The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1895-09-21

parison With Known Distances.
o-
IAsi :
fee'tii-t-l1 .. Is, * ~ ..'
lists a. to=tAe '17'-saSe "a siA nearest
fixed star. number ~ ;StT2lGllers had
been asl-CG to .4..t oh~sery4it3ns of i
calt.sl sd tttlca u res.ars lie result
ii tfse-e tt agfatIels to the E.ccturg.
1t was discovered ft1t uU tuo c~,.ltala-
tin,s= ~a4.cgt. but ti4n astronomers de-
ta.sa 5set..4 ice linz: e., @1eat satisfaction,
far #lnorIsc WIS the difference Hetv.eeI1
aHvtN0reE.Its greater than 10, 1909, COO
003 miles
T,.ale are ei"!t Dfalcts moving aboUt
the san. If which thr earth s, enc, and
astronomers have calculated. with vory
lit{le chance Ct err,sr. the distance If
thee bodies from each ofkcr and from
the san. Ts.a var3aus results can be con
y~enia.+lv yaoarfnj III mil=;
Bat y5ilal We cail4o to tho fixed stars
which ego themselves Suns. MANY Of
them Fl. ! yeoY and brighter aid hotter
than 90. G<.a s-n, and around qyarv ts,,
OF ~ - It Is rot improbable than ~
fa.l - u HE,,Ie.s is moving. the t3s,; II
cQl..@1.1.- G.=t,'ca i; far ranre difirut5
Tf.c45T9s % sI..@e that separates d. from
GU En@eelc :~Ia...;r uc.-hhor i, 10 anor
ma@fthat tee human ln5iid cannot even
fuf3l TIE .i,"ntest conce3tI0n Of it.
Even ASTRONOMERS, VITO are SUSPECTED br
so1ne Ct possessing minds of rlore ti.an
ler1..1 ca,1s5. 3}t!es, ce49ess that this dis
t&nve eai.l9t Sc adequately represented
i'll terms OF miles.
Nor is the ordinary astronomical unit,
or distance Gf the sun from the earth,
sufficiently large TO be convenient in ex-
pressing the distance Of the st;irs-tha
is, il We attempt to denote the distance
Of tie nearest fixed str bv stating that
it is 80 many times the distance Of tie
earth from the sun" it is found that
this unit IS entirely too small to be nsed
with convenience, though it measures
$4,000, coo miles.
Experience has shown that it is more
satisfactory to take as g unit the distance
that light travels in 4 wear. which is
about G3, 600 times the distance Of fae
earth from the sun. Thus. if we sav 4
particular star is at a distance Of ten
light years we mean that it is SO fa,.
away that it will take tea wears IN. ~
light to reach us, supnosirr if to Eav
Just sprung into existence.
It is curious to think that sncl, co9,-
paratiyelv insignificant creatures Is I'M
man beings, inhahiting a fifth rate
planet, revolving aronld n third ,,ta
sun, should be able to compute with anv
degree of accuracy the enerf,4ors dis
lance of any one of these stars Tho
nlaguitudes are so great that the ordi-
nary mind can comprehend them only
when they are represented liz some i
Illustrative comnarison This NAV no
done as follows:
II we select any fiat surface. s,,ch nc :,
level field. and Mace on l. 4 olobe )
feet in diameter we may consider this
the sun. Mercury. which is her nearest
planet to the sun as we'll as the smallest
of all the planets. willie re,yznsa,,+ad ~
IA grain OF mustard seed III > distance NJ
50 feet. VEINS Will no indicated bro
small pea at a distance ~ 10 feot fr,,,,
the aforesaid rlabe Tho aartb vii H.
a slightly larger nea 81, foot fron, tha
globe. Mars VIII boco,no . ra+bar 1,rla
pinhead at a distance of AZ feet from
the central beay. ].Ipniter tba I,rea.+ -
al the nlane4s-in fact @l,rgcr th,n IN
the others mt tooetbor-Win assrna
the respectable dimensions of ; nodar-
ate sized oranra near1v o,.r+ar e
mile from tho 9Iobo 2afara 40 kaar
tiful rinaad nl3nnt will No. ,on =
bv q sna71 nr,rra 49, ff5I,, eosl''1o
fTom fbo r,Gsl- 79 ~, = !" me
fglI sized eha,rr or = s1,47I +'n9, +h,'4a
1- 80" 1HN-A VI q S4-LSEAI i34tt4Il tttI6t-