The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-22
SPEED OF THE STARS
1T WILL CAUSE SOME WONDERFUL.
CHANGES N THE HEAVENS.
A Runaway sun in the North Whose
Velocity Is Greater Than the Attrac-
ton of All Stars Would Produce.
ST Ionis Globe-Democrat

II.
To ordinary vision all the stars appear
TO be at rest in the heavens: nor can the
astronomer himself recognize any signs of
motion except by patient and Iong-con-
tinued observation, extending in some in
stances to over a period OF many years,
and even centuries, when succeeding astron-
omers complete the work which their prede-
cessorS had begun. But every star in the
armament is on its Journey and moving
through space with wonderful velocity. Abb
solute rest Is unknown throughout the ma
terial universe. If we look I'D TO the sky
a calm, bright night, when the stars
shine in all their glory we are usually i'm
pressed with the feeling that a solemn
stiffness reigns throughout those infinite
regions Of space. In reality this amazing
star depths above us, which appear so
steadfast and Interchangeable from year TO
year. are astir with life, energy and
activity and there is remarkable process
OF change taking place all round u.s.
Our own earth is moving with US con-
stantly and rapidly in it's orbit at the rate
OF eighteen miles per second, or with near
ly every beat Of the pulse. This is known to
be our velocity around the sun, and while
we sleep seven hours the world on which
we dwell carries us 10000 miles through
space. 1t is believed by many astronomers
that the sun, with it's entire family of
planets and comets, is moving with great
velocity toward the constellation Hercules.
anu quite recently II has been announced
tnat, oy observations with the new Lick
teIesGope IN California, the immense
nebulae, or star Clouds" have also been
found to be i'm motion.
some stars are known to be approaching
anu otners receding from the earth. Among
those found 10 be approaching us Is Arc
t tgrIg,samentioned in the Bible, and the
IS moving with a velocity of fifty-fve miles
every second Sirius, the famous dog
star, so glorious on winter evenings, and
the brightest star in the heavens is reced-
ing from US at the rate of twenty-six
miles second; and yet, even with these
enormous VelOcities, the passage of a thou
sand years will make no perceptible differ
ence III the appearance of these two stars,
so immense 1h are the distances which sep
ardte tnem from the arth.
90 MILES A SECOND.
The greatest velocity that has been recog-
nized among the stars, until quite recently,
Is found in the motion of small star near
the north pole. known mo. 1890 Groom
bridge" or the runaway star" as it is
sometimes called, which is believed to be
rushing through space at the rate of 232
miles per second. This star appears to be
moving in perfectly straight path through
the sky, and 1t may be visiting our stellar
system fer the first time; but whence it
tell, and it is a great enigma to aStrono-
mers. Its wonderful velocity cannot be ex-
duced by the influence OF ali the known
bodies In the universe: and. on the other
hand, the combined a, attraction Of al; an the
itary Hight through space until Ii has
rushed on to the extreme limits beyond
penetrated.
1t has been mathematcally demonstrated
that body approaching the center of our
system, from an Infinite distance, cannot
move with greater velocity than twenty
five miles a second. If influenced by the at
traction OF the masses in our universe
alone; Dut here We have been considering
a star moving with eight times that veloci-
~, and still, Notwithstanding the fact that
It's motion was for long time the greatest
$4,000 years for this remarkable star to
complete an entire circuit around the hea-
STAR near the M Mos P6e Rno 695
as No. 1880 GrOombridge, which travels at
the rate Of 252 miles a second, had the
but it is now known that Niu in Cassiopeia
has velocity of 800 miles a second.
These motions observed among the stars
are owing to the attractive influence which
they exert upon each other. But the whole
of their proper motion" as it is called, is
not real, part OF it being apparent only
and due TO the real or proper motion Of the
sun, together with the entire planetary sys-
sem- Our great universe changes, which will
be perceptible to those who inhabit the
tons of our starry heavens Will eventually
be greatly changed from their present ap-
tractive during .he winter season. will
then no longer hold supremacy over the
consultations.
CHANGES IN BIG DIPPER."
One OF the most noted examples of the
constant and yet almost imperceptible
changes taking place in our armament is
to be found in the motions of the seven
hrio ste
the circum-polar constellation known as
Ursa Major. Dr. Higgins the eminent
English astronomer, has found, by means
of the spectroscope, that five of these stars
are moving in the same direction, with
nearly the same velocity. and receding from
the earth at the rate of about twenty miles
per second. which seems to indicate that
Independent group and are associated with
each other In some mysterious way at pres
Professor Proctor referre TO Them as i Sbs
drifting stars" and this community of
motion, where groups of stars appear to
be travelling as systems. he termed star
drift, of which there are many interesting
examples to be found in various parts of
In a number OF instances groups of stars
have common proper motion entirely diff
ferent from that of the stars around and
connected systems, in the motion of which
all the stars are carried along
tOEetner without any perceDtible
change in their relative positions
The most remarkable case OF this
kind occurs I'm the constellation Taurus
where Ii is found that large majority of
the brighter stars in the region between
Aldebaran and the Pleiades have a COM
mon proper motion towards the east of
about ten seconds per century. The stars
In all parts OF the armament are found
20 move in all directions and with all
sorts OF velocitieS, but when the motions
observed among the stars are averaged
there is found TO be an apparent proper
motion common TO all the stars. The stars
IN the neighborhoOd of the constellation
Hercules appear TO be approaching us,
and those in the opposite part of the heav-
ems appear TO be receding from us.
OUR SUNS VELOCITY.
This apparent motion common to all
stars is believed TO be due to the real mo-
ton OF the through space; and as the
sun moves he OF course carries the earth
and all the planets along with him. But
whether the is actually moving in a
straight line or around some distant center
1t is impossible to determine at the present
time. 1t Is estimated. however that the
sun IS moving along its path at the rate
spends TO about hve-sixths of
y motion of a star in the direction
OF the line OF sight would produce no dis
placement OF the star that could be de-
tected with the telescope, but il would
cause a change in the brightness OF the
star, which would become gradually