Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-05-08
The Great Star D,stahces.

The method of finding the distance OF the
stars stellar parallax, Is one Of the interest
DAYS OF old the stars were supposed to hold the
same position In regard to each other from ace
to age, and were therefore called fixed stars 10
distinguish them from planets. Nothing can
that the stars are In constant motion, but that
the rate OF motion Is so slow that thousands of
years must elapse before The eye can perceive
the change. Some stars are coming toward us.
and some are receding from us. The SUM- which
Is only star, Is moving with all the planets in
his train. Our earth, which is but an atom
among atoms, Is whirling no one knows width.
er. through tlliInftable space. Even the serene
heaven above us Is this same space pervaded by
an Infinitely subtle ether, whose particles are
seeming ana surg1ng like the waves Of the
stormy sea- The motion of the stars once es-
taoi1Shed, Ii must follow that some OF them are
nearer TO US than others. and very persistent
ana palnStakfng have been the efforts to find
OUT which or the shining suns OF space are our
nearest neighbCTS.
Success has, however, crowned patient labor
Among the fifty million stars that gltmmer In
the armament, there are about a dozen stars
visible in our latitude that have parallax rang
Ing from tenth to half second. 1t would be
natural 10 suppose that the brightest stars are
the nearest. but this is far from being the case.
Inc nearest star in the northern heavens is O.
double star OF the fifth magnitude in the Swan
Known as 81 Cygn1 The brilliant Sirius is near
~ twice as far away. The nearest star In the
whole heavens is Alpha Centauri, bright star
lear the south pole. This han a paraIlax of
Glht-ttHtnS Oh a second, and Is twice as near as
any other star. Its distance is computed as
more than two hundred thousand times our
Instance from the sun. or twenty millions of
millions OF miles Ii such be the incOncetvable
distance separating US from the nearest star
What 1dea can the finite mind form of the i'm
menslty OF space intervening between us and
the more remote?
Vigorous work Is now being done In stellar
parallax by what is called BesSel's method. A
star with proper motion. or one that has been
found to approach or recede from the sum- is Sc
lected, and its position Is compared night after
night Dy means OF the micrometer with other
small stars In the vicinity having no proper mo-
ton, and therefore presumed to be farther away
the star with proper motion will change its Do
sition In regard to the more remote ones when
observed from different parts of the earth's or
bit Some interesting and intricate work of
this Kind has been successfully completed at
Mr. Seagraye'S private observatory by Mr.
Waldo and Mr.. Seagrave. The problem was
70 determine the parallaX OF a star called
Theta CaSSiopeie. This, by measuring its
position and distance from two small stars In
the v1c1nity,was found to be less than one-tenth
or second. These enthusiastic astronomers
Wol ked upon the problem from the first OF Sep
TENDER, 1878, to the first Of November. 1879
During that time they made measurements of
each star On one hundred and twenty nights.
A trained eye, Keen perception and mathemati-
Cal precision. as we'll as patience and persist
ence, were involved In the solution of this deli
cate and intricate problem. These are the
means by which astronomy has won its most
brilliant triumphS, and those who would become
practical astronomers must give their nights to
observation and their days to Study-PrOri-
deflCe r. ~ JO}II7tOl,