The Republican., 1896-12-17
FIGURES THAT ASTOUND.
Velocity of the Planets from Astronom.
ical Calculations


ical Calculations.
Even with the figures before US duly
proved it is impossible for us to compre-
hend the wonderful velocity at which
many of the planets travel. That which
moves most rapidly, according TO the
latest astronomical calculations, is Are
turus, which rushes through space at
the rate of 7,999 miles an hour or
4,72S,000 miles day.
Arcturus, according to DIR. Guiemin,
9 prominent astronomer, is 11,500,000
times as far away from the earth as the
sun, in round numbers 1869, 500. .OO0,-
100000 miles, an incOnceivable space.
1t is fairly generally known that if the
sun were twice as far away as it now is.
we should get only fourth of the light
we now obtain from it.
Careful comparisons have shown that
Arcturus sends to the earth about one
twenty-billionth as much light as the
sun, but if the sun were removed 140,-
600 times as far away as it now is II
would shine as star no brighter than
Arcturus. Yet Arcturus is II, 100000
times as far away as the sun.
The suns diameter is $4,000 miles,
and therefore the diameter of Arcturus
must be about II 100000 miles. while
its bulk is $4,000 times greater than
he sun. Therefore, if every point upon
y is as bright as the corresponding
| point on the sun Arcturus must shine
! 6,724 times more brilliantly than the
sun. Such a globe as near to us as the
sun is would fill half the sky, but we
never could live in such proximity to il.
If the earth could be moved through
| space toward Arcturus the spectacle
that would be presented to its inhab-
| itants as they approached that great
star would be of indescribable magnif-
cence.
When we had arrived within some
| thing less than 100000. 900 miles of il
its light and heat would be equal to that
which we get from our sun al distance
of only 93,O00,OOO miles. When we APP
preached it as close as Neptune the in
| tensity of its heat would begin to be
unbearable. At the distance of Jupiter
| it would smite the earth with the re-
sistless energy of its radiation. The
| forests would burn, the oceans rise
| from their beds in vapor. the ground
would sink, and before we could
approach as close as the earth is to the
sun. the whole of our globe would be
melted and dissipated in steam.
| Truly, Arcturus is king among
stars, and our sun. great and brilliant
as it is, if dropped into the blazing phor-
osphere of that great planet would be
Instantly swallowed up and the only
visible evidence of its fate would be a
sudden flash.
Upon the sun the force of gravity is
II times as great as upon the surface
of the earth, but upon Arcturus it would
| be 2,200 times as great, so that a man
| weighing POO pounds OH the earth, when
| transported to Arcturus would be
crushed under his own weight of 444.-
600 pounds, in a speck, almost before
| the fires of that mighty solar surface
! ! eapld consume him.
If a devilfish had been born at the
same date as Julius Caesar, June IL,
100 b. c., with a tentacle .O69. SOC. .GO0.-
| OlO,00O miles long and on the day of its
birth had placed one claw upon the fer
Nd surface of Arcturus. it would vet
require the lapse of several thousand
years beyond the present date before
the sensation of the burn would enter
the creatures consciousness-upon the
supposition that sensation travels with
the same speed as light, 1861 ,OO0 miles
per second.
Of course, tfc figures bewildcr one,
but as far as they can be they have
been proved correct.-N. Y. Recorder.