The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-02-08
THE DANGER SIGNAL.
Troublr AmouE the ~Iars---N hat Mns Hap
pen To us Through Trouble With anr own
illumination.

Iliuminator.
Mr.. Richard 4. Proctor writes a. the
London Icho us follows We have
within IA short time had new evidence in
the Lar depths uf danger o. which our
own sun, and We along with a., would
seem 10 br exposed. The news frum the
star depths concern ms more nearly. 1t
tells us If sun, doubtless ia general re-
spccts like our own, which has met with
some great catastrophe. whose cause Nc
cannot al present determine, but whose
real nature lis uumistukublr Our suu ls
one among hundreds of millions, each ot
which Is probably, like II, thc center Of
a scheme uf clrclmg worlds Each sun
ls rushing along through space, with ITS
train uf worlds, tHch bearing. perhaps.
like our earth, it's living freight, on, more
probably, each, at some time or other oi
It's existence, becoming huhitUhlv tut "a
longer ur shorter period Thus the sun
may bc compared 60 engines, each draw
ing along It's well irrlghtrd tnlin. Acct
dents among these celestial engines seem
fortunately - bv rare. 4 few among tie
suns appear suddenly that is in the
course Of few hundred years, which m
celestial chruuumrjrN amounts o. mere
iustautl 20 have lost a large part Of their
energy, as though the supply Of fuel had
somehow ruu short Ml-Lups of tins
kind hayc NOT attracted much attention,
though mauItgstly 10 would bv serious
matter il our own san were suddenly 10
lose thrtc-fuurths ut las heat. as has
happened with the middle star 81 the
Pluw, ur ulucty-uluy huudrrdtLs, as hAs
happened with the once blazing, but now
scarcely visible, orb called Eta, Iu the
keel Of the star sAip Argo But when
We hear ul un accident uf the contrary
kinda sun Huldenly blazing uut with
more than hundred times lts usual
spleudur, a celestial engine wAH>c vurT-
glts have been uy,rWuugAt, so that q
sudden explosion Aa- taken place. and
the fires meant a. W.TE steadily Tor the
train. have bla.td fugth O. lis destruction
we are impressed with tAr thought that
tlls NAV possibly one day happen with
our own san. The circumstance are
very curious. and though they ito uut
show clearly whether We are uI are not
exposed o. tLc same kind ot danger
which had NtrtaAru thy worlds Circing
around those remote suns, they arr ~uill-
cIyGily suggestive.
Vow. point ta which / would call cs.
uucld attention is. that all the elements
oi thc catastrophe, If one may ro speak,
which haas hciallel tlc remote san Iu lhe
Swan ,sAl-: Iu uur own sun. At times ui
marked disturbance parts ui uur slIu D
surface show the iurs u hydrogen
bright instead Il dark. aA.rA means that
,hr flames II hylugcu over thusr parts
uf tle uu arr hotter than tAr glowing
surface ui lhr sun ih"r, We have All
heard. aea,u. h1s Iaellui aui Sccchl. in
Italy, attributed rum, exceptionally hu;
weather wr had ivp wears ago L. uut,
huuts at glowing magnesium. And,
ll-tly. uur san ia certainly well supplied
with tha, element. whatever it i-. Sa.cl
gives the bright line uf his corona dur,
ing rcl.pres. Tor We uuw know that o.,
vhul, - tA, stryakri aui raiiatci ca0p
uA occupying rrglun twenty time.
greater than tire globe 90! the san which
itself exceeds our earth l.2IN. .un uMv'
lu yuluMel belongs ,u thv sum- AGAIN,
though tAy suu hls ehuue steadily ful
thousands "a years Vet. au FAR 80 can 10,
,uirtl. tAc s,aus which. like th.s one .r
the Swan. have burst uut sglal,uly
hlu~tamiug lutl m,. ui hydrogen
within wh.rh tie stSr., heart csIy glow
with many hundred times iir former heat
have al-1 h,ru for ages shining steadily
amid the stay depths w know thai
the one which blAzul uut ten wears aE,
IN the Northern Crown was one ui Ar
rclaudcr's list. star ot the tenth magul
tuir, and that. after glowing with eight
huudrcl times It's former brightness !ui
o few days. DO has rrsumcl 10. iocbltl
lusiar We have every reason whicl
analogy can furnish inr believing that th,
new star. which WAS NOT Iu Argclauderl
hJ. simply escaped rrs1ri by him ua ac
count If iis faiutu,~s /, is now !ae
losing lts suddenly arguirrd lUrter, aU,
ii already invisible o. tat naked eve. i
appears. therefore, that there ls nothing
iu the long continued stcalfastncsss q out
sun as o source ~ light 10 assure ~
that hg. tro. mav not suddenly blAz'
forth with many hundred times has usua
lustrv the cuuhagratiuu being originated
pgrchaucr, hy some comet uuioriuuatgl, ],
travelling tnu directly toward Hmm
Though b. wouid probably cool down {,
itH li'+' A' ''+'N't'-'' ''H-'t" t'' '-', N'''4
of few weeks. uu terrestrial observer
would be alive. ai any rate, 90 note th,
fact. though the whole series Of event
might nflori subject Of interesting spoc
ulutiun tu the inhabitants of worlds CIR
cling round Sirius or ArCturus For
unntely, we may lcgiumately rcasol
that the risk is small. seeing that amunl
the millions 81 suns which surround ours
within easy telescope distance, sucl
catastruphcs occur only ten or twcly,
times per ccutHrv.