moving This is very obvi-
Gus, on moments consideration, and that point
has already been mentioned. The pole thus no.
ticed, is in the vicinity of the Pleiades or seven
stars, a most remarkable and beautiful cluster
and Nader proposes Alcyne in that cluster, the
most prominent of the Pleiades, as the centre
through which our sun is revolving, and calls it
the central sun OF the great system.
This is partially corroboraed by the fact that
the most palpabe and greatest of the real mo-
tons of the fixed stars are yound in great cir
Gle described about the Pleiades as pole the
very place where such must occur.
The astounding wonders are now to come
For Prof. Nader computes the distance OF Al
cyOne to be 'thirty-four millions of times that of
the sun (from the earth) requiring 587 years for
its light to come upon us, at the rate OF 100000
miles 4 second, or ''of twelve millions of miles
per minute" If this be so, the periodic time of
the sun (and Of our SYSTEM about AIcoyne, is
estimated at eighteen millions of years"
For enlargement of human conception, this is
magnificent enough. Should it not all prove to
be an approximation to the truth, the world will
see in it the heavings and aspiration of the as
Economical spirit. The revolutions of the plan
nets round the sun, especially of Neptune at the
distance of 5000 millions OF miles in l64 years
involves stretch ofthought that makes the brain
whir; but that the sun carries with him all the
planets and comets around another centre at q
distance and time only uncomfortable, who can
stand that