Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-03-26
Giants of Starry Spacs.

| One of the most beautiful stars in the
sky, and one that has been admired in
every age of the world, is the star called
Vega in the constellation of the Lyre. 1t
| is remarkable for the exceedingly delicate
tint of blue in its light. This star may be
seen almost directly overhead at midnight
in the middle of the summer, and with it's
soft radiance it forms one of the most
charming features Of the celestial land
scapes at that season. In the early winter
evenings it flashes low in the northwest
But, whea we look at Vega through the
megascopic eyes of the parallax hunter, it
changes from delcately beautiful star to
most portentous Cyclops of space. The
distance of Vega, according to DR.. EIkin's
measurement, is about ninety seven 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 one-forty thousand millionth part of
the amount thes we get from the sun, and
since we know that light varies inversely as
the square of the distance, it is easily seen
that Vega really pours forth more light
than nine hundred suns like ours com
bined! Its heat is undoubtedly in the same
proportion, so that if the earth should come
as near to Vega as it is to the sun we
should w1ther into ciDders before the fierce
blue gush of its overpOwering rays. If
Vega is the centre of system of worlds,
they must either revolve at enormous
distances from it, or else their inhabitants
must possess the heat-defying powers Of
salamanders.
But we can go on to still mightier orb
than Vega. Let your eye run along the
bending handle of the Great Dipper, and,
following the same curve beyond the last
star in the handle, sweep across the sky un.
til it is arrested by bright golden yellow
star of the first magnitude. This is the
famous Arcturus, celebrated among men
since Jobs time at least. The striking
color of the star, its brillancy, and its soli-
tary situation Is if Withdrawn into a place
apart from the general host of heaven, all
combine to make 1t cvnosure of the
northern sky. Arcturus has yielded q
parallax within the past year that places it
at the distance of no less than 180 light
years, or 1,400, ,00c times as far as the
sun. 1t follows that Arcturus is equal in
radiating power to more than 5000 suns
like ourA 1t is but fair to say that other
estimates Of the light received from the
star make Arcturus equal to at least 5000
suns! Yet Arcturus may be surrounded by
planets too, but how shall We form a con-
ception of the life forces, the physical
powers. the unnumbered activities of organ
izsd existence in operation within the blaz-
ing precincts of snch 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 wonder our whole planetary system,
with the glorious orb that lights and gov
erus it, fades away before our exalted vision
into flicker of firefies against the dark
ness.
Even the Pole star, that speck of light in
moonless nights that sailors have steered
their ships by, is sun nearly hundred
times as luminous as ours. The marvellous
RUNAWAY STAR" that astronomers have
discovered under the bowl of the Great
Dpper, star that is Aying through space
so fast that nobody can imagine how it got
started or where it is going, although it is
far too small to be visible to the naked eye,
is yet thirty times as great an illuminator
of space as the sun; and who shall say that
it does not bear with it in its flight orbs
that play as great part in the scheme of
creation and of life as that which Satan
detected
"-fast by, hanging in a golden chain,
This pendant world in bigness as a star
OF sma Hest magnitude, close by the moon.
If we wish to behold afar off sun equal
to ours, we must turn to the southern
heavens, to the constellation of Ophiuchus,
where, in little fifth-magnitude star that
the eye would probably overlook but for
the fact that several other faint twinklers
grouped near it combine their feeble rays
to catch the sight. we may lock upon the
peer of the blazing day god that rules onr