The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1858-06-03
Communications.
For the News.
THOUGHTS ON ASTRONOMY.

HOME, May -, 1858
Mr. EDIToR--SIR: In some former
letters I gave you hasty survey of the
distances Of the Stars from us and from
each othSt, and gave a mere glimpse as I
hurried over the star-studded plain, on
the swift wings of thought, Of the wide
spread and shining dominions of the
King of Kings.
I now propose to set before your read
ers some of the phenomena and facts
that these distant regions present for our
consideration and observation.
I do not pretend to do them Justice;
this would be work for a master. But
when a master had drawn his most vivid
picture in the highest style Of the art,
in the most elevated and lucid flights of
imagination, it would fall as far short Of
the reality as art in it's tiny efforts falls
short Of the grandeur of nature.
And as my object in writing these
hasty and imperfect articles is, to direct
the attention Of your readers to Him
that is not seen through "tho things
that do appear" remark, that in the
wondrous starry heavens we have the
grandest exhibition of His godlike pow
er and glory, to be found among the
things of external sense. 1t is natural
for us, when we read a good book, to
form an attachment for the author, or,
if we look at a fine picture, we, by in
stinct, are led to admire the artist. And
again, if we look upon a beautiful spec
linen Of architecture, we admire the
architect, so when we look out upon the
sublime panorama that stretches all
around us, and far away to the very
throne of the Creator, we should be led
to adore Him, and may we'll exclaim with
another and say, "What is man that
thou art mindful of him2"
The first questions that suggest them
selves to an inquiring mind after it be-
comes acquainted with the vast distance
Of these shining orbs are, as to their
magnitude? What are their diameters
and cubical contents? The last of these
questions cannot be fully or definitely
decided, yet we are not to abandon it as
hopeless. Did the stars present a SEN
sible disk they might be measured with
mathematical precision.
When the stars are viewed through a
telescope that magnifes six thousand
times, they appear only as lucid spots or
points, thus demonstrating that they are
six thousand times less than the eye is
capable Of porceiving. But you ask, if
the stars cannot be measured precisely,
by what train of thought or reasoning
can we come at their probable dimen-
sions. To this interesting problem / di.
rect your attention.
To determine tho magnitude of tho
stars, astronomers have pursued theil
investigations with instruments called
photometers, by which the comparative
j quantity Of light emitted by luminous
bodies can be accurately measured, an,
it can be ascertained with mathematical
certainty how many of lesser bright
ness would be equal to one of a greater
These instruments have been used t.
measure the comparative amount Of
light by the stars and the Sun, and /
has been found that the light which w
receive from Sirius or the Dog-star, i
| 10000, 900, 900 less than that which W.
receive from the Sun. tits an unerrinl
law in optics, that the splendor of a lu
minous object decreases as the squar
Of the distance from the eye increases
j By this the reader may understand il
p the distance Of the Sun was doubled tn
q light we would receive from il would b
four times less than what it is; and if
we're removed ten times as far its ligh
= would be one hundred times less, and S
on, as the square of the distance.
BY the application of this rule we ca
easily ascertain how far the Sun woul
q have to be removed to be reduced to th
1 brightness Of Sirius. This law require
" the Sun to be removed to l4l ,479 time
its present distance TO appear of IN
same magnitude as the Dog-Sur, Bl
a this distance, immense os il may appea
a is less than one-fourth of the iuterv
f that separates us from that starl Tl
star appears as large as the Sun won
B at one-fourth the distance; hence it 70
i lows that Sirius must be supereminent
more magnificent than our Sun.
Another law decides that the apparel
q size or diameter Of bodies diminishes
f distance increases BY virtue of Oh
.e law Sirius must be four times as larN
b. as the Sun 20 appear as large at a di
O. tauoo four times as great This givos
lthat twinkling star o diameter Of 9, SO.