Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-01-30

such an idiot as to throw away money
on worthless securities, no matter who
signs them. Ideal only in first-class
paper, sir; and when that note has a
negotiable value, will be pleased to
discount it. Good day, sir-looks like
settled weather again"
The Milky Way.
Light travels at the rate of 1885, 900
miles per second. Yet it is calculated
that the light from the nearest star to
us in the Milky Way occupies about
three years in reaching the earth, and
that the light of the most distant will
not arrive at the earth in less than 1900
years.
The Milky Way is a wide irregular
ribbon of stellar clouds which crosses
the sky in all its width. It is indeed
nothing more, according to astronomers,
than the greatest length of this immense
lens of stars to which we belong. 1t
the whole sky does not appear nebulous
in every direction, it is precisely because
the nebula to which we belong is not
spherical, but of lenticular form, and
that in the thickness of the lens there is
less depth and fewer stars than in the
direction of the diameter. From the
spot on which we are placed, if our sight
pass through the greatest length, it
meets stars on stars indefinitely, because
there is an immense expanse from the
point where we are to the edges OF the
hattened nebula. But if our sight turn
aside from the equatorial plane toward
the sides. it meets with fewer stars as it
gets farther distant
All the stars which sparkle in the sky
during dark night belong to single
cluster, to a single nebula, the Milky
WAY marking its longitudinal direction.
The stars are not isolated In an absolute
manner, at random. in the deserts OF
space; they form part of whole; the
sun which lights us is one OF them, and
they are counted by millions in gigantic
group. analogous to the distant clusters.
Instead of seeing diffused glimmer, an
:ndistinct light in the Milky Way, the
telescope separates the stars which COM
pose it and shows that it is formed OF an
innumerable multitude Of stars very IT,
regularly connected.
The idea which we must form OF the
Milky Way is then very different from
that which appearances present to us,
and from that with which the ancients
contented themselves. From the begin
ming of ages, from the first observations
of an elementary astronomy, the semi
luminous train which crosses the sky
was noticed, and the ruling mythology
adorned it with images.
William Herschel, with the powerful
telescope made with his own hands, re-
solved, toward the end Of the last cent
ury. to count the stars comprised In
this zone: he addressed himself to his
task and divided his work into portions.
His long perse gerance was crowned
with success. By careful comparison
of the parts where the condensation of
stars attains its maximum with those
where it attains it's minimum, and by an
examination of the extent occupied by
these immense rings, the great observer
found that the Milky Way did not in
close less than Is, 100000 Of stars!
This is not the total number of which
it is composed, as this does not refer to
the lateral portions Of this gigantic mass,
and all the stars of the heavens situated
on one side and on the other Of the plane
of the greatest condensation are not In
Guided in this enumeration. What is
the real extent occupied by this collec-
ton of suns? The number Of stars
which compose it, and the relative dis
tances from each other, comprises for
this extent a number which the mind
cannot well receive without being pre-
pared for it, number which it cannot
appreciate without making great efforts
to grapple it. We will not give the dis
lance in leagues, because an immense
continuation of leagues exceeds the linn
its of even the vision Of the mind it is
better to take the measure used con-
stantly for astronomical units. Now the
extent of the Milky Way, at its greatest
length would be measured by ray of
light which, travelling 1876, 900 miles per
second. would travel in straight line,
and without stopping, for $1,000 years.
Thus, as we are ourselves near the
center of this nebrla, when In the field
of powerful telescope we observe the
little distant stars situated in the depths
of the Milky Way, our retina receives the
impression of luminous ray, which
started 1000 or 5000 years ago from a
sun analogous to ours, and forming part
OF the same group.
If such be the extent of the nebula of
which we are an infnitesimal constitu-
ent part, are not the other nebulse scat
tered in space also as rich and vast. The
Milky Way is not unique /; many of the
nubulm of the universe are SO many
milky ways, more or less similar to our
own. Some may be less vast? others
may possibly be vaster still, seeing that
in the domain of the infinite, space goes
for nothing. 1t is best for us, then, to
take the middle course. and to think that
the pale and difused nebula which seem
to tremble in the distance in unfathom-
able immensities, are milky ways peo-
pied with as many suns as our own.