Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-12-15
Written for the Green Mountain Freeman.
The Utility of Astronomy


The Utility of Astronomy
In the fourth day of Creation, God made the
stars. He set them in the armament of Heaven,
so that light fell upon the earth from every
part Of the material universe He made them
shine forever, that while this globe continues
to circle on its axis each falling ray should be
recording hand to write upon its circumfer-
ence the passage of time to eternity There
was then no human voice to praise the mighty
work. but there was music in the skies; the
morning stars shone together, and the sons OF
God shouted for joy Man was then in the 81
lent dust; God breathed upon it, and man be
came living soul He was made erect, with
his countenance upturned to Heaven, that while
he walked upon the earth, he might behold
those glorious messengers of the Creator rolling
their cbariots of light through the skies, from
morn till night, from night till morn, immu-
able in law, unshaken in their courses, undi-
minished in their lustre From age to age
they have continued to shine; from ago to age
man has continued to gaze upon them, and mar
yelled at the sight. Yet they beam as brightly
upon the last eyes opened upon them, as on
those which first looked out upon the bloom Of
Creation -lorever fresh forever shining, for
ever rolling, eternal power their source, and
eternal light their element
On the plains of Chaldea, Job saw them and
n midnight medtations marked their wander
ns co onstellations careering through the frma-
ment on Judah'< hills David looked up and
wondered at the sight, struck his harp to notes
of praise, and poured them into the songs of
Israel. By the waters of Euphrates the Baby
lonian saw that host OF Heaven pass before him
and mistaking the creature for the Creator
worshspped on the false altars Of Baal The
Persian bowed down uuder the open skies to the
Goals upon the altar, as to the life and image OF
the stars above. The Egyptian marked the
seasons by the signs of the Zodiac, and record
ed them on the ancient monuments OF Thebes
The Greek, the Roman, the Hndoo, the Chris
tian, the men of every age and every nation
have gazed upon those wandering fires above
and, gazing, have been filled with astonishment
filled with admiration, and made silent with awe
This work of the fourth day of Creation is
not merely the admiration of prophets and phi
losophers, but it is one of the mos, instructive
subjects Of contemplation, and therefore one o
tha ka, e RI a.
Reader, perhaps you may have gazed long
enough upon the stars without instruction -
Follow me for one moment, and will describe
to you the solar system.
In the first place Twill commence with tn,
sun. The sun is the centre Of the solar system
and a the planets revolving around it. The
sun is large luminous body which gives igh
and heat to the whole solar system. 1t is 1885,.
952 miles in diameter, and ,384,4 ,472 times
greater than the earth. 1t is one and one-,hird
tunes the weight of water, five hundred times
as large as all the planets, and seven hundred
and fifty times the weight Of all. Astronomers
at the present time suppose the sun to be ar
Opaque body, like the earth, and surrounded b,
q luminous atmosphere. The sun has three
motions first, on it, axis second, around !hC
centre Of gravity of the solar system; third
around the centre of the universe. 1t revolve
on its axis in twenty five and oue-haf days
This is ascertaiued by spots on its surface
which first appear on the east side, pass owe
and disappear on the west side. These are sup
posed to be openings in the luminous atmos
phere, which enable US to see the dark body o
the sun through it. The spots are constant,
changing, and sometimes very rapidly. Som
have appeared, Others disappeared suddenly
These spots appear within about 80 degrees G
the suns Equator They have been attribn te
to storms, aud various causes. The surface c
the sun, in the region of the spots, is in sta
Of continual and violent agitation.
We have several reasons to suppose that tn
luminous portion of the sun is intensely hot !
first, the heat Of its rays when collected into
focus, is very great; second, its rays pa'
through glass with the greatest facility ia prof.
erty belonging to artificial heat in direct prt
portion to its intensity; third, the brightne'
of the sun is greater than the most vivid flame
or the most intensely ignited solids. The su
is not supposed TO be inhabited for various re;
, sons first, the body of the sun being gu
rounded by dense and Opaque clouds. it cou
!, moi send off its heat into space by radiation
, and therefore the heat received from the clout
would accumulate and cause high temper
. ture second, the force of gravity boing thirt
times greater than that of the earth, commc
sized man would weigh some two or three ton
rendering it necessary to have an entirely dife
enl muscular organization; third, it is impro
able that living beings would be shut up with
an impenetrable veil and cut of from know
t edge Of the planets, and the countless wonde
7 existing in the boundless realms of space.
My next will be a description of Mercur.
! the planet nearest the sun. d. q. Hour.
( Moretown, Dec. 5, 1859.
t RECENTLY, u most extraordinary race too
; place in a fashionable Ladies' Seminary scho
: in the Thiergarten, Berlin. where thirty thr'
young ladies contested for the championship