Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-11-30
INFINITY OF SPACE.
MATTERS BEYOND THE POWERS OF
THE HUMAN MIND.


still There Has Been Much Light Thrown
Upon the Subject Since the Astronomers
Ofthe Seventeenth Century Declared That
There Were Only One Thousand stars.
There can be- no subject more calculated
to impress a mans mind with his own in
significance. compared with the over
Mhciming power and glory Of his CUCsITOr,
than the study and contemplation Of the
armament in all its boundlCss infiniGy. Il
Is not To lsc wondered ut that from the
earliest ages Ihe subject has never failed
to exercise Il fascination over men. and
that those who, 10y their genius and learn
ing. have most nearly succeeded in solv-
ing its mysteries have always bccn rover
CnCCd and esteemed to bc among the wis
est men OF their day. More has becn done
within the last 30 years than in all the
INST Of the worlds history toward the
PiCrcing Of the veil which shuI> OF from
our eyes the hrauties and my s1CriCs 81 far
of rVsllms. and dUEbtlCsS, by means Of lie
spCCtrsEsCUPc and increased size in tho
lenses 81 our telescopes. we shall la Cnl-
blVL bCiOUs lusIg to unraVCl still murc 49,
Crcts u the universe. and further add To
our stock 81 Information rc.aDlin. the
construction and conditions Of other
worlds besides our Own
The question as TO whether space l. finite
or Infinite can never b., satisfactorily ar
EIICll out 'UtlCCSl evan Thought ~. for
the human mind i iuClulbir ~ GrlSgin.
tho CNistCnCc II 4 IjGuii tn sIxlrc. even in
its uICs>E abstract form, hut the quest ION
III tile inGuily 81 worlds and thcir di>tri-
button in the iniinity II sVlcc liz Imure
closely within the >sup, IL human intel
lCCt, for we have many material facts and
80
probable answer II this most fascinating
question
Only n far hack a. the seventeenth cen
fury astronomers Islareyl the number Of
stars in the univCrsr - a lit;!r oyvr l,UnO.
but this was aia>uD!. a. the nal numbrr
visible To- the naked eye i ab,suJ 5.Oh0.
and Perhaps trcblC that number can 10
sCCn by TNCr~OEs with exceptionally good
CyC>ighr- When the heavens. however. are
examined through 4 tCl--co--c, the nuUhCr
uf visible s;aEs are CuuTuga u>ly iuCEC-l>li-
In fat, it has bsCn calculated that the
gDrlt Lick TELESCOPES. the most powerful yet
made. reveals n many ~ IuOO O.uuU.
Yet whGt - that vast nusmlvr cOEagnssEVd
with iut.uiGy9 Il cannot even ~ lkCE2,d
tn "a grain ~ sand uu the sla>hOr'. and
yet II We think tie matter cut carefully
We shall sCc that the nuIul~cE u visible
star cannot rCally h., infinite. for II they
wCrs the heavens wul.ld In n complete
blaze Of light This. al course. we know.
Is far from living the CaSc, and iulSocd
there cannot bo any doubt that, in certain
parts 81 the heavens NJ least, the nulntrr
of visible stars i alrCady known. for even
with the very strongest telescopes ILC7c
are blank spaces which arc absolutely dc
void Of stars bcluN certain magnitude
or even the vCTicst JTslCc u DCbulCus light
Thcsc Spaces arr known 10 ASTRONOMERS
by the name IL coal slCks-" They Gun
tain u0 stars fainter than the twelfth mag
nitUdC. and. In fact. apTcar tn marx thuse
parts Of the universe which arr CC.1grNAT.a-
lively thin an the other hand, in other
parts 81 tho heavens w have not by any
means rCzch,,I the limll Of tclCscopic II
solvability- Il II curious. though. that
these intensely daES hClCS' in the bright
CmryECzbn arr mostly To Ia found in those
3 parts Uf the heavens whom most stars
HlvsUUi. notably III the Milky Was These
rc,siIvk able blank SpuI> have bcCH favor
itC thcInC " discussion and ar-u9srDT
among all astruuusnvE~ for. whaJs Vyr the
. nal shape Ur distribution ~ that universe
may In, Ihry pnint tn the almost certain
intcU DcV that in - particular GiTCr;50n NJ
least the n J. an .sC;GlIl !sIutt 10 the mum
( b,r III STAR. and II JlVIc J. a l.ElIt in one
G-CCtiou W. have every right Ia suppose
that such = i!c CI-c in others, and lh..5
We have only to wait for telescopes strong
enough tn sc-olvc thu~c parts which ar
: still Uurs>.s'ylh.c 10 discover that n point
I can Ii, rc..c..gsl wi2,-n all the sgar> al the
universe Az uuio!d,-i 10 cur GAEc. and
/ that, T0 matter Eav krcn t'eC power 81
I our mechanical vision. we can find nu
I uu-e'
Ii. Now, W. a,.s5air ;hIt the nurn'n.r q
vi>iHlC >;ar~ l. l1s:iICl. the IsCXc Is4,-s i, Il
To- Il. ,r~s.sgl l.. Ma; i The oryl~r az shape
! Il their ds-ir.iatitB,sl- Na-iats> ~ rO,.,p-
mcr> have had N.gEl,...~ Z 90, rj,~ sgla1i.t tis>
! matter. E,r-rlasl Ma Inclined IL think
/ that tho Visible l.ElyV1 ~s' WIS in the >haVt
| Of dis. i.a"u-'l hi> Nirws in This tiiro--
tion WIN, considerably I,s,siii,Sl juTin. The
| later part ~ h3s life ~JruVc CrIl>itiCH,sl
| that tie uuiVCr>s. was in the shape II Il
disk Of limited thickness, hut infinite
length th,,ary which i hard In support,
! a., unless tn ultimate CXTjncGlou II light
| in sIElCt. i believed in. that part VI the
| heavens which lay toward the plano 81 the
! disk would necessarily shine with the
brightness II the sun Tn late Mr.. Proc-
tor. though finding ii impossible Ia define
| any particular <ha,p, for the visible uni
verse. ~ a whole, WAS az the opinion that
| the brightest part al iI-ualnCly, the Milky
way-was in the form Of spiral This
latter theory. however. has many objcC-
! tions tn contend with OthcrnsironCInCrs
have had different theories On this qucs.
tion. hut all, ar nearly all, appear tn al
init an ultimate limit To the size az the
| visible universe. or. in other words, be
| liCve that the galaxy 81 worlds which sur.
rounj u fCy,u. in fact. hut an islCJ in the
| vast infinity 81 >T1CC-
II would appear ~ first sight that any
atteunI; /" s,.lyC gl'c question II tho exist
CnCc If external Galaxig> and 1ls.i II di>
tame, WAS absolutely futile. yrI -u~h J. Net
the ca-,- Th,- r~>IIt u calculation l. THAI
the u,.lr,,>t external universe - - far ,li~
tanr Jlg' light frsm 1t travelling, at thc
spCygl 4 l~,'.t~hb l.1il,S ssvv uL would take
nearly .ahUH'.w "a years t. mach US
| ChamIcrs' Journal