Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-02-26
The Wonders of Astronomy as Illus
trated in the Star Depths.

on astronomy, which have been published
| in the New York papers. The fifth lee
ture of the series was on "Ihe Wonders
of the Star Depths" which is said to be
superior in scientific interest and enter
tainment to any of the others. We are
indebted to the Herald for the following
interesting analysis of this lecture:
The lecturer first considered the ques-
ton of the seeming calm Of the star
depths CON pared 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
earth's rotation due to the influence of the
tidal wave; but so slight is the effect of
this disturbing cause that 1000 years
must elapse before loss equal to three
minutes of terrestrial time will re-
suit. Millions of years must, there
fore, elapse before any perceptible
change takes place from this
cause. The stellar sphere is carried
through space from east to west. Other
motions are perceptible, but they are only
apparent. They are due to the earth's gy-
rating like a 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 tunult through space, and though
| the heavens seem at rest they are
| the scene of most stupendous activity.
Among the multitude of stars visible, the
| distance of some nine or ten only is APP
| prOximately known, and indeed the dis
| lance of one only can be said to be salts
! factOrily determined, although the prob
| lem is of the deepest interest. The change
of one star in the Centaur has been no.
ticed, and in order to show the delicacy
Of the observation and its difficulty the
| lecturer remarked that this star was re-
moved from our earth 100000 times fur
ther than the sun. In order to indicate
| the change of position, it would be neces-
sary 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 to mark its change of
position would be less. Nor is there any
way of measuring the discs of the stars,
as the best telescopes fail to show them
except as points of light in space. Their
distance is measured by light. The star
in the Centaur is 210, 900 times further off
| than the sun; it shines three times as
brightly, and is five times the suns vol
ume But there is another star in the
space known as the king of stars. 1t is
four times as bright as the star in Cen
taur and five times as far away.
| These facts would seem to point to the
| existence of higher order of stars than
our planets. 1t was conjectured that
| these bodies might have size and light,
| but not mass, and were therefore unable
to exercise control in the systems or in
| f1uence other bodies. But spectroscopic
analyses allow us to ascertain in a most
precise mannerthat the stars are, like our
sun, glowing masses Of matter shining
| through surrounding envelopes of vapors
| The value of the spectroscopio ANALYSIS
| is due to its extreme delicacy, 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 to the audience
| spectrums of the sun and of the variable
stars, and the sun spots on the stars were
exhibited, so as to make clear the mode
in which the presence of certain matters
was made evident on the different heaven
| ly bodies. There were the lines on the
spectrum indicating the presence of
metals common to the earth. These ex-
periments were as certain as if the oh
server carried into his laboratory piece
of the star and subjected it to chemical
examination. The spotted stars were
variable and resembled our sun. The
specroscope proved the existence in them
of metals and other matter in certain
form. The question whether color is in
herent in colored stars or due to the cut
| ting off of some color by the action of
| an atmosphere or envelope is full Of in
| terest. Great difference is shown in the
spectrums of these stars-blue prevailing
| in some, orange, red and yellow in others
| 1t is now generally accepted that color is
| not inherent in these bodies, but is due to
the action of their envelopes on the light
passing through.
A beautiful diagram of a stellar group,
supposed to bea cluster ofsuns, was exhib-
| tied by MI. Proctor, presenting to the minds
| eye the vision of a world without night,
where noontide splendor would exist I'M
ceasingly, and the skies know no night.
| Ifthese worlds were inhabited the dwell
ers would be shut off 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 consideration
of the nebul8, the lecturer produced a
very fine diagram Of the nebul8 in Orion,
which showed clear evidence of the
| dynamical process. The mass of nebula
| floating with a clearly marked spiral
motion showed that it was not matter
| travelling in space, but nebul8 passing
| through matter less dense. In order to
| demonstrate the enormous extent of the
nebula the lecturer reminded the audience
of the immense diameter of even a single
star of the thousands enveloped by the
| clOudlike nebul2 which spread over
! space. Reviewing rapidly the theories
about the milky way and the efforts OF
men like Herschel to lay bare the archi-
! lecture of the heavens, and illustrating by
diagrams the curious theories built up by
astronomers, the lecturer proceeded to
show in what these theories were defect
i've and opposed 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 and direction of
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 system, and showed the
system to be infinitely more wonderful
than it had been imagined. In support of
this statement the lecturer exhibited dia-
grams of the star system, as imagined by
| astronomers, and map OF the heavens
showing the actual distribution. A sky
map containing 324,000 stars was exhibit
ed which conTasted strangely with the
theoretical systems Of Herschel and other
astronomers 1t is estimated that by
using powerful telescopes 20,O0O,O0O OF
stars can be discovered and mapped down.
This will give some idea of the lnhnlty OF