Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-07-30
The Star Of Distances

The method of finding the distances
of the stars, or stellar parallax, ia ono
OF the interesting problems of modern
astronomy. In the days Of old tho
stars we're supposed to hold the same
position in regard to each other from
age to age, aud were therefore called
fixed stars. to distinguish them from
planets. Nothing eau be farther from
the truth. The telescope shows 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 sun, which
Is only star, il moving with all the
planets in his train. Our earth, which
IL but an atom among atoms, is whirl-
ing no one knows whittier, through
illimitable space. Even the serene
heaven above us is the same space per.
vaded by AN infinitely subtle ether.
whose PARTICLES are seething and surg.
ing like The waves of the stormy sea,
The motion of stars, once establls shed,
1t must follow that some of them are
nearer to us than others, and very per-
sistent aud palnstaklng have been the
efforts to tind out which of the shining
suns OF space are our nearest neigh
bOrs.
Success has, however, crowned d.
tient labor. Among the fifty million
stars that glimmer in the tirmanent.
there are about dozen stars visible in
our latitude that have u parallax rang.
lug from tenth to half o secuud It
would be natural to suppose that the
bright stalls are the nearest, but this is
far from being the case. The nearest
star in the northern heavens IL double
star Of the fifth magnitude in the
Swan known W. 81 Cygni. Tue bril-
liant Sirius Is nearly Twice as far away.
The nearest star III the whole heavens
is Alpha CeAtaurI, u bright star near
the south pole. This has u parAliax Of
nlne-tenths OF u secO nd. and is twice as
lear AS any other star. Its distance is
computed as more than two huudred
thousand times our distance from the
sun, or twenty millions OF miles. Ii
such be the lnconceivable distance
separating us from the nearest star,
what lueA can the Unite mind form of
the luminosity OF space intervening be-
tween us and the more remote.
Vigorous work ID now being done in
stellar parallax by what Is called
Bessels method. "A star with proper
motion, Or one that has been fouad to
approach or recede from the sun IS ST.
iocted, and Its position is compared
night alter night by means vi the
mlcrometer. with other small Stare in
the vicinity having no proper motion,
aud therefore presumed to DO farther
away. The star with proper motion
VIII change its position in regard To the
more remote one winch it observed from
different parts OF the earths orbit.
Some interesting and intricate work Of
this Kind has been successfully COM
pleted ut Mr.. SeaSrave's private obser.
vatury by Mr.. Waldo and MIR. Seagrave.
The problem was to determine the
paraliax uf star called Theta Cas-.
siop.@. This, by measuring Its po-
sitlUn and distance from the two small
stars in the Vicinity, WAS found to be
one. tenth Of second. These enthusi.
astlo astronomers worked upon the
problem from the first of Septoinb er,
1878, to the first Of November. 1879.
During that time they made measure.
.uents Of each star on one hundred and
twenty nights. A trained eye, Keen
perception aud mathematical precision,
as we'll as patience and persistence,
we're involved III the solution OF this
delicate and intricate problem. These
are the means by which astronomy has
won its most brilliant triumpus, and
those who would become practical as
tronomers must give their nights to
observation aud their days to study
Providence (R. I.) Journal.