Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1890-07-16
Niraiuia FIRE. gress.
Giants OF starry Space.

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 Tyre. 1t
is remarkable for the exceeding delicate
tint Of blue in its light. This star may
be seen almost directly overhead at mid
night in the middle of the summer, and
with Its soft radiance it forms one OF the
most charming features Of the celestial
landscapes at that season. In the early
winter evenings it flashes low in the north
west. But, when we look at Vega thro'
the megascopic eyes Of the parallax hunt
err, it changes from a delicately beautiful
star to most portentous CyelOps OF space.
The distance Of Vega, according TO DR..
Elkins measurement, Is about ninety
seven light years, or more than SIX mil
lion 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 that 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 C ambined, Itsheat Is un-
doubtedly in the same proportion, so that
if the earth should come as near TO Vega
as it is to the sun we should wither into
cinders before the fierce blue gush Of its
overpowering rays. If Vega Is the CEN
tire of a system of worlds, they must either
reyolve at enormous distances from 1t, or
else their inhabitants must possess the
heat-defying powers of salamauders.
But we can 90 on to a still mightler
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
skv until it is arrested by bright golden
yellow $ ar of the first magnitude. This
is the famous Arcturus, celebrated among
men since Jobs time at least. The strik-
ING color of the star, its brilliancy, and
its solitary situation as if Withdrawn IN
to a place apart from the general host OF
heaven, all combine to make it a cyno-
sure of the northern sky. Arcturus has
Welded a parallax within the past year
that places it at the distance Of no less
than $50 light years, or II 100000 times
a. far as the sun. It is but fair to say
that other estimates of the light received
from the star make Arcturus equal to at
least g, 900 suns Yet Arcturus may be
surrounded by planets too, but how shall
we form a conception of the life forces,
the physical powers, the unnumbered ac-
tiyities of organized existence in opera
ton within the blazing precincts Of such
a 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 Arcturian
wonder our whole planetary system, with
the glorious orb that lights and governs
it. fades away before our exalted vision
into flicker Of freAies against the dark
ness.
Even the Pole star, that speck of light
in moonless nights that sailors have steer
ed their ships by, is a sun nearly a hum
dred times as luminous as ours. The
marvellous runaway star" that astron-
omers have discovered under the bowl OF
the Great Dippper, a star that is flying
through space so fast that nobody can
imagine how it got started or where 1t 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 greal part in the scheme Of ere
alton and Of life as that which Satan de-
tected
fast by. hanging in a golden chain,
This pendant world I'm bigness as a star
OF smallest magnitude. close by the moon.
If we wish to behold affair off a sun equal
10 ours. we must turn to the southern
heavens, to the constellation Of Ophiu-
chus, where in the little fifth magnitude
star that the eye would probably over
look but for the fact that several other
faint twinklers grouped near it combine
their feeble rays to catch the sight, we
may look upon the peer of the blazing