The Hillsborough recorder., 1878-05-29
FACTS ABOUT THE STARS.

FACTS ABOUT THE STARS.
IL the dignity Of u science is 10 he mea-
sured by the iusbility of the human mind
to comprehend its teachings. Astronomy
Is certainly the noblest of all. We very
much doubt if any man really has II clear
idea Of all that H. implied when the dis
tauces of the planets from the sun are
started; and II il hardly less difficult to
understand all that has been discovered i'm
relation to the sun itself How much can
we comprehend about place where the
diameter Of the earth would be con-
veiiient measure with which 10 ascertain
the height o! flames Have We any just
conception of the Intensity Of heat sliili-
cientto vaporiD iron =? II IL, however,
when we in imagination, leave the Solar
System, and stat Qua journey t0the stars,
that we begin To understand how insigni>
ticant our earth really Is. II might serve
10 measure the dianleiers Of the stars, but
for the distance Of the very nearest star
known to us, Alpha Centaurt, we must
take another nie;.sure-i i. e; the distance h
the earth from the sun. Alpha CentauIi
il more than 2O0. 900 times the distance,
aud &C ls,e reader wishes TO test his powers
of comprehension let him attempt 10
grusp the imlmlt of this statement He
may be aided by comparing itwith things
familiar 80 us. Fifty miles an huur is
very fast time for an express train; but at
this speed the journey TO that star would
take over forty millions Of years The ve'
locity of light is over 10000 miles
second; aud it requires over three years
for the light oftlIe nearest star to reach H..
The brightest star visible 10 us is Sirius.
which is ut five times as great distance
from us ~ Alpha Ceiitauri. II las been
calculated that this star gives out SDOtimcs
as much light as the sun. N"w, we have
no means VI knowing the size ofSiriIIs;
but il lie light nf that star is equal in in
tenrily 10 that Of The sun, its diameter
must he nearly Is tinrs, and lis mass over
2,..U0 times as great. Ii IL pussihle that
| its light il more intense than this, but
even if twice as bright rs the sun, il must
he II :ines as great Ia diameter. Even
this diameter, over ten millions Of miles,
Is beyond anything ofwhich We have an
actual idea An express train, at 90 miles
AN hour, would require nlOre than seventy
years to complete the circuit OF such u
sphere f~"-
The next star 10 Sirius in brightness, rs
seen from the earth, is CanUpns u star
| which cannot i've seen furthur North
than the mos. suutlerly PORTIONS Of tie
United Staies: This star is between ONE
half and three quarters ~ bright as Sirius
as |; shows no displacement frum the an-
nual motion Of tile earth, We are forced TO
the conclusion that II must be larger than
Sirius-perhaps many times slarge. The
distances Of only abuut ten stars have ever
been estimated, andof the others visible.
We can not even guess at their distances
OF sizes. All We can safely say il that
they must Le bodies Ofenormvus size In
comparison with tile planets. Doubtless
many Of them aIe far larger than the suii.
Even the stars. seen only through the
most powerful teIsscopes, must b. large as
compared with the earth. They may APP
pear faint from being really small, but II
would seem more reasonable to suppose
tina. they are, ~ rule, coniparabIeto 10 ouT
sun, aud that they are faint merely from
the effect uf distance. .-Ex' a~