Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-24
Wonders of the star Depths. :,

EN PEOfs PROCTOR.
Last night Prof. Proctor delivered the fifth of
his series OF lectures on astronomy at Associa-
ton nall, the particular subject chosen being
wonders OF the Star Depths" There was
crowded audience. The hall was darkened, as
II was necessary TO give effect to the lectule BY
the exhibition of a number of telescope views
Of the stel lar system. Prof: Proctor remarked
that in looking at the sky on a clear, calm
night, when all the stars shone in the immeas-
ursbie heavens. one was impressed with the
thought that solemn calm reigned in those in
mite depths But how different was the real
ity! Where there seemed to be rest there was
al activity, compared with which all the forms
OF me and energy on our earth were utterly in
significant. Every one OF those stars that
seemed still was travelling through space many
miles in every second OF time. He reminded
them, In his first lecture, of the activity that
prevailed In the SUM tumut and energy
compared with which all the forms Of
upfoar known to us were but as silence.
very one OF the stars was sun of smaller
uproar, and, therefore, they would see how
dlnerent was the reality from that which the
mind presented itself to- In looking at the
heavens we looked not at a scene of perfect
tranquility, but ore of stupendous activity. We
only knew the distance OF about nine or ten
stars; indeed, he might say that there was only
one star whose distance might be regarded as
determined. The problem of the astronomer
N determining the distance OF the stars was
one OF stuPendous difficulty. Alpha Centsuri,
the star whose distance had been determined,
WAS 2l0,0OO times further away than the sun.
we had no means of measuring the disc OF stars
In measuring the light of the star he had
hameo,l IL had been found TO shine with the
seventeen thousandth millionth part of the suns
brightness. 1t shone three times as bright as
me sun would shine if il were placed beside It.
Inc diameter was one and a half times and the
Volume nve times more than the suns always
always supposibg that a square mile OF its
surface gave out as much light as a square
Inlle OF the suns surface. There was
another star, of which he might sneak
as the prince of stars-the glorious Sirius
VI all the objects whose dimensions had been
lhulcated to us, that star was the king. II shone
ne nc hr fnh Iv q
tauri, and was five times as tar away, so that
having regard to their relative distance, its ac-
tual brightness was hundred times more. Ii
gave out three hundred times more light than
the sun, and its volume exceeds that OF the sun
two thousand umes Spectroscopic ANALYSIS had
enabled us to say that the stars were suns like
our own. The lecturer then exhibited SEC
chi's Types of the Fixed Stars" and remarked
that Father Secchi's labors were only the be-
ginning OF the work subsequently carried on by
Dr. Hugg'ns, of England, and Miller who as
sisted him. They were not satisfied with AS
Ger taining the stars spectra, but COMPARED
the lines OF particular chemical elements and
million times further from us than the sun. OF
that fact the astronomer was as sure as il he
mad the evidence of it in his own laboratory
ne now passed TO spectroscopic analysis of the
cause OF double coored stars. Among the stars
in the heavens some, when examined by tele-
scopes, were shown to be double and the aues-
ton which suggested itself was, Was the color
inherent in the stars light, or was it produced
by the cutting off of portion of the starli ght
by the vaporous envelope? 1t was a matter of
great interest to determine in what way colored
stars had various colOrs given TO them This
had been done, and il was proved that they
owed their color to the clouds OF the enyelopes
that surrounded them. Nebula, or star cloud
lets, next came 70 be considered, and after re-
ferring to the Great Orion nebula, the picture
of which was obtained by Sir John HerscheI.
with his great telescope, at the Cape of Good
rope, tne lecturer took occasion. incidentally,
to refer to the project of Mr.. Clarke, the cele-
brated optcian, to construct a telescope five
rect IN aperture, ard to meet the cost of which
"a million dollars are wanted. He was ONLY ex-
pressing the opinion of English astronomers
when he asserted that MIR. Clarke was the great
est living telescope makers, and he hoped that
that gentleman would live TO carry out his idea
lie then proceeded TO say that ii time and op-
portunity were given to him he would chart the
heavens. He would first survey the whole
heavens with one telescope, counting the num-
suits down, and indicating where the stars were
shown by that telescope to be either richly or
poorly distributed. He would then do the same
with smaller telescope and see whether the
rich or poor regions shown by one telescOpe cor
responded with those shown by another There
was want of labOrers in the wore of the sur
vey of the heavens, but he trusted that that
want would soon be supplied. We could not
reach to the bounds of the star system in any
direction; we should ever find fresh fields of
stars brought to view no matter how Jar we
penetrated we should find that the star system
was in reality illimtable. We could speak of
these things, but it was not given to man to con-
ceive them. The astronomer might spread out
the figures that indicated these wonders. but he
could not conceive them, nor could be make
others conceive them.-N. Y. Times, 2lsg