The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-03-31
WONDERS OF THE HEAVENS.
What Photography Is Doing to Tell the
Story of the Stars.

WhAt RnOtORrnpny OOinS 10 Acih tiho
Story OF the Stars.
There are millions Of unlisted stars,
and we know not what far-reaching
masses of nebulcsity; each star,
each nebula. has different story,
as full of varied detail as the story of
the earth and its inhabitants, and even
of tpat story how little we read or can
read And yet we would like to read
the story of each nebnla and star and
compare them one with another; some
barest outline we are learning OF few
hundreds, and differentiating star from
star, guessing at their age, their tenn
perature, their. distance
And now and then discovery or a
picture comes, like Mr.. Roberts photo
graph of the nebula in Andromeda, and
throws flood o: light upon their ma
ture and gives us answer we had hard
ly h. ped to know, and shows us new
questions that seem even further out
of reach.
Perhaps the most truly wonderful
thing this century has seen is that neg
alive on which the Andr, media nebu a
has printed it's own image; on-a few
So are i,ches of Photographic plate
is the ~intelligible autobio sraphy OF a
nebula measuring its leng h by billions
of miles, taking light, 1t has been said,
six wears to travel from end to end, and
showing us obviously aud at once a
Ndefiniteness of structure hitherto un-
suspected.
Comparisons of successive photo
graphs of this nebula have been made
with view OF detecting evidence of
change, and whatever opinion may be
I rme.i as to changes in the course of
years, but little doubt can exist that
changes happen in the course Of ages
end that little by little nebule con-
dense into stars.
Full of absorbing interest is the possi-
bility OF detecting changes in 81 gle
nebula, but l'ere is a vasfer problem
behind, in which the evidence of many
changes is only part of the sofnti N.
The problem t at we reach toward,
and of which we hope some day to find
the outline of the true solution, is no
less than the structure and development
of the sidereal universe itself.
Some day it may be we shall pene-
trate the star depths, for every hour
added to the exposure of Photographic
p, ate has added tn the number of stars
revealed upon the picture, and il as we
get more sensitive plates and longer
exposures, If necessary, on two or more
nights In succession, we fad that no iu-
crease of exposure gives an increase in
the number of stars on the plate, then
we NAV on.lude that the limits of the
star depths have been reached. and that
nothing lies beyond.
Yet, even SO, an element of mistrust
comes in. Not only can the photo
graphic eye see things no human eye
will ever look upon. because the one
can accumulate minute effects, While
the other cannot but the photographs
plate is sensitive to ultra-violet RAYS of
light that have no effect upon the
human retina, and If there are any
bodies in space emitting such rays the
photograph will record them Il ough
they are forever invisible to our ayes.
and similarly il there are any BODIES in
spaceno sending forth RAYS OF light
between those whose wave Iengtl are
slightly longer than waves OF rec light
and those whose waves are sligntly
shorter than the ayes of violet light
neither eye nor camera can take &C
count of them. however important their
places may be in The architecture of
the heavens Westminster Review.