The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-05-12
THE Sun AND HIS BROTHER SUNS.
Tho Distance from tho Earth to the Sun
and tho Fixed st-.rs.

Tho Distance from tho Earth to the Sun
and tho FaHed st-4rs.
When we look at the skies on n calm,
clear night, when all the myriads ofstars
are shining, the least thoughtful mind is
impressed with the idea that -nlcmn
calm reigns there. One is incin :. to
believe that all these suns arc in state
of perfec. rest. The astronomer, how
ever. sees that they move. They have
several different movements. These,
however, are only apparent. The turn
| ing of the earth upon Ip axis and its
movement around the sun cause these
movements to appear Tie astronomer
recognizes the stars as In one sense still
or fixed. But the star depths arc full Of
noise and tumult. Go into some manu-
factory where mass Of machinery il in
motion, where there is g scene of great
energy and noise. 1t is absolutely moth
ing compared with what is going on in
the depths Of space.
We arc able TO undcrstand this when
| we know that the strrs are 80 far away
The nearest of all the stars lies at such
distance that our own sun, set beside it,,
would seem to be on ordinary star Of the
second magnitude. The star which is
considered the nearest TO us is Alpha
Centanri. think am justified in say
ing that it is the only one whose distance
from the earth is absolutely known. Foj
instance, No. Gl of the constellation OF
the Swan, is said to be the second IL dis
tance from us. Its distance is said by
some to be three times as great rs tina. OF
tho nearest star, which lies twenty
| millions Of miles from us. AN
American astronomer, Peters, makes it
| only twice as far. Hence between tho
two calculations there il an error Of ut
least ten millions Of miles.
The trouble IL that tho astronomers can
not get space enough to work upon No
base line can be obtained Of sufficient
length for the calculation by triangula.
ton Of such enormous distances. But We
know that these stars lilo 30 far away that
the sun would be IL small star beside ono
of them. The sun is not n star of the
first magnitude, but we shall tako him AS
q specimen star. AS, in the last lecture.
the earth told us the history of n planet,
SO the sun can tell us what will be the
history Of the star. Sirius is larger than
the sun. He lies ut least four times as
far away from the earth as the nearest
star, Alpha Centauri. That star removed
to the same distance from us would shino
with only Onesixteenth Of his light
But rs he is four times as large he shinee
| with sigty.four times the light of that
star. He also gives two hundred times
as much light as tho sun. If from n
square mile of Sirius VIC get the same
amount of light rs wo do from square
mile Of the sun, then he mus; be
two hundred times as large as the suu
If then we are 80 take our aun as a sam
pie Of the great suns that arc scattered
broadcast through space, let us carefully
consider him.
In the frat place tho suu lies at n dis
tance of between 92.000,00O and 93,O0O,-
600 miles from the earth. \ train Of
cars going vt she rate Of twenty miles an
hour would be 500 years in travcrsng
that enormous distance. 4 cannon ball, !,
shot from n krupp gun, would be thir-
teen years, if it could maintain the same
rate of speed throughout the entire dis
tance. Even light, which travels with n
velocity beyond conception, takes eight
and one-Quarter minutes in reaching us.
Hence the sun is not in the place where
he seems TO be. He isjust as fer away
from where he seems to bo as lie can
travel in eight and one.quarter minutes,
WniCu 10 CJUUO lulle5. Anu IutS feuuS us
to the important thought that if gravity
travelled at only the same rate, the whole
solar system would bo thrown out of
gear. The planets would have their
paths SO widened that they would not
get the right amount of heat and light
from the sun. Hence gravity traverses
distance Mt tho rate infinitely greater
than the velocity of light
The sun is q tremendous body. If we
were on the sun gravity would crush us
flat. It's light and hent are wonderful.
The electric light has only onc.third the
average lustre Of the suns surface. A
square inch Of the suns surface would
give three hundred times IA much, and
the entire sun one quadrillion times as
much light We inquire whence the
sun gets his power ofmaking heat. It was
once supposed that the sun was fire.
But even if it were of the beet
burning substance it would be used
up in five thousand years. The
latest theory Is that the suns heat is de.
rived from its own gravitating power
exerted on its own mass. The SUMS age
Ia another question. Tho age of the
earth proves that the sun must be very
old; but he should have shrunk more,
l think the sun is not what he seems. |
think the surface wo look upon is clouds,
and that the sun in reality is much
smaller than the surface which VIC view.
Richard 4. Proctor.