The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-03-29
WONDERS OF. THE SUN.

What astronomers have learned about
{ the sun II so wonderful that many find
it difficult to believe in such marvels as
real facts, not less certain than what
we can learn about a flower, a rock, or
an animal. am going to describe
some Of these wonders. cannot ex-
plain how they have been found out, or
why. the astronomer is certain of their
truth; but l can promise not to describe
as certain what is in any degree doubt
full. so that where do not tell you there
is doubt yon may rest fully assured Of
: the truth Of what say. u 81 F2
The sun lies about ninety-three mill
I lions of miles from the earth A train
travelling five hundred miles in a day,
which is about the rate at which the
train from New York to San Francisco
: travels (neglecting stoppages), would
take about five hundred years in travel
ing this enormous distance. The suns
light, which travels at the rate of one
hundred and eighty-six thousand miles
in a second, takes nearly nine minutes
in reaching MS from the sun; SO that if
the sun suddenly became dark, or any
other great change happened to his orb,
we became aware of the fact.
a ENORMOUS SIZE AND POWER.
1t win easily be guessed that, lying at
this enormous distance, the sun is of
enormous size. You can hide the sun
with one-inch globe, set eight feet
from the eye, or with a ten-inches globe
set eighty feet from the eve, or with
I any globe set one hundred and eight
times its own diameter from the eve.
This shows that the suns diameter is
. one one-hundred-eighth part of his dis
lance, or, roughly, about eight hundred
and sixty thousand miles This is about
one hundred and eight times the dame
ter of the great globe on which we live.
1t is curious chance, by the way,
which causes the same number, one
hundred and eight to appear twsce,
in this way. We may thus obtain q
useful help to the memory. For since
the suns distance exceeds his diameter
I one hundred and eight times, or in the
same degree that three yards exceeds
one inch, while his diameter exceeds
that OF the earth in almost exactly the
same degree, it follows that:
First, II the earth is represented by a
one-inch globe, the sun on the same
scale will be represented by a globe
, three yards in diameter. And second
ly, If the sun is represented by one
inch globe, the suns distance on the
same scale win be represented by dis
lance Of three yards.
The sun has a surface equal to about
eleven thousand six hundred times the
? surface Of the earth, which, as YOU
know, contains about two hundred mil
lions of square miles. His size exceeds
that of the earth no less than one mill
lion two hundred and sixty thousand
times. But size without strength would
be nothing. The sun has to govern the
family Of worlds travelling around him.
This he does by pulling them contin-
ually towards him. though they are not
actually drawn closer to him,-iust as
q man IL always pulling towards him a
weight which he swings round his head
with string, though the weight al
ways remains at the same distance from
his hand. 1t is the wonderful power
possessed by all matter of drawing
towards it other matter "a power which
we do not at all understand, must re-
mark), which thus enables the sun to
act rs ruler of the family of bodies
called the solar system.
His enormous size might lead you to
think be was even more powerful as q
ruler than he really is. He is one mil
lien two hundred and sixty thousand
times larger than'the earth; but he only
contains nbo0t thyee hundred and thirty
thousand .tiiaes g much matter. Still
even this Is enormous. and means enor-
nous power. II the earth had such |
power, the quantity d matterin pound |