The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-10-04
rHE WONDERS OF nae STARS.
Something of fnteres, to Everybody who
Admire The Cancellations oftho Heav-

(By a BanktTJ
How mysterious are the phenomena
observed in the heavenly bodies' How
can we account for the variations OF
some of the stars? As an example, the
star Algol, In the constellation Perseus'
for 2 days, i2ls hours is star OF second
magnitude, then II suddenly decreases,
and In SM hours is diminished TO the
fourth magnitude 1t then increases IN
brilllnncy, and in a further period oil VIZ
hours again attains It's maximum. All
this takes places la two days, Il hours
and 40 minutes. Another star, Mira, IN
the constellation Cetus, for tiye months
remains invisible, then It's reappears' It's
light gradually increasing for three
months, and for fifteen days It IS equal
10 n brilliant star Of the second magni-
tude, repeating the variations tn q hxed
period OF S31 days, 10 hours and min
utes.
We are accustomed to regard the So
called fixed stars" ms being absolutely
stationary in the heavens. This, now
ever, is not so, as the whole OF the stars
Is in rapid Inovement. AS an example
Arcturus iscalculated TO move through
space at the prodtgtous velocity OF no
less than 1900 miles an hour, or ffty-
four miles per second. In a century
therefore, this great star trayerses no
less than one hundred and seventy
thousand mlllionso miles. And yet TO
our vision his position in the heavens Is
practically unaltered, so vast is MS as
lance from us. our sun Itself Is calcu-
lated to be travelling at the annual rate
Of l53,00O,0O0 miles toward the bright
star Vega. which Is now such Brilliant
spectacle in the zenith; but as that star
Is calculated to be more than li5,OOO,-
100000 miles distant from the sun, we
need not be alarmed lest there should be
a collision in our time; as even suppos'
ing Vega to be advancing towards the
sun ut the same terrific rate, the crash
would not take place until $4,000 years
hence, so prodigfous fs space. vega
however, Is by no means Il distant star
but may be regarded rs one OF our
nearest neighbOrs another bright star.
Cnpella, being reckOned to be more than
four times her distance But the vast
body OF stars are plunged into the Him
liable, fearful abyss of space, infinitely
more profound and incalculable DIS
tnnces, II being only of the very nearest
Stars lIll Tue ltl NtAlA ~ ''sAN''f
and the distance thereby calculated.
A celestial phenomenon which has
given rise to much popular error, is thar
OF the Shooting stars" II was lons
IMAGINED by the uneducated that shoot
ing stars were really fixed stars falling
from their position in the heavens, and
a brilliant display such as that Of No
ycmber. 1865 (Which will be REPEATED in
1890. gives rise 30 considerable pertn-
baton amongst the ignorant. These
brilliant yisltants, howcvCrare but min
ute fragments of cosmiC matter a belt
of which appears to revolve round the
sun, and through which the earth ira
wells in the mCnths Of August and No
vember, which, rushing through space
at an Infinite speed, are raised by frlc-
ton with our atmosphere TO n heat so
intense that, in Il few seconds from the
first impact with the air, they are re-
solved into gas The average weight Of
these little bodies Is estimated ut about
two ounces, but occasionally much
larger bodies come within our range,
which continue In an thcandesceHt state
for several seconds before being con-
sumed. and presenting most brilliant
appearance. These are popularity term
ed metcors. And occasionally yet larg-
err bodies Of metallic origin, which have
reen wandering through space for ages
come within the sphere OF attraction OF
our earth, ana plunge. with deafcning
roar. into the soil. These are the me-
teorltes, or thunder bolts" which may
be seen In many Of our museums.
How absolutely regular and immutn-
bic are the laws which govern the
movements Of the heavenly bodlesl The
earth performs It's journey Of 6SO,O0O,OOO
miles around the sun IN GG5 days,
hours, minutes, 10 seconds and 7j-OOths
NJ second never yHryHbiy probably
the hundrcdth part Of n second and,
from year to year, and from nge TO age,
travelling over the exact position, relnr
lively 10 the sun, II had previously ira
vtrEcl; aud this Notwithstanding that
It Is rushing along ut the rate Of $4,000
miles an hour, ana that II tg also rcvoiv-
ing upon its own axis at the rate Of tat
the cqHhtdft Of 1900 miles an hour
These two movements are performed
with such exnot ana absolute punctunl-
ity that astronomers can calculate With
unraillng accuracy aud Without The cr-
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