The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-28

BILE scale that the military will DO ordered
to ouell the uprising. But you cannot
drown discomfort in blood. 1t Is to be feared
that WILLIAM II. will recognize this truth
too late, and that by inflexibly persisting
in coercive and sanguinary measures he
may ruin himself and wreck his dynasty.
A Wonderful Star that No Man Has
Yet Seen.
The many wonderful discoveries in as
tronomy recently made by the aid OF pho
Biography have seemed to leave the older
methods OF astronomical investigation far
In the rear. But just now Mr.. S. c. GRAND
1ER Of Boston has made what may be called
a discovery by the aid OF mathematical
methods. recalling the achievement OF
LEvERRlER and ADAMS In the detection Of
Neptune fifty years ago. There is in the
northern sky star known as Algol. which
tho sharp-sighted Arabs who discovered its
variations in light called the demon star.
Every two days twenty hours and forty
nine minutes this star suddenly begins to
fade and continues to grow fainter for three
or four hourA at the end Of which it has
sunk from the second to nearly the fourth
magnitude. After remaining thus for few
minutes it begins to brighten. and in the
course Of three or four hours moro regains
its former brilliancy. Within the past few
years it has been discovered that there is
huge dark body revolving around Agol
at distance OF some three million miles.
and to this phenomenon the variations In
Algols light are due. At regular intervals
this dark companion star comes into the
line Of sight between Agol and the earth.
and thus partially eclipses Algol. cutting
off perhaps five-sixths ofits light.
These stars. Algol and its strange nom
luminous comrade. are of great size. Algol
itself being more than eleven hundred thou
sand miles in diameter. while the diameter
Of the dark body that circles around it is
eight hundred and forty thousand miles.
Mr.. CHANDLER. meditating on certain ir-
regularities In the motions Of Algol and its
companion. suspected that they might be
duo to tho presence of another invisible
star in their immediate neighborhood. Ho
carefully compared the observations back
to the time Of GOoDRICKE, moro than
hundred years ago. and pursuing a mnthe-
NAUTICAL method similar to that which re-
suited in the discovery OF Neptune through
the effect Of its attraction on Uranus. he
arrived at the conclusion that such another
star must actually exist. According to his
conclusion this mysterious body is far
more massive than either Algol or its COM
panion. but does not give forth any percep-
tible light. and 1t forms centre OF attrac-
ton around which both OF the other stars
revolve in q nearly circular orbit. in period
OF one hundred and thirty years. Mr..
CHANDLER's theory seems to fit in well with
tho observed irregularities Of Algol. He
remarks. moreover. that there arc several
other stars known to astronomers to be
variable which evidently have one or more
dark companions like those of Algol.
It is natural to inquire what Is the nature
OF these mysterious dark bodies existing In
the neighborhood OF bright stars compare
bio in brilliancy with our own sun. and evil
IDENTIFY obcying the same law OF gravitation
that prevails In our solar system. The
primary distinction between sun and
planet is that the former CLOVIS with bril-
liant light OF Its own. while the planet. hav-
ing been encrlsted with solid and opaque
shell. only shines by the reflected light
which it receives from Its sun. Tho dark
companions OF Algol may then be regarded
as In the PLANETARY condition. ut least 80 far
as tho question Of luminosity is concerned.
But they differ widely from any OF the
planets OF our system in their great sizo
as compared with the sun In whose neigh
borhoOd they circle. That companion Of
Algol. which by Its eclipsing effect produces
the variation In the light OF the star. Is not
very far inferior In size to Its bright COM
RADIO. while the greater dark body. whose
existence seems to BIO demonstrated by Mr..
CHANDLER's Investigations. greatly exceeds
them both In mass. Here. then II We choose
to adopt the idea that this great invisible
orb around which Algol rcvolvcs Is
planet In our sense of the word. wc have
a world which is the centre OF motion for
the sun that Eliminates it. This Is going
back to the old pre-Copernican idea OF the
earth as tho centre OF tho solar system.
having tho sun as its satellite. Such sys-
tenn seems unnatural. II not impossible. be-
cause the ordinary laws Of tho radiation OF
heat require that large body. other things
being equal. should cool down from the
solar to the planetary condition later than
! a smaller body. But 1t would seem that In
the Algol system. for some reason yet to he
discovered. tho most massive member of
the system has parted with its light and
heat far earlier than one OF the satellites re-
volving around it,
II 1t should prove to be truc. as Mr..
CHANDLER suggests. that there are other,
and perhaps many other. systems similar
to that OF Algol. then We shall simply hdve
additional evidence OF tho great variety
that exists in the arrangements OF tho stel-
lar universe. There really is no reason
why We should take our own solar system
rs an invariable type to which al! the other
systems throughout space must CORE
spond. 1t might be suggested that la the
case OF such system as that OF Algql. all the
bodies belonging to 1t haye long since To-