National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1869-07-09
The Immensity Of Space.
From an article in the MOntpelit

"CutSlde the Circle" we take the
following which will give full scope
to the imagination. Who, when he
reflects upon the immensely of space,
and the myriad worlds scattered
therein, can say there is no God" or
that so much as blade of grass
came by chance We do not re-
member to have seen more vivid
picture of the heavenly bodies than
this:
This world is a wide place--so we
think, and so it is, for all human
purposes. We cannot travel round
it less than some months: yet it
whirls through 6S, 900 miles of space,
while an ordinary walker PAGES tour
miles. And it is mere speck when
compared with the mighty worlds
we see around us. We have all
heard of the suns spot. In March,
1887. some of an unusually remark
able character became apparent,
and one of them was found to cover
a place of not less than $3.50, 600, 600
square miles. The sun rises and
sets, and we treat his existence and
apparent journey from east to west
very much as matter of course, but
what can be the extent of that globe
upon which such space is with diff
ticulty visible. Imagine 354,936
worlds like this one ON which we
live rolled into one, and we have
some conception of the SUMS size.
Or, to put the matter differently, if
the earth were to be suddenly in
creased so as to equal the sun in
magnitude, it's bulk would take in
the whole orbit of the moon and eX
tend 100000 miles beyond. Yet
when compared with others of the
heavenly bodies the sun is small.
To realize this we must still eX-
tend limits of our Imagination
Without entering into the details Of
recent enquiries, l take the distance
between the sun and earth to DC 95,-
600, 900 miles; which light, travel
ing at the rate of 1872, 700 miles in a
second of time, passes over i'll little
less than eight minutes. Now let us
traverse small portion of space and
step from earth to Mars--from Mars
to Jupiter--trom Jupiter to Saturn
from Saturn to UranuS-trom
: Uranus to Neptune. We are now
, 5000, 100000 miles away. The
world we have reached is only 200
times larger than the earth, but the
| Ia ii al l,,t, 4
his light takes four hours to reach
us. Yet even this is insignificant.
Neptune journeys round the sun in
an orbit of more than $4,000, 900, 900
miles, and yet if there are any in
haOltants upon his surtace-and
, why should there not be !--the heav-
ems present to them the same ap.
pearance us they do to us. There
, in the distance burns the Dog Star,
, there circles the Great Bear; while
, the Southern Cross, Orion, the beau.
| tlful Pleiades and all the other con.
, Stellations, are as familiar to the
Neptunlan astronomers as to U.S.
/ Three thousand millions of miles is
too small distance to effect any
apparent difference III the rclativ,
positions of the other heavenly bod
, les. Let us then glance at them.
The nearest of the fixed stars is
in the constellation CeLtaur; that
is twenty-one million five hundred
and eighty thousand millions OF
, miles away and light takes three
and onc'half years in passing from
= it to us. y star known as 81 in the
, Swan is iifty.livc millions of miles
distant, and it's light reaches us in
Z something more than nine years.
r Sirius, the Dog star, whose brillian
cy is known to all of us is away in
/ space not less than one hundred and
4 thirty billions four hundred anG
thlrty-iive millions OF miles, and his
light comes to us III twenty one ant
$ a half years. Then if we go to tn,
u nearest ncbulG we reach Il distance
of two hundred and sixty thousant
| eight hundred and seventy millions
D of millions Of miles whence light
reaches us only in 1872 years.
Herschel considered that tn,
most powerful Instruments at oul
disposal have enabled the human
eye to pierce into depths Of spac,
;, from which light takes ut least 3,
v 400, 900 years to reach us. But tina
: is not the limit Of creation nor tn,
I, final bound of magnitude. All rea
u son, all evidence initiates agans