Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-04-18
THE MOTIONS OF THE FIXED STARS.

THE MOTIONS OF THE FIXED STARS.
That grandest of all problems that have ever
engaged the attention of the human mind-the
structure and motions of our stellar system-is
moving steadily forward to its solution. The
early observers of the heavens saw the sky roll
ing constantly around the earth from east to
west as if it were a great hollow globe hung up
on pivot at the north star and upon another
pivot at the south pole. The fixed stars seemed
like silver nail heads driven firmly into the roll
ing shell, and carried with it in its daily revo-
luton around the earth, but preserving the same
position in relation to each other from year to
year, and century to century. This opinion in
regard to the immovable position of the fixed
stars continued to prevail down to the last CEN
tury, when the large and bold intellect of Sir
William Herschel, as the inscription on his
monument says, "broke through the Enclosures
of Heaven" (cgtorum peJ7uph clauStra,) and
went forth to the study of the universe of stars.
The observations of Herschel proved that the
stars which are visible to our eyes, including
the innumerable multitudes whose blended light
makes up the "miky way" form a cluster or
system by themselves, which is separated by in
conceivable distances from other clusters that
are to be seen as faint nebulg in the depths of
space. Since Herschel's observations were
made, the study of our stellar system has oc-
cupied large share Of the attention of astron-
omers. The most important contribution to
our knowledge of the subject has been made by
the herculean labors of NJ. Maeder, superin-
tendent of the Observatory of Dorpat, in Rus
sia.
The most prominent questions which pre-
sented themselves to astronomers, in regard to
our stellar system, were What are its forms
and dimensions? Is there a great central body
about which the others are revolving, as the
planets revolve about our sun? Is our solar
system moving among the other stars ? and if
so, in what direction and with what velocity P
Some of these questions have been pretty salts
factorily answered, while suggestions of greater
or less probability are offered in re alton to the
others.
There can be no doubt that our solar system
is moving through space in the direction of the
constellation Hercules, the precise point being
not far from 262 deg. right ascension, and 40
deg. north declination. Nearly all astronomers
acquesce also in Maedler's concl sion, that
there is no large central body which controls
the movements of the other stars by its pre-
ponderating mass. Maedler is, however, salts
fed that all the bodies of our stellar system are
revolving about common center of gravity,
and to the determining of the position of this
centre he has devoted great deal of labor and
study.
Among all the consultations in the sky, there
is no other which has in all ages attracted so
much human interest as the little cluster of the
Pleiades. One of the finest passages in the
Scripture is the question to job, "Canst thou
bind the sweet influence of Peiades, or loose
the bands of Orion?" And for many centuries
succession of poetic feeding has gathered
around "the long lost sister of the seven stars y
But fresh interest has now been given to this
storied group, for the computations of Maedler
lead to the conclusion that Alcyone, the bright
est star of the cluster, occupies the very centre
around which the hosts of heaven roll their ma
jestc courses.
The distance of our sun from the centre o
gravity of this stellar system, as well as the ve-
-locty of its motion, is yet undetermined, though
some of Maedler's observations indicate that
the distance is such that it would take GAO years
to pass through the space, that the suns veloc-
ity in his orbit is about 1000 miles per minute
and that it will take him about 20,000000 Of
years to make one revolution. The latest con.
clusion in regard to the size of our stellar sys
TEN is, that ray of light moving at the rate o
10000 miles per second would require about
1000 years to pass through its diameter.
The Pleiades are at this time of the year al
most exactly overhead at 6 o'clock in the eve
ming, and, of course, farther west later in tn,
evening. A litlle way to the southeast Of tn,
Pleiades are the Hyades, five stars in the form
OF V, with bright star in the end of one side
Still farther to the southeast is Orion, with thu
three bright stars in his belt Farther still il
the same direction, forming almost a straigh
line with the three groups mentioned, is thu
Dog Star, Sirius, the brightest of all the fixeC
stars. But, as we have said, the most interest
ing of these is the faint little cluster of Pleiades
| for it is probable that around the brightest o