Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1861-04-04

swifter motion, while new stars will come
to take the place Of departed ones, and
perhaps surpass them in spiendor How
all this wondrous and magnificent transi-
ton is to be accomplished no man can tell
with confidence, though the path of the
sublime inquiry is well opened, and astron-
omers are advancing in ii, boldly and
surely.
Reporter-Why It appals me Is think
Of so stupendous phenomenon the move
of millions of suns around central body.
-4sfronomer-The harmonious move
ment Of millions upon millions ofsuns, each
perhaps bearing train Of planets, with at
tendant moons.
Reporter-IIas anything about it been
actually demonstrated!
dstronomer-Yes, one fact is placed
beyond doubt by the agreeing testimony
Of many distinguished astronomers, who
have investigated the subject independently,
viz: that our sun, with its planets, is NOV
ing slowly througha space toward point
in the constellation Hercules. The rate Of
its motion is estimated at AZ, 700 mics in
day, which is little more than quarter
Of the earth's velocity in its orbit, and cor
responds pretty well with the velocity Of
Uranus. Taking this for the mean orbital
motion Of our sun, there results, as its peri
Cd Of revolution around Alcyone, l8,20o,-
900 years. If grayitation be the central
force of attraction, this velocity, also enor-
nous distance, requires a central mass cf
such dimensions as to make the hypothesis
of a central sun appear utterly preposter-
ols; and that grayitation is operative be-
yond the solar system, has been proven
satisfactorily BY the case q the double stars.
Moreover, there are other grave objections
to the daring speculation OF Nader.
d Reporter What are the evidences of
this movenlentl
Astrononaersz-Jf the theory be true. we
should expect, first, to see the stars which
lie in direction perpendicular to our line
of motion, and which may be assumed, IN
this consideration, to be stationary, appar-
emily moving in an opposite direction to
that in which we are moving the nearest
having the greatest apparent motion and
the furthest the least or none at all. This.
effect is a matter Of common observation to
railroad travellers. When passing a clump.
of trees, the nearest ones will sweep by
swiftly while those further off will remain
longer in sight Secondly, the stars we
are approaching would appear to open
asunder, and those we are leaving behind
would appear to close up their ranks. All
these appearances are actually observed,
and a great number Of very careful meas
urements have been taken independently
by several distinguished astronomers be-
ginning with the elder Herschel, with close
ly agreeing results.
Reporter is the distance Of Alcyone
known?
Astroaomer-It is reckoned to be a.
100000 times the suns distance; SO far
that light, which reaches US from the sun
in eight minutes, would require 537 years
to pass over the interval Another stu
pendous result Of this inquiry is given. II
the data can be relied on, there follows, as
a rough approximation, that the sum Of
all the masses within the sphere described
about Alcyone as a center, with radius
equal to the suns distance from that center,
is 100000 times the suns mass! But
abandoning the unsteady bog Of specula-
ton, and coming back to the firm ground
Of observation, we have the magnificent IN
duction that the solar system is advancing
toward point in Hercules; and my analogy
we may fairly suspect that all the stars are
moving also.