Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-05-16
THE IMPENETRABIE.
TREMENDOUS MAGNITUDE OF THE
STARRY SYSTEM.
What We Know, What We Believe and
What We DO Not Comprehend of Our
Solar System-Considering Stupenslous

Solar system-Considering stupen.lous
Distances by n Scale Greatly Reduced.
1t is worth while making an effort to
picture to selves the vast extent of
the starry system in which we reside
Having gained scn:c faint notion Of the
extent Ct the lessor solar system, which
occupies a small corner Of the stellar
system, we must work outward from
that beginning. Let us take for our
unit of measurement the space which
separates the earth frorl the sun, and
let the 90, 600, 600 of miles of this dis
lance be rcpres, Etod in cur minds by
single inch. In proportion the sun
itself must BE- pictured by Il tiny ball
less than enc huEGrt 9TH part ST an inch
in diameter while cur c::i;h must be
mere spo ok. Icss than enc tcn-thousandth
IF an inch in diameter. And ills little
sun and this minute earth NUT lr Just
Nn inch ;.snnder.
Following cut the 8. :.lc idea Mercury
and Venus, Icing closer to the sun than
VIC are, Lave to b. less th;.n | inch
away from |. IL. while Jupiter will be.
inches IF, s:.u1u will lie 10 inch.
es eff. Ura..vs VIII 10 ,:,r 10 riches
off. Ns;:;ul,c MI lc almost 30 inches
off. T:.on IL? solar system as Il whole.
leaving only al tf Ike ouesticn certain
comets y!.ic,, ave! f,r.,,,r, will To in.
closed in . ,rclc les, INN yards in
diameter
Tho u;,,s;',-, r--'s.s ,,xt. y,rnt will
no tbr mr. y, &C. .,,f thc s-c,lor
sv...,,, g., Il .-., =, -. p f mo.,s1rr.
mont; IF ,i.,: liz :y,,..,;it, no ON.
nr.s,l Win :. h,,n + tro v. Ia
across. Ic,. We Il yn,cr s,,onld we ri.
low 70 the sl1r m,dir,. sys,,,, cf stars
"crr uriv, rse?'' H,v; rcor will he tbn
nearest f out,yi,r c.--9 AID fine I'll
swcr g Sufficiently s,rt3:rc. IF the sur
;s r,,,;o,,l +, L. ,.r -, cv,ov from
our earth + i,cr.1,-c :, ,rAcn,d ia
bo le. t,.,r ,'lco f,e. ..-.:,v finn H.,
snr. lLcn. {, IL snr,c yes 10. ,lcs..,
wh;cl, les c'....ac IF I'll ,,,,.st rs IN
tbc VII, Ia n;,irr.eo :, =. As, Co,-
,,77ri H. rnmr, m-r;t 10 -, ~, Il 80. w.
inc M a. d;c.,;uco, :l.rr AK miles
A,,1 Er.,~rc., th, tv.,.,rtb;rg. n,
].,2t ro.h.,, IN tho s,,,nc r 81 st,,r An
ccc.,'n.,-l g met ,3,v J.. 81 viy.l no
in tbc d.,l,,tss. rvd.rg its y nv ir?,n
ono g., ,..t,.,, Il ~ .r,r md d,r,,
I, Ai,.. e, ~ GO. NJ, :. ,,.,g Nv n,nt
hove ~ ,h,r, r,.so, lv,c lr+ , r s+,rs
radiant with II 1T c:.l lot. none is
f,,,-,L !, p, lido cr,,
-A~,.., ,.i,,1 writer's .,r,,t;,,,s ,,I,,
IF c.. -. gao ,.c'r;;x., If the SIM
.n.i his -, i,r,,or, bv ..vscri.v ),
TIL; # 49, { y..-te, :,Ynl;,d Orr
h, !, g,';rf,,, II is{yg. lr,,.l., down
~, :; s..,ul] G. >ylo. ty,r Yard. ,..-rce--
CIV i,,cb in those RS et.~t,rp for
,,,c-,n ,h. =, Gtj Coo Gao ,,il.e.--,,.l tbcp
.cn ,v,rv s., O -, Il rbavc ard ~. low j.
I'm ,rccmnus.:,e void Of 81, r,.los. ay.
c,y inch + these miles ur;,,Il rc,,rcs, nj
i,,,-, ,n,c ,i,u so. oC0. G., q r,ilrs AMI
1hIn we g. mo mn n one cleaning star
in the H1,.,'s "y;ci1,;ty." k,nwn c;61
Cvpni vcpId lie mt y distance cf seven
rifles. and the brilliant Sirius would he
over ten rifles eff, Oilers rrst he
nloccd ot distances IF 20 miles 70 |
miles, 100 miles. II is easy To start
with n list Of these figures. II is NOT
cosv to saw where one should ston That
tbc starry system has limits we do NOT
doubt. hut to define those limits is NOT
possible. On such n scale M is given
above those limits certainly vould not
lie within a distance of 100 miles nor
Of 1 OO0 miles IT is believed that some
dim stars. barely TO he detected NAV
he 10, 600 times as far away as on, sun;s
nearest nei.bbor. Alpha Cent,pri, and
tbis ot cnce gives even IN onr WV
inu.i ic''".et S'"io' iino ir'iii he