The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-04-16

Wnlcn Is nVe times the distance OF
Alpho Centauri the nearest star
known to astronomers-and million
times the suns distance from our earthl
II has been estimated that the bril-
liancy of Sirius is 300 times greater
than that of the sun, and if we assume
chat the intrinsic brightness of its sur
face is the same as the suns, the sur
face of this star must be 800 times
larger than that of the sun, from which
it follows that the diameter of Sirius is
about eighteen times that of the sun,
and its volume about 2,20O times great
er Prof. Garrett z. Serviss, referring
to Sirius in a recent magazine article.
says: According to recent estimates
Sirius, while shining with perhaps
seventy times the light of orr sun, is
only between two and three times as
massive, so that the intensity of its
radiation is enormously greater than
the suns. Planets situated as close to
Sirius as the earth and the other inner
planets of our system are to the sun
would be unable to endure, so far as
| their liie-bearing functions are con-
cerned, the gush of heat and blaze of
| light poured upon them-unless, in
deed the organization of living beings
there were entirely different from that
J prevailing here. We should then ex-
| pect such stars as Sirius, if they are
the centers of the planetary systems
at all, to be surrounded by globes re-
| volving at comparatively great dis
tances and in long periods of time"
The mind utterly fails to compre-
hend the immeasurable distance which
separates our earth from this immense
! orb Light, which travels with the al
most inconceivable velocity of 1856, 900
miles per second, requires twenty-five
years to traverse the distance between
Sirius and our earth. We may Justly
consider this brilliant sun as the center
of system of revolving worlds, and
imagine them as being inhabited by
creatures far more advanced in INTEL
lectual development than ourselves.
But we are at loss to conceive of the
vast scale on which the system of such
an immense sun must necessarily be
constructed; and when, in addition to
the startling facts already mentioned.
we consider the recent discovery that
Sirius, with its entire family of planets
| ~, ''' 40 i""D my 'ui uiOuSf space
WIN enormous Veloclty' the NINA is
ue"lluereu III contemplating the won
uels Vi 'hlS sCuPenuous ORC. by means
of the spectroscope, Prof Higgins, the
eminent English astronomer, has
found that Sirius is receding from our
earth at the rate of twenty-six miles
per second; and yet, even with this al
most incredible velocity the passage of
SlolnG " years VIII nnake no per-
uii.erence III INC appearance
y! tllS oriiliant STAR SO immense is the
tls.aiice "hich separates IL from our
ear'n
one Vi Uhe rnosC interesting results
"a olio ouserN"tIohs ulrected 10 TINS
" "oiueiiui SCar was Une discovery that
"''enueu oy companion or
S' SaUelllUe' 'he existence OF Whlch mad
.onS ueen SuSpec'cu US astronomers
''nu which was m nually ueIecteo ny
mere acciueht Inc presence OF this
ooJecU ll'u oceh revealed py the erect
oi i'S sUlracIioh upon 0lrlus' the mo-
tloil y! "hlcu Farleu IN sucn way as
" il!lo.Ue PcWerIui - ulSI'irolng lnnn-
enee III lvs vicinity Inc famous Ger
man asUronolier' beSsel, nearly
tiy nloy years ago expressed ms oellef
viiaI 1Ne Perlouical variations IN the
ilo'ioh ol SIRIUS were produced
oy Uiio a''racVIon Oh an invisible
ooIi- l'''H 'oli' rcVolNli,9 arouhu Uhe I'M
LlInsI "lo. 0eVeiai astronomers mad
SaS,l IaiIuiatea 1 .ie oroit ol u.le attracting
10y ~ anu I's u'recIlon from oirlus at
gus Uiines' auu, ohough IL was ulll-
eInIiS seaIcheo lor' II contihueo TO
'5lot elu.'o ..s ueueo.,ot', even oS neahs OF the
llios1 poMeriui ~ horoscopes bu1 IN reo.
i1a, iueiS' l9oS' Uhe elgnIeSn ana ohe-hait
In l4ses eeiescope s "lrlch was oelng con-
SVr uoIeu ior 'ne Ohlcago observatory
Dg eHe iale evan SIark, tne famous
oP'ioi"n' was PoinTeu 10 SIRIUS as TEST
" 10 po"el' "heh Ilie disturbing
pauion oanle suuuelly llUo VleW'
az a. u ulaUunce Vi aDouo zen SECONDS from
tin. tilu iaise HVar' anu eAaclIy AN ehe ulree-
t; ~ which i'Au "eeh preulcUeo 10Y Vhat