Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1872-07-30

bright star Sirius, through his instru-
| mental means were not then sufficient
! to render him quite certain as to tho
| result. Still he was able to announce
with some degree of confidence that
Sirius is reccding at rate exceeding
| twenty miles per second. La rOrdel
| that hc might extend the method fC
other stars, the Royal Society placed
ut his disposal fine tclescopeg fifteen
inches in aperture, and specially adap-
ted together as much light as possible
with that aperture. Suitable spectre
scopic appliances were also provided
for the delicate work DrjIIuggins was
to undertake. It was but last Winter
that the instrument WIS ready foI
work; but already DIR. Huggins has
obtained the
MOST WONDERFUL NEWS FROM TIE
STARS.
with its aid. He finds that many OF
the stars are travelling more swiftly
than had baen supposed. Arcturus,
for example, Is travelling towards US at
the rate of some fifty miles per second,
and, as his thwart-motion is fully as
great (fOr tliis stars distance has been
estimated), the actual velocity with
which he is speeding through space
can not be less than seventy miles per
second. Other stars are moving with
corresponding velocities. But amidst
the motions thus detected, DIR. Hug
gins has traced the signs of law, First
he can trace tendency among the
stars i'll one part OF the heavens to APP
proach the earth, while the stars in
the opposite part of the heavens are re-
ceding from rs; and the stars which
are approaching lie on that side of the
heavens toward which HershelI long
since taught us that the sun is travel
ing. But there are stars not obeying
this simple law, and amongst these
DIR, recognizes instances of that COM
nluaity Of motion to which modern
student of the stars has given the
name of 10
STAR-DRIFT.
1t happens, indeed, that one Of the
most remarkable of the incidents re-
lates to five Well-known stars, which
had been particularly pointed to as
forming drifting set. 1t had been
asserted more than two years ago that
certain five stars of the Plough or
Charles Waiu-the stars known to
astronomers as Beta, Gamma, Delta,
Epsilon, and Zeta of the Great Bear
are drifting bodily through space
The announcement seemed to many
very daring, yet. its author trusting
in the mathematical analysis of the
cvidcnce) expressed unquestiOning
confidence. He asserted, moreover,
that whenever DR.. Higgins applied
the new method OF rCserCh he would
find that those five stars are either all
approaching or all Teceding, and ut
the SINE rate, from the earth. The
result has justified his confidence as
well in his theory asin DIR. higgins
mastery of the new method. Those
Eve stars are found to be all receding
from the earth at the rate of about
thirty miles per second. This result
at once illustrates the interesting ma
ture of DIR. HuSgin's discoveries, and
affords
PROMISE OF FUTURE REVELATIONS
even more interesting. Theories hith-
rrto accept respecting the constitution
of the stellar universe have been tried
against the views recently propoun-
ded. with a result decidedly in favor
of the latter We may feel assured
that the matter will not rest here. y
simple and decisive piece of evidence,
such rs that we have described, Will
invite many 20 examine afresh the
theories respecting the stellar heavens
which have so long been received un-
questioningly. The theory of star
drift is associated with others equally
well of being put to the test. We ven
ture to predict thai before mauy years
have PASSED. there will bc recognized
in the star depths variety of consti-
tuition and a complexity of arrange
ment startling contrasted with the
general uniformity of structure recOg-
nized in the teachings at present ac-
ceptCd