The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-09
DEATH OF THE sun.

copyrishx 1890, By Camille Flammarion.
However surprising may be the affirms-
tion in view Of the suns amazing great
ness, this immense globe. moro than
Loco. 600 times greater than the earth in
volume and moro than 10000 times
heavier, Is only point in the universe.
When We are looking into the heavens,
during those sparkling hours when the ce-
lsstial vault appears strewn with verita-
bic luminous dust, let us fix our eyes on
any one Of those brilliant points which
glitter In the depths Of space this point il
- great a. our sun, and. in the universe,
our sun h of no greater importance than
this spark. Let us iemove in thought
to this star. and from its distance turn
back again towards tho earth. and search
for our solar system. From this position
neither the earth nor any other planet il
visible. The entire orbit described in .
year by our globe, which measures 74,000.-
600 OF leagues in diameter, would be en-
tirely hidden by the thickness of hair,
and the sun would have become . scarcely
perceptible point.
Yes; our sun Is only . start II one
looks At square taken from one of the
beautiful ecliptic maps Of the observatory
of Paris, which represents exactly, rigor-
ousiy, place for place, magnitude for mag
nitude, . small region of the heavens. q
minutes of time in width, by degrees Is
minutes in height, we find that this map
contains 4,061 stars IN their precise posi-
lions. Now look for the sun in this mass
Of stars. He will be among the larger ones
II you have not Withdrawn too far into
space; among the smallest ones If your
fight has borne you into the ethereal
depths, and he will even become COM
pietely invisible IL you penetrate still
deeper into the abysses of the infinite.
How do We know it? The star which is
nearest US moves at such distance that If
we follow It attentive1y during the whole
course OF . year the great movement which
We annually make around the sun has al
most no influence on the perspective of its
absolute position. Now. in order that
change Of seventy-four millions of leagues
in the position of an observer produce no
effect on the position of the object he 10
watching. that object must be prodigiously
remote. The entire orbit Of our planet
seen from that star alpha of the Centaur)
appears absolutely minute, presents q
scarcely perceptible angle Of breadth. We
know that IN angle Of one degree CORE
spends to . distance Of fifty-seven times
tho breadth of the object, that an angle of
one minute corresponds to q distance of
3, 43S times, and that an angle of one sec.
ond corresponds to o distance of 206. 265
times the size Of the object. The distances
Of the moon and of the sun have
been measured by this mathematical
method. Now the entire orbit of
the earth Is reflected in the apparent
movement Of the star seen by terres-
trial observer only to the extent of causing
Il to describe . tiny ellipse less than two
apparent diameter Of the moonl That is
to say, that our annual orbit seen from
that point presents itself in the form of an
imperceptibly small ellipse. Precise calcu-
lation shows that the half of this orbit.
namely. the distance of the earth from the
sun, which Is, as We know. the yardstick
by the aid of which we measure the ceies-
tial distances-subtends an angle of only
seven to eight-tenths OF second (0.75l.
II IL measured an angle of whole second
the diAance of the star would be 2O6. o65
times 81, 600, 900 leagues; since it measures
only 0.75. 1t is mathematically demon
strated that that distance is 275,0 coo times
the same unit.
And this is the nearest start
The single fact, at present beyond dis
pute, proves first that the stars are too re-
mote to be visible If they simply received
the hight OF the sun and did not shine of
themselves; and second, that the sun. if
removed TO a similar distance from us,
would be diminished in apparent size TO
the point OF seeming no larger than do the
stars.
The most distant known planet Of our
system, Neptune, revolyes at q distance
equal TO thirty times the radius of the
earth's orbit. We should have TO add to
this 8. l67 times this celestial length to OBJ
tain the distance of the nearest start
Sweeping immensely. then, in every direc-
ton around the solar system TO this degree
OF distance. we would meet no other sun.
few comparisons will give US a more
ineligible idea than the figures Them
selves of the vastness of the desert which
surrounds our solar system. Suppose a
celestial traveller 10 be carried out into
space with movement So rapid that in
twenty -four hoas he accompiishes the dis
tanee from the sun TO Neptune tmore than
billion OF ieagues), this speed is SO enor-
nous that IL would take him across the
Atlantic, from New York TO Havre, in less