Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-07-19
sfRIUs-THE DOG STAR,

Messrs. EDITORS have seen for day or tw.
past, travelling round in the newspapers, p1ra
graph respecting the Eccentric Movement Of N.
Frred Stars" among which are included the fixed
star Sirius" or the " log Star" The follow.
ing is the paragraph to which allude;
ssEccKxraIc MOVEMENT or THE FIX IN SrAns.-At .
meeting Of the Berlin Academy Of Sci1nces held ON Nav
3ls the venerable Alexander Won Hrmbodt made AN int
resting communication upon some observations Of singular
movements of fixed stars. seems pat al Trieste January
IT. 1851 between and eight o'clock p M before The
rising OF the moon, when the star Sirius was not far from the
horIon to perform remarkable series of ecce
trio movements It rose and SINK, moved left and right sad
sometimes seemed to move E curved line The observers
Mr. keune student In the upper class of the symna-
sium, and Mr. Thugut, sadder both certified to be reli-
able persons The family Of the latter also beheh the phe-
nomenon. Mr.. Keune, with his head leaned immoveaby
against wall saw Sirius rise in right line above the roof
Of neghborng house, and Immediately again sink of
sight behind it and then again appear h motions were so
considerable that for some time the behoders thought
laern suspended by KITE It also varied in briancy,
growing alternately brighter and fainter and and then
being for quite invisible though the sky was perfectly
clear As far as il is known, this phenomenon has been
marked but twice beforeonce In l799 from the Peak Of
Tencre by Won Humboldt himself and again. nearly fifty
years later, by wenformed and very careful Observer
Prince Adabert, of Prussia"
Now. this subject comes before the world with
the high sanction of that prince of philosophers,
Humboldt, or SO purports 10 come. But from the
incongruity of the statement made of the percept-
BILE movement of Sirius with the facts which as
ronomy teaches of that star, must believe that an
error has been fallen into, and that Humboldt never
could have made statement Of the above nature.
The star Sirius is supposed to be one of the
nearest fixed stars to our system. II is, according
to the best computation, not less than thirty-t,co
billions (32,O0O,O O,OOO,O0O) Of miles from us, dis
ance SO inconceivable that no mind can comprehend
it. So great is the space traversed by the light of
that star that cannon ball would not be less than
seven millions of years in reaching from our
globe. If, then, this distance be SO great, which
none doubt, how improbable is the statement that
whatever movement that star might have we could
perceive it from the earth. Why, for phenome-
Of that sort to be at all observable on this pa-
net, the star Sirius would require to pscillate in
instant distance greater than the entire cir
cumference of the orbit of the planet HerShel some
46O,000.0O0 Of miles. The impossiblity Of
movement of an orb like that of Sirius, which is
doubtless the centre of system of planets like
ours, is SO palpable that none, i. would seem, could
believe it who would give the subject moments
thought.
Beside the mere fact of body like that Of the
star Sirius passing with such inconceivable velo-
city through space as to make its motion visible
to US, what would be the effect upon the planets
revolving about it! We may imagine, by suppos-
ing our sun to strike off in tangent for several
millions of miles. Confusion and destruction must
inevitably follow to its whole bright train.
Further our distance from the sun is about
95 100000 Of miles. The earth traverses nearly
100000 of miles Of its orbit every twenty -four
hours; and yet, with this velocity, and our compa-
ratively near proximity to the sun, we cannot dis
tingush, by the incest observation with the naked
eye, the daily motion of the earth in its orbit.
Now, | am wiling to admit one thing: that,
from some peculiarly of the atmosphere, the ap-
pearances alluded TO in the above paragraph may
have been witnessed. But am certain, from the
facts have already adduced, and others which l
might adduce, that it is clearly improbable that so
sublime an eccentric motion Of Sirius could either,
in the first place, occur, or, if it did or could oc-
cur, in the second place, that its immense distance
from us would preclude us from Witnessing it,
either by the naked eye or the best instruments yet
invented.
,WAsHINeroS, JUIr i3, 1881. COPERNICUs.