The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-11-24
FACTS ABOUrTHE SUN.
Not SO Large - Il Seems when Com
pared With Arcturus.

pared WIN Arctufus.
There are three well-defined classes
Of stars. judged by the quality Of light
they yield. 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 proper
ton TO the extent of their surface.
Then there are the golden yellow or
pale orange stars. OF which Arcturus
and Capella are fine examples
These have begun tn cool. Finally.
we have the deep orange and red stars
like Aldebaran and Antares These
have advanced still further in tho
cooling process.
Now the spectroscope informs US
that our sun belongs TO the orange or
Arcturus type, and if We could view it
from distant space We should see
lovely star Of pale golden yellow.
The question arises. then. how far
would our sun have to be removed in
order to shine with brightness no
greater than that of Arcturusp
According to Mr.. Maunder it would
have to be removed to l4O. 600 times
. its present distance or about half the
, distance between US and Alpha Cen
, tauri
; But Arcturus Is IL, 500. 900 times as
far away as the sun. and if our sun
were placed at that enormous distance
its diameter would have to be eighty
two times as great in order TO give q
light equal to that received from Arc
turus.
! ! hesitate to present such figures,
says a writer In Scientific American.
implying magnitudes far beyond any
10 which We have been accustomed.
yet they are but the logical deductions
Of observed facts.
I In other words. upon Mr.. Maunder's
! s@asonabfs assumption, Arcturas must
b . gigantic sphere. $50. 90 times
, larger than our sun. with diameter
Of 10. 900. 900 miles or more than large
enough to fill the entire orbit Of mer-
curry. To make this contract clearer
lot US institute q simple comparison.
Jupiter Ia larger than all the other
planets and satellites of the solar srs-
tom.
The sun IL little more than 1000
times larger than Jupiter; but Arctur-
us. II our Information Is correct is
$50, 600 times larger than the sun.
BY the side OF such Q majestic orb
our sun. grand and overwhelming as
3, it Is in our own system. would dwindle
to an Insignificant star.
Contemplating Q werld 80 vast. en-
dowed with such mighty energies. and
rushing with such resistless force
/ through the great deeps ol space. We
cannot resist the questions: Whence
came this blazing worlde Whittier Ia
II bound7 What is Its mission and
destinyi
Is il simply q visitor to our sidereal
galaxy. rushing furiOusly through it
like comet? 1t is being constantly
fed and enlarged by the worlds IT en-
counters and the meteoric matter it
gathers up in its wonderful Journey?
What would be the effect II it CHANGED
to pass through the nebule Of a star
, elusterP Was the new star which sud-
denly blazed forth in the nebule Of
Andromeda In 1876 due to a similar
caused
As this mighty aggregation of attrac-
tive energies sweeps along his celestial
path. thickly bordered with stellar
worlds. how many of those worlds will
yield forever to his disturbing forces?
How many will be swerved from
their appointed courses by his ire
sistible power? How many will plunge
into his fiery bosom and be swallowed
up as pebble is swallowed up by the
ooean2