The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-21
sTAR-DEPTH WONDERS.


/ affOrd him uii scope for n display of capeiui re-
! search into the mysteries OF the heavens 1t would
be difficult to select theme better fitted to rivet
the attention Of an intelligent audience than the
question OF the nhnty OF space In which the
| systems OF WORLDS whose faint CLEANS come to us
| from the illimitable dIstance-words 80 remote
that human intelligence fails TO grasp even faint
idea OF their remoteness. The astronomers tell us
how many millions OF miles these bodies are
| moved from our glooe, but the intellect tails to
comprehend the fun meaning OF these calculations.
But the vastness and infnity OF the heavenly sys-
TEN must ever give it an absorbing interest in the
minds OF thinking men, and the observations OF the
laws that guide the motion OF the star systems
must ever exercise most elevating influence on
the human mind by mpressing on 1t the grandeur
and infinite power Of the Creator
The lecturer first considered the question of the
seeming calm OF the star depths compared with
the real vastness OF the movements taking place
In them. He opened by recalling to the minds OF
the audience the gradual change OF the earths ro-
tatton due to the influence OF the tidal wave;
but so Slight is the effect OF this disturb
ing cause that 1000 years must elapse before a
loss equal to three minutes of terrestrial
time Will result. Millions of years must, therefore,
elapse before any perceptible change takes place
from this cause. The stellar sphere Is carried
through space from east TO west. Other motions
are perceptble, but they are only apparent. They
are due to the earth's gyratlng like gigantic top,
which causes an apparent motion in the heavens.
The quietude of the stars Is only apparent;
for, though they are relatively fixed, they rush
in tumult through space, and though the heavens
seem at rest they the scene Of most stupen-
dous activity. Among the multitude OF stars visi-
bic the distance OF some nine or ten only Is APP
proximately known, and indeed the distance of
one only can be said to be satisfactorily deter
oil fba 10 nf fhp in.
terest. The change OF one star in the
Centaur mas been noticed and in order
| to show the telicacy of the observa-
| ton and its Difficulty the lecturer remarked
that this star was removed from earth 100000
times farther than the sun. In order to indicate
| the change Of position it would be necessary to
| imagine the minute hand of watch marking the
| twO-hundredth part OF a second and the deviation
of the line drawn to the star mark Its change Of
| position would be less. Nor IL there any
way Of measuring the discs OF the stars,
the best telescopes fail to show them except as
points OF light in space. Their distance is meas
ured by light. The star in the Centaur is 100000
| times farther oil than the sun; it shines three
| times brightly and is five times the SUMS vol
| ume. But there is another star in the space
| known the king OF stars 1t is four times as
bright the star in Centaur and five times as far
away.
| fneSe IaCtS would seem TO point 10 the exist.
| ence of higher order of stars than our planets.
! 1t was cOnjectured that these bodies might have
size and light, but not mass, and therefore
able to exercise control in the systems or influence
| other bodies. But spectroscOpc analyses allow us
( to ascertain in most precise manner that these
stars are like our. sun, glowing masses OF
| matter shining through surrounding envelopes
OF vapors. The value OF the spectroscopic analysis
is due to its extreme de!icacy. and the strictly
scientific and unvarying results which it gives in
| recording the presence Of certain elements in the
| planets. In order to make this clear 10 the
! audience spectrums of The sun and OF the
variable stars. and the sun spots the stars
| were exhibited, as to make clear
the mode in which the presence Of
certain matters was made evident Oh the differ
ent heavenly bodies. There were the lines on the
spectrum indicating the presence OF metals COM
mon to the earth. These experiments were as
certain as IL the observer carried into his labora
tory piece Of the star and subjected it to cheni-
| cal examination The spotted stars were variable
and resembled our sum- The spectroscope proved
the existence in them ofmetals and other matter in
certain FORM The question whether color is In
herent in the colored stars due to the cutting or
Of some color by the action OF an atmosphere or
envelope is full OF interest Great difTereacc is
| shown in the spectrunls OF these stars-bluc pre-.
vailing in some, orange, red and yellow in others.
1t is now generally accepted that color Is not in
herent in these bodies, but is due the action Of
their envelopes on the light passing through.
| beautiful diagram OF a stellar group supposed
to be cluster Of suns, was exhibited by Mr. Proc
tor, presenting to the minds eye The vision of
world without night where nOOntide splendor
would exist increasingly and the skies know no
night. If these worlds were inhabited the dwell
! ers would be shut of from all knowledge Of the
| existence of other worlds They would never
behold the splendor OF the starry heavens
which surround them on every side, and would
have no idea of space. Passing on to the consider
alton OF the nebulG, the lecturer produced very
fine diagram Of the nebula in Orion, which showed
clear evidence OF the dynamlcal process. The mass
| OF nebue, foating with q clearly marked spiral
notion showed that 1t was not matter travelling
In space put nebule passing through matter
less dense. In order to demonstrate the enormous
extent of the nebuB the lecturer reminded the
audience OF the immense diameter Of even a single
| star OF the thousands envel0ped by the cloudke
| nebulG which spread over space. Reviewing
rapidly the theories about the Milky Way and the
efforts of men like Herschel to lay bare
the architecture of the heavens, ana Illus
trating by diagrams the curious theories built
up by astronomers, the lecturer proceeded to show
|, In what these theories were defective ana OPP
| posed to the discoveries made in late years. The
attraction OF the stars toward some unknown
point in space was explained and illustrated by
! diagram showing the motion ana direction of u
group OF stars and marking the progress they
! would make in $4,000 years to the point to which
| they are tending.
| Observations with powerful modern telescopes
| have exploded the old theories about the star sys
| TEN, and showed the system to be infinitely more
wonderful than 1T had been imagined. In support
OF tins statement the lecturer exhibited diagrams
| OF the star system, as imagined by astronomers,
| and map Of the heavens showing the
actual distribution sky map containing
| $4,000 stars was exhibited, which contrasted
strangely with the theoretical systems OF Herschei
/ mi ofh 1 IN linn ri brr