New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-03-14
g. ii
LyCeUlll Lectures.

Prof Gould delivered another lecture III the Lyce-
Hall, last evening, to smaller audience than on
most evenings preceding, produced doubtless by the
unpleasantness of the weather.
The last lecture having been directed to the laws
that reign in the celestial spaces and the rules
shown by the comets to exist there the one that fol-
owedt took hold of and treated concerning the mod
ern measurements of heavenly distances. The fact
is fixed that the progress of our world slowly but sure
yends to the sun and to universal destruction; but
even at the close and final consummaton of all things
the great laws that prevail now will Continue to have
being, only as proven facts, not as deductions of
science.
Boehler's comet that appeard in 1882 and 1916,
passed the moons track only a month from the time
when the moon could be there, remote but one
fourteenthousandth of its greatest distance great
terror ensued both in France and England, and Arago
was compelled to speak concerning it,, order to
quiet the fear. Such an encounter would be no more
dangerous to the earth than running against a
vacuum. The comet parted and moved off in two
bodies, neither less bright than the other. When it
re-appeared in 1885, it watched for and detected
by Jesuit at Rome, and subsequently elsewhere.
The St. Petersburg Academy of Science sent out
offers of reward for the settlement of the question
of its proximity to the earth on its Temperance.
zine and at the date its solution was given by
Prof Hubbard. 1t will return in 1858. The spccula
tons concerning Halleys and Encke's comets-of
resisting mcdunl-have been proven by Prof. Hub
barl's discoveries.
The tails of comets have been considered thin films
but nothing is known definitely. The comet of 1913
had tail one-th longer than the distance from the
sun to the EARTH These tails are thin and yapory
particles thrown from the comet.
The milky way seems to the eyeas nebulte does
through a telescope. This belt encrcles the whole
celestial sphere It's course is irregular, and it is
divided for onehalf its own distance. The nebule is
one great star-custer, of which our sun is part.
The average number of stars in the heavens decreases
as the distance from the milky way increases. The
galaxy is brighter in the southern than the northern
hemisphere. 1t is known that the stars lie in different
beds and yet the whole is but great cluster.
Some of the stars are remote as to occupy space
from which it would take the light twenty or thirty
millions Of years to travel. 49,
The theory of q central sun, originated by a Rus
sian astronomer, goes on the ground that there
il greater sun in the distance around which ours is
moving. This theory is founded on every truthful
observation made, and is corroborated by them
Speaking Of fixed stars we mean those which are
comparatively at rest. But nothing is actually fixed;
not a blade of glass; nor single star. There is an
equilibrium but it is one of motion. Were this to
end, it would be as with spinning top, which dies
when its motion ceases. The motion Of the and OF
all our own system, is almost certainly much greater
than is supposed, and this motion of the sun and
whole planetary system, would account for many
things we cannot now give reasons for. -"
All of the facts and discoveries of astronomers for
the last century tend to the result and, by and
bye other astronomers, taking all the data together
may work out the actual facts. There is no doubt
that some of the theories approximately correct
With regard to the present knowledge of astronomy
it may be asserted that every fact which has to
hand has been properly treated and the right theory
worked from it, AS fast stars arise, their position
and influence is settled by the grand philosophy Of
their being.
Some general remarks of very interesting nature
introduced the subject of the palaax Of the fixed
stars-which is kind of perspective-the means by
which great and unascertained spaces calculated
used in trgonometry. II in order to make use of
this rule that Lieut. ellis sent out to Gill; few
years since by our own Government, whlean other as
tronomer took observations from Washington In a
few months the result will be made public and the dis
lance of the will probably be better known than
it now is
The spaccpenetratmg power OF Instruments has en-
abed us to prove distances that are hundred miles
to the distance between the earth and sun. The dis
tances of stellar spaces seem impossible. Enormous
quantities cannot be conceived but yet VIC know con
corning distances as great as six billion of iles-and
these are not the greatest known in our
The distance of the earth from the sun is the asro
nomical unit To give this in miles would be as
foolish as to reduce the miles the Atlantic tc
inches. From simple geometlic figures we get {
knowledge of distances that hardly be imagined
Bessel, Strcuben and Others have Invented instrl
ments that approximate very nearly to perfection
Their powcrs too great to be explained by any fgure
, Or exact statements.
The contemporaneous discovery of great facts
especially in astronomy, is very notable. That o
parallax was made in Germany, France and on Cap
: Cod at the same time.
The conclusion of the subject must be deferred
until Tuesday. when the more recent discoveries vii
be treated Of with some general and particular illus
tratiOnS