Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-09-11
FACTS ABOUT THE SUN.
Not so Largo as II Seems When Com
parci With Arcturus.


parcd With Arcturus.
There are three we'll defined classes
Of stars judged by the quality Of ligfk
they yield. In the first class are tho
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 TO cool. Finally,
we have the deep orange and red stars
like Aldebaran and Antares. These
have advanced still further in the
cooling process.
Now the spectroscope informs us
that our sun belongs to the orange or
Arcturus type, and if we could view il
from distant space we should see a
lovely star OF pale golden yellow.
The question arises, then, how far
would our sun have 10 be removedin
order to shine with o brightness no
greater than that of Arcturnsp
According to Mr.. Maunder it would
have to be removed to 140. 600 times
/ its present distance, Or about half the
distance between us and Alpha Gen
tauri.
But Arcturus is IL, 500, 600 times az
| 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 writer In Scientific American.
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.. Maunders
reasonable assumption, Arcturus must
be 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 mer-
curry To make this contract clearer
let us institute a simple comparison.
Jupiter is larger than all the other
planets and satellites Of the solar sys-
TEN.
The sun is a little more than 200.
times larger than Jupiter; but Arctur
us. il our information is correct is
$50. 900 times larger than the sun.
BY the side OF such a majestic orb
our sun, grand and overwhelming as
it is in our own system, would dwindle
to an insignificant star.
i Contemplating world so vast, en-
dowed with such mighty energies, and
rushing with such resistless force
through the great deeps OF space, we
cannot resist the questions: Whence
came this blazing world? Whittier is
it bound? What is its mission and,
destinyp
Is it simply visitor to our sidereat
galaxy, rushing furiously through it
like comet? 1t is being constantly
fed and enlarged by the worlds it en-
counters and the meteoric matter il
gathers up in it's wonderful journey?
What would be the effect if it CHANGED
to pass through the nebulae OF star
cluster? Was the new star which sud-
denly blazed forth in the nebul@ or
Andromeda in 1876 due to similar
causep
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 forcesp
How many win be swe-ved from
their appointed courses by his ire.
sistible power? How many viii plunge
into his fiery bosom aud be swallowed
up as a pebble is swallowed up by the
ocean?