The Grenada gazette., 1888-01-28
GIANT SUNS.

GIANT SUNS.
omo Curious Facts and specula
ticns Concerning Them.
10 many, perhaps. the idea may seen
gansc that any suns should be spokel
"s giant suns by way of distinc
pn, when we consider that in realit,
Hsuns must be giant orbs compared
i'h our earth, herself no insignitican,
ohe. Our sun may or may not be a
ii average sample Of star, Possibly
ultit'hles among the stars visible tc
and almost certainly many thou.
lnds among the stars disclosed by the
lcscope, are much less important
obes than he is. Yet it is certain
IA! the least among all the stars we
e must be giant compared with the
nth, or even with the giant planets
jupiter and Saturn. From what we
pow Of the way in which the light and
fas.. o the sun, are maintained,
ansly. by the attractive energies re-
ding in the suns mass, 1t is certain
bat a star whose light suffices TO rem
er it visible. across the vast spaces
hich separate even the nearest. stats
pm us must many thousand times ex-
bed our earth in mass. Why then
lould any sums be distinguished from
hcir follows BY being called giantsP
hit the fact is that even though of all
he stars we see, or which the telescope
FyeaIs, not one were less than our
vii sun in size and mass, we could
ill call the class Of orbs 30 which I
m now referring giant suns. Vast
houglrthe sun is, he "a, the merest
wari compared with the star, we call
rius, and Siriusis is but one Of a fam
of Suns, each one of which sur.
hsses our own sun hundreds of times
glory, and thousands Of times prob
ply in size. . -.
Consider the evidence in the case of
Erius, for example. The distance of
rius has not been accurately deter
|ired, though he is down in the list Of
Fars supposed by many to lie at known
STANCES. The astronomer knows that
reality all the stars, save one or two,
the list Of fifteen Or twenty thus
hraed, lie at distances too great to be
sss,'rable by the instruments at pres
i in use.f Still we knew enough
bout the distance Of Sirius to be able
ny with confidence TINT he is GER
inly three times farther away than
pha Ccntauri, the nearest of all the
ars and probably not more than six
nss farther away. II we set Sirius
rr times a. far away rs Alpha Cen.
Aari we shall probably be not far from
Ar truth. Now it has been shown by
Arsful comparison Of our suns, hight
'hh that Of Alpha Centauri that were
VIZ sun set beside that star he would
nine with about one-third the luster
THAT nearest neighbor Of ours among
y stars; therefore, IL carried four
'hss farther away, by which his light
'suld be reduced. not fourfold, but six !!
knf6ld, the sun would give but oss
Nh part us much light as AAsna
sntauri, or 1924 part (ssy, in
sund numbers, one 200th s..rt) Of
light Of Sirius, which stiMes four
ales more brightly in a. heavens
Ian the nearer star. Now we know
@ling Of tho intrinsic luster Of the
nseo Of Sirius; but from the re-
arches Of St. Clair Devillc. Vicaire,
Nd other physicists. 1t seems unlikely
r. the intrinsic luster of'any surface
10 much sxcecd that Of tie visible
mace o{ our sun. Supposingthc SUI.
ace Of Sirius to be twice as lustrous
'aus suns, then Sirius must have a
l,ace 100 times as large as our SUMS
snosc surface is nearly 1900 times
Y earth's, which would make the
ameter OF Sirius ten times the SUMS, |
y his globe 1000 times as great as
'en that giant orb Of the sun, which |
weeds our cdrth's in volume l,S00,- |
"ames 1t seems reasonable to re-
NJ such difference as one rather |
slad than merely Of degree. Jupiter
.eeods our earth 1880 times In vol.
s' ana we regard Jupiter therefore !
merely as a larger earth, but as y |
.as Planet unlike our earth in char
~ , The sun exceeds Jupiter more |
~ i'oO times in size. and belongs |
"Ao manner to different class. We
,s ~" pass by n step Of n similar
~ :" Sirius, who is certainly not less