Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1869-11-06
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There seems 10 exist iu-1he minds, ofrhshx.
avague and md unsatisfactory idca of the
meaning Of the word Universe True, II Is
deipedSin the adiniionatr as-"Thss collectiye
name of heaven and eariA nri all that par
tafns 10 them :" hut how few realize its fun
ruesning. Many apply IL only to the earth
snd nsahr rbrelmarine that u emhratcs only
fhe sun and the system. of planets revolving
rrouud II. dlAA " n hOAlAA
The universe, properly speaking. consists
not only of the pianets. hut or MI hho hxed
stars unconnccted with other ncbula, whether
Z seen win the,unasiaed eyespr Wing scrRucl1
distance from us that they arc visible only
With thssteieqrupe. The stars which sparkle
80 brightly in the heavens on n clear moonlcss
evening are vety ffws when eomTnred with ,llr
numbers which lie beyond Every Increase
Of magniyine power IN the telescope, as II
penetrates deeper into space, reveals new stars
hiibnute unneiiced. which seem 10 tell of 9TH.
ers lying yet beyond. But how long will the
telescope continue 10 reveal these bidder
mysteries : . there no limit TO the univcrso,
no.Bouudary where we can stop. nnd say there
Smoothing more These questions have 'bccn
answered. Tnrning the Telescope TO the milky
wsy, we find It composed of countless myriads
OF suns, whose combined HIGHT gives 10 this
portion NJ the heavens the appearance OF n
bright cloud or band. forming a complete cir
Gle among the stars this conlensotion in the
direction Of the milky way, while on both
sides yheir numbers are comparatively so
small
sszg Borrowing an illustration from NATURE let
MS suppose ourselves standing in the midst of
den-e forest The trees near us would hr
scehslistinctTyfn fn every part while thase aslit-
tie farther back would bc partially hidden, and
the forms of the separate trees would grow
more and more indisiinct ms the distance ir-
creased, unth tire background would be one.
confused mass Of Branches and foliage. Now,
If the forest were long and narrow, the trees
at our sides would seem to be moro scattered,
showing nothing Of the confusion seen IN the
longest direction. This we apply to the hcav.
ems If our sun were one of the suns in the
great Galactic Circle, the stars nearest us
would be very distinct and clearly separated,
but as the distance increased they would be
more scattered. This IL exactly what VIC sec
in the heavens, and from this We conclude
that the universe is longest in the direction of
the Milky Way, and that the position OF our
sun Is little south of the centre
But the question Immediately arises What
Is the extent of this great cluster of stnrs It's
length and bredth, height and depih Is bcyoiid
ilbe power OF figures 10 express, IL measured
in miles; but the swift winged messenger,
light, travelling with velocity equal TO twelve
millions Of miles in minute, furnishes us
with standard by which to estimate these
immense distances Measuring with this
standard, we find that the light from our own
sun reaches us in eight minutes, while from
the outer planet in our solar system Il re-
quires four and one-half hours Leaving
These, our nearest uefghbors, we end thar tile
distance of the nearest fixed star Is such tbaf
light is three years in coming to us, fourteen
years In coming from Sirius, ono oftIie bright
est stars IN the heavens, fifty years In coming
from the North Star, while from Alcyonc The |
brightest star in the Pleiades, aud HE ono |
around which our own sun revolyes light
travels FIVE hundred years before reaching us,
and from the outer edge Of the universe II only
reaches us after ten thousand.
Do we ask now, what Is our universe? The |
answer Is. IN immense cluster Of stars, filling |
space such that light requires thousands of
years 10 cross it. In this cluster are suns and |
systems each moving in nm orbit Of It's own,
so nicely balanced and in such perfect har-
.nony that TO blot ont one would be to destroy
the whole Can we sufficiently admire the
Wisdom which created these frames and with
4 Al.
notlons or can we,wonder that.ilIe Psalmist,
in contemplating these mysteries. was ledto
exclaim: what Is man, that Thou art mind |
fliliof hinla'' ID ..., ava l......r, ...
But as we arc standing Oh the confines Of
our own universe, let us pause for moment
and look around us. We find ourselves sur
rounded by perfect blackncss. No ray of
Fght seems to penetrate this great sea Of outer
darkness. But call TO our assistance the tcle.
scope, and yonder, in the distance, we see a
light object with confused outline Increase
tho power Of tile instrument, and ltbceohles d !
mass of glttering stars another universe, ly-
Ing so far from us, that its light has only
reached us after travelling forty thousand years,
Turn now the telescope In other directions,
and we find ourselves surrounded by upiVerses
larger than our own, lying Mt different dis
tances, some Of them so remote that The light
only reaches us afier' travelling two millions Of
years, and which the highest powers of the in
strumcnt fail to resolve into stars. 81 4
DO we ask again what is our universe? The
answer is mere spcck among the thousands
which surround II, little island in the gscat
ocean of space.
20, Lord, how manifest are thy works. in
wisdom hath thou made them ALL"
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