The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-08-20
THE TWIVKllNo STARS.



How Far Are They Away aud Then what
Lies Beyond?
OF the 100 900, 600 or more stars which
are visible with astronomical instruments,
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 80 far away that
the change in their apparent place caused
by viewing them from opposite sides OF
the earths orbit--and that orbit ~ about
ls6, 900 900 miles across-is so slight that
It escapes certain detection. Only about
TO stars have thus far yielded definite re
suits in the attempt to measure their dis
tauces, and even those results are too of
ten exceedingly conflicting and uncertain.
| The nearest star thus far discovered is one
OF the first magnitude not visible from
the United States or Europe. 1t IL 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 10000, 600, 900, 900 miles,
| or about 215 900 times IA great rs the dis
lance of the sun from the earth.
! The next nearest star, as far as known,
is n little sixth magnitude twinkler, barely
visible to the naked eye, in the constella-
ton of Cygnus, popularity called the north
ern cross The distance of this star, which
IL known to astronomers as 81 Cygni, IL
| variously estimated at from 40 900, OOO,-
600, 900 to GO, 000, 900 000, 900 miles, or two
or three times that of the bright star in
tho Centaur
The brightness of the stars as we see
them, is, then, no measure of their COM
parative distance A very bright star
may he much more distant than very
faint one. the differencein briliance being
due to the greater magnitude 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 latter being in
fact n very much smaller sun than ours,
while Sirius is far larger one.
1t thus appears that, while the efforts to
measure the distance of the stars have not
been very successful, yet they have re
suited in giving us n wonderful insight in
to the arrangement of the universe of suns
in the midst of which we dwell. They
have proved that large stars and small
stars are scattered through space at vari-
Gus distances from one another and from
us; that the dimensions of the blazing
bodies which we call stars, or suns, vary
to an enormous extent, and that our own
sun, great, glorious and overpowering ms
it seems to u.s. really belongs TO quite
inferior rank.
But IL is possible that before many years
our knowledge of the distances of the
stars may be greatly extended. Spectre
scopic investigation in the case Of binary
stars as those are called which circle in
pairs around their common center of gray
ity, is beginning TO help us IA little in this
direction.
Recently, for instance, Mr.. G. VI. COLES,
Jr., has calculated, from tho results of
such investigation, the mean distance of
90 stars situated in the nor hern hemis-
phere of the heavens, and he finds it equal
to the distance which light would travel
in about $50 years That distance is not
less than $40, zoo, 900, 900, O00 miles, OF
more than 43 times IA great as the dis
. lance of the nearest known star, Alpha
, Centauri
Yet, enormous as such distance is, it is
nearly certain that the average distance OF
all the stars composing the visible uni
verse is still greater. And here and there
the starry heavens. even in their richest
regions present black and apparently emp
|, ty spaces through which we seem to looB
out from the bounds of the visible uni
verse into fathomless depths beyond.
But is there any thoughtful mind which
can avoid asking itself the question
, "What lies beyond2 When we come t.
Z the outermost star of the universe, wha
them" That is a question which even rs
, tronomy, with all its marvellous wealth o
discovery and achievement, cannot an
, swer-at least not yet.-Youth' 8 Compan
| ion