Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-12-17
Giants of Starry Space

Oue oftne most beautiful stars In the sky,
age of the world, is the star called Vega in
the constellation of the Lyre. Il is remark
able for the exceedingly delicate tint of blue
in its light This star may be seen almost
directly overhead al midnight in the mid
die OF Inc summer, and with its soft rGdi
auce il forms one of the most charming
features OF the celestial landscapes ct that
season. In the early winter evenings it
flashes low in the northwest. But, When
we look at Vega through the megascopic
eyes fthe paraIlax hunter. it changes from
g delicately beautiful star to most porten-
tous Csclops of space. The distance of We
ga, according to Dr. Elkin's measurement,
is about ninety eeven light years, or more
than six million times the distance OF the
sun But the amount of light that reaches
the earth from Vega is about ons-forty
thousand millionth part of tha amount that
we get from the sun, and since we know
that light varies inversely as the square Of
tue distance, it is easily seen that Vega real
ly pours forth more light than nine huEdfed
suns like ours combined ! L. heat is un
douhtedly 10 ne same proporiior, go tnat il
toe earth should come as nesr 10 Vega as it
is 10 The SUI we should wither into ciaders
before the fierce blue gush of It's overpower
ing rays Ii Vega is the centre OF a system
of worlds they must either revoivs ct enor
nous distances from it. or elae 'heir nhabi
tants must possess tho heat-defying powers
Of salaDandfrs
But We eau go on to Il 8 iii mightiar orb
han Vega. Let your eye ruu along ths
bending handle Of the Great Dippsr, and,
| following the same curve beyond the last
star iu the handle, sweep acros3 the sky un
| Ill it is arrested by bright golden yellow
-tar of the fret magnitude. This is the fs-
| nous Arcturus, celebrated among men since
jobs time at least. The striking color Of
| the staY. it's brillaney, and its solitary situa
ton as il withdrawn into place apart from
the general host of heaven, ell combine 10
make it crnosure of the northern sky.
Arcturus has yielded a paralax withiu the
past year that places it at the distance of 10
less than $50 lghl-years, or II 400, 900 tim S
as far ss the sun II follows that Arctusus
is equal in radiating power 20 more than
600 suns like ours. Il is but fair to say
that other estimates Of the light received
from the star make Arctrus equal TO at least
900 SUBS! Yet Arclurus may be surround.
ed by planets too, but how shall we form
conception of the life forces, the ply sital
q,
lied existence in operation within the baz.
ing precincts of such solar system as that?
Astronomy has long since accustomed US to
think of the earth as an Insignificant atom
Of creation. but in the presence of this Arc.
turian wouder our whole planetary system,
with the glorious orb thet lights and gov-
erns it, fades away before orr exa ed viaicn
into a flicker of irehies against The dark
ness.
Even the Pole star, that speck of light in
noonless nights that sailors have steered
their ships by, i5 sun nearly hundred
times as luminous as ours The marvellous
| RUNAWAY star" that astronomers have dis
covered under the bowl oftbe Great Dipper,
star that is flying through space so fast
| that nobody can imagine how it got started
or where it is going. althoughit is far too
small to be visible to the naked eye, ia yet
] thirty times as great an iluminator of space
as the sun and who shall say that it does
not bear with it in its fight orbs that play
as great part in the scheme of creation
and of life as that which Satan detected:
t. fast by, hanging in golden chain,
| This pendant world In bieness as star
| OF smallest magnitude, close by the moon."
| If we wish to behold afar off q sun equal
| to ours we must turn to the southern heav.
ems, to the constellation of Ophiuchus,
where, in little hfth.magnitude star that
the eye would probably overlook but for the
| fact that several other faint twinkers
grouped near it combine their feeble rays to
catch the sight, we may look upon the peer
of the blazing day god that rules our
tract OF space. Thus would he be diminish.
| ed in glory if removed to a corresponding
distance.