The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-10-01
FACTS ABOUT THE SUN.
Not so Large Wh"n Compared with &r'
turus, which Is 55o,G Time. LIrg"r.

There are three Ne,l-Geiiuel class
es of stars judged by the qua iIy
OF light they Weld. In the first class
are the clear white and blush white
stars like Sirius and Vega.
These are supposed to be the hottest
stars and the most luminous in pro
portion to Tie extent of their surface.
Then there are Ike golden yellow -
pale orange stars of which Arc.uru
and Cape.la are fine examples.
These have begun TO cool Fna !;
We have the deep orange and red st T.
like Al,leLaran and Antares. Thr-r
have advanced still further in shc coo.
ing process.
Now the spcctroscope informs Il
that our sun belongs to the oran~" 81
Arcturus type. and if we could view il
from distant space we should ser Il
lovely star of Il pale golden yellow.
The question arises, then. how fal
would our sun have to be removed il
order 10 shine with a brightness no
greater than that of Arcturus?
According to Mr.. Maunder it would
have TO be removed to 1870 900 times lis
present distance, or about half the dis
tance between us and Alphn Centauri.
But Arcturus is IL. 800. 900 times rs
far away as the suu, and if our sun
were placed at that enormous dis
tance lis diameter would have to be
eighty-two times as great in order to
give Il light equal TO that received from
Arcturus.
hesitate to present such figures,
implying magnitudes far beyond any
to which we have been accustomed,
yet they are but the logical deductions
of observed facts.
In other words, upon Mr.. Maunder'
reasonable assumption, Arcturus must
be a gigantic sphere, $50, 600 times
larger than our sun, with diameter
of 20, 000 600 miles, or more than large
enough to fill the entire orbit of Mcr-
curry.
To make this contract clearer let us
institute simple comparison. Jupiter
is larger than all the planets and sat
elites of the solar system.
The sun is a little more than 1,00C
times larger than Jupiter; but Arc.
turus. if our Information is correct, is
$50. 600 times larger than the sun.
BY the side of such majestic orL
our sun, grand and overwhelming as
it is in our own system. would dwindle
to au insignificant star.
Contemplating world so vast, en-
dowed with such mighty energies, and
rushing with such resistlcss force
through the great deeps of space. We
can not resist the questions: Whence
came this blazing world? Whittier is
it bound? What is its mission and
Destiny
is ii simply a visitor to our sidcrca
galaxy, rushing furiousiy through il
like comet? Is it being constantly
fed and enlarged by the worlds it en-.
counters and the meteOric matter il
gathers up in lis wonderful journeyP
What would he the effect if it chanccd
to pass through the nebuiH or slaI
cluster? Was the new star which sud
denly blazrd forth in the ncbuln oI
Andromed;, in 1876 due to similar
causc?n
As this mighty aggregation of AT
tractivc energies sweeps along hi>
celestial path, thickIy bordcred will
stellar worlds, how many OF those
worlds will Yield forever TO his dis,
turbing forces?
How many will he swerved from
their appointed courses by his irresisli.
BILE power? How many will plungC
into his fiery bosom aud be swallowed
up as pebble is swallowed up by the
oceau?-Sctcnt ft dDcric m.