Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-04
HOW FAR ARE THE STARsf
And What is Beyond the Canopy
Wonders of Creation.

Wonders of Creation.
From Youths Companion.
OF the hundred million or more stars
which are visible with astronomical instru-
ments. the distances from the earth OF only
very few have been measured with even
an approximation to accuracy. Most of the
stars appear to be SO far away that the
change In their apparent place caused by
viewing them from opposite sides OF the
earth's orbit-and that orbit is about 1885,
OOO.OOO miles across-is 80 slight that It es-
capes certain detection. Only about fifty
stars have thus far yielded definite results
In the attempt to measure their distances,
and even those results are too often ex-
ceedingly conflicting and uncertain. The
nearest star thus far discovered is one of
the first magnitude, not visible from the
United States or Europe. 1t is the star
called Alpha in the constellation of the
Centaur In the southern hemisphere OF the
heavens.
The distance Of this star appears to be
something like twenty trillions of miles, or
about two hundred and fifteen thousand
times as great as the distance OF the sun
from the earth. The next nearest star, as
far as known. is little sixth magnitude
twinkler, barely visible to the naked eye,
In the constellation OF Cygnus, popularity
called the northern cross. The distance of
this star. which is known to astronomers
as 81 Cygni, is variously estimated at from
forty to sixty trillion miles. or two or three
times that Of the bright star in the Centaur.
The brightness OF the stars as we see them
Is. then. no measure Of their comparative
distance. A very bright star may be much
more distant than a very faint one, the
difference being due to the greater magni-
tude OF the more distant star. Sirius, or the
dog star. for instance, which scintillates
SO splendidly in the winter sky, is more
distant than the little star 81 Cygni the lat
ter being, In fact, a very much smaller sun
than ours. while Sirius is a far larger one
1t thus appears that while the efforts to
measure the distances OF the stars have
not been very successful, yet they have
resulted In giving us a wonderful insight
into the arrangement of the universe of
suns in the midst Of which wedwelL They
nave proved that large stars and small stars
are scattered through space at various dis
tances from one another and from US that
the dimensions of the blazing bodies which
we can stars or suns vary to an enormous
extent. ana that our own sun, great glor!-
Gus and overpowering as it seems to us,
really belongs to a quite inferior rank
But II is possible that before many wears
our knowledge of the distances OF the stars
may be greatly extended. Spectroscopic
investigation in the case OF binary stars as
those called which circle IN pairs around
their common center of gravity, is begin
ming to help us little in this direction
Recently, for instance, Mr.. G. W. COLES, jr
has calculated, from the results Of such in
vestigation. the mean distance Of ninety-fiye
stars situated in the northern hemisphere
OF the heavens. and he finds II equal TO the
distance which light would travel in about
$50 years. That distance is not less than
eight hundred and seventy trillion miles.
or more than forty-three times as great as
the distance OF the nearest known star,
Alpha Centauri. Yet enormous as such dis
lance is. 1t is nearly certain that the aver
age distance OF all the stars composing the
visible universe is still greater And here
and there the starry heavens. even I'm their
richest regions, present black and apparent
ly empty spaces, through which We seem to
look out from the bounds OF the visible
universe into fathomless depths beyond
But is there any thoughtful mind which can
avoid asking itself the question, What lies
beyond? When we come TO the outermost
star OF the universe. what them" That is a
question which even astronomy. with all its
marvellous wealth OF discovery and achieve
ments cannot answered. least not yet