The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-02-09
The Stars.

ERRONEOUS IMPRESSIONS REGARpING TIE
NUMBER NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 0P MOVE
MENTs, &C.
Professor c. A. Young delivered lee
ture OH Tuesday evening in New York on
"Fixed Stars and Nebul&." In opening
he said that the first impression OF per-
son in looking at the stars was that they
are countless. This is erroneous. however,
for the stars that are visible to the naked
eve number bat 6,000, and there are
but about 200 others visible in the south
ern hemisphere that do not come with
in the range OF vision oi people in this
state. By the use Of en- opera-glass The
number of stars visible is increased TO
about 300. 900, and the most powerful tole-
scope brings 10 view 50,000,O0O or 6OOO0.-
OOO-a number which, compared with the
immensity OF space, is not so very WondeT-
fuI. OF these stars about GO0,OOO are map
ned and located, and their number is being
added TO continually. The stars are d.
yided into classes by reason OF their brit
hancv, the term magnitude applied TO the
classes being somewhat misleading. There
are % of the first magnitude, 81 OF the sec
ond, 40 Of the third, 327 OF the fourth, 800
Of the fifth, 4,400 Of the sixth. $4,000 or $4,000
OF the seventh, the number rapidly In
creasing in each Of the classes thereafter.
Stars differ in brightness because OF their
luminous surface, complexion, and distance
from the earth, and their brightness dimn-
ishes with aye The Professor explained
the temporary stars. which appear ana dis
appear suddenly; the variable stars, whose
brightness is constantly changing; and the
so.called "wonderful star" which appears
at intervals of about eleven months, pos
sesSes remarkable brilliancy, and then
fades away entirely. Another peculiar set
of stars are those which seem to be SUBJECT
70 eclipse, due probably TO the fact that
they are accompanied by black satellites
which ecliDse them during regularly-re-
curing periods. The fixed stars, he snid,
were not fixed in fact, but are moving
slowly but surely back OF us, as we, III
companv with the sun, are moving onward
They open up before us and close up De-
hind us-a fact that is demonstrated by
comparing the measurements OF ola asIrOn-
oneTS with those OF the present time. The
measurements OF the distances OF stars
from the earth is an art rs yet in It's IN
fancy. and though parallaXes OF several
stars have been obtained they are
nv no means accurate. At all events,
their distances are so great as 10
be beyond the comprehension OF man,
when expressed in miles, and are there
fore represented by years OF time II
would take for light TO reach from them 10
the earth. Double, triple, and quadruple
stars we're explained and shown on the
screen. The spectrum has shown the stars
10 he suns emitting their own light and not
rejecting that Of any other body. IL has
also shown concluslyely that the ne6ul@ are
masses of gaseous matter, undoubtedly mat
ter in process OF construction into stars.
The spectrum has also been made aValia-
bic in the measurement OF the movement
OF stars TO or from the earth. After
exhibiting pictures of a number OF nebuie,
the Professor closed by asserting that the
theory OF stellar system moving about a
central sun was undoubtedly incorrect,
and that the planetary system was more
like a swarm OF bees whose individual
members were moving in various dlrec-
tions. lie did not believe that astrono-
mcrs knew OF the immensity OF space III
which the planetary system is located, as IL
was SO great as to be beyond comprehension
or explortion.