Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-12-17
Facts About the Sun.

From a notice in the New York Ttib-
me of Prof. G. A. Young's new work
on "The Sun and the Phenomena of
it's Atmosphere" we extract the follow
ing:
In stating the distance of the sun as
ninety-two millions of miles, no real
notion is conveyed. The number
might just as we'll have been declared
to be ninety-two billions. The concep-
ton is too vast to be grasped by the
human intellect. An illustration may
help to comprehend the fact. If
railway had been established between
the earth and the sun, on which the
Pilgrim fathers had started at the time
when they left England, and travelled
at the rate OF forty miles an hour. they
would not have arrived until 1888, a
period of three hundred and sixty-three
years upon the road. A cannon ball !,
moving with its greatest speed, could
not make the Journey to the sun in nine
years. If sounds could travel through
the celestial spaces at the same rate as
in our atmosphere, the report of solar
thunderstorm might reach us in a little
more than fourteen years. Yet across
thlo OuC buu CACISlbCo
his influence and performs his service.
Every pulsation OF the solar surface is
instantly responded to upon the earth.
/ Having determined the distance of
the sun, we find the magnitude by q
simple process. The diameter proves
to be eight hundred and sixty thousand
miles, and about one hundred and nine
times as great as that of the earth. If
we represent the earth by ball two
inches in diameter, the sun, on the
same scale, would be little more than
eight feet through. In bulk, it would
take more than million and quarter
earths to make globe of equal size.
If the earth were placed at the center
of the sun the moon would be so far
within his surface that there would be
room within it for another moon almost
as far again from the earth.
The mass of the sun, in weight, is
about 325, coo times as much as the
earth. But as it is l ,250,0 900 times as
bulky, 1t follows that, bulk for bulk, il
is as much lighter than the earth; thai
is to say, its density is only about one
quarter that Of the earth, and about
one and half times that of the water
Hence the solar gravity, or the force
which attracts bodies to the surface oil
the sun is nearly twenty-eight times as
great as terrestrial gravity. A weight
let fall on the earth drops about sixteen
feet in the first second; on the sun il
would fall four hundred and fifty feet.
The ponderous swing of the pendulum
of an astronomical clock would at the
sun become culver more rapid than
the vibration of the most delicate watch
balance. A lady whose 1.-the form
would here weigh hardly one hundred
pounds, if carried to the sun would
become as unwieldy as an elephant, OF
rather would be crushed by her owl
weight. Her airy head alone woulG
weigh as much as stout man, nearly
two hundred and fifty pounds. 1t ha'
been supposed that the singular light
ness OF the solar substance and the
great power of solar gravity may b.
reconciled by considering the sun as &
mere cloud of gaseous matter. This il
the view of Secchi and of the French
astronomer Faye. But the theory needs
confirmation. 1t is rejected by many
eminent astronomers. At present, III
deed, it must be admitted that we have
no more precise knowledge of the con
dition of the central mass Of the sur
than We have of that of the earth.