Fergus County argus., 1897-03-03
BEWILDERING FIGURES.
Employed in Giving the Velocity
of the Planets.
Astronomical Calculations which Fairly
Take Ones Breath Away
Some Interesting scien-
tihc Facts.

Even with the figures before US duly
proved it is impossible for us to compre-
bend the wonderful velocity at which
many of the planets travel. That which
moves most rapidly. according to the
latest astronomical calculations, is Arc
rurus, which rushes through space at
the rate of 197,999 miles an hour or
4,72S 900 miles day.
Arcturus, according TO DIR. Guilemin,
4 prominent astronomer. is 11,5oO,OOO
times as far away from the earth as the
sun, in round numbers 1,069. 500 ,000,-
oOO, 900 miles, an inconceivable space.
II is fairly generally known that If the
sun were twice as far away as 1T now is.
we should get only "a 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 il now is IL
would shine as star no brighter than
Arc.urus. Yet Arcturus is 11,500,0 900
times as far away as the sun.
The suns diameter is $4,000 miles.
and therefore the diameter of Arcturus
must be about 11.O0O.OOO miles, while
its bulk is 551 900 times greater than
the sun. Therefore, if every point upon
il 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 it.
II the earth could he 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 magni IL
cence.
When we had arrived within some
Thing less than 5000. .00O. 900 miles of *
its light and heat would be equal To that
which we get from our sun at a distance
of only 93,OOO,OOO miles. When we ap-
preached it as close as Neptune the in
trnsity of its heat would begin to be
unbearable. At the distance of Jupiter
il 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 dissipatcd in steam.
Truly, Arcturus is king among
stars, and our sun. great and brilliant
as it is, If dropped into the blazing phot-
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
81 times as great as upon the surface
of the earth, but upon Arcturus il would
be 2,200 times as great. so that a man
weighing 200 pounds OH the earth. when
transported to Arcturus would be
crushed under his own weight of A.
600 pounds, in speck, almost before
the fires of that mighty solar surface
could consume him.
If devilfish had been born at the
same date as Julius Caesar. June IL,
100 b. c., with a tentacle l,069, SOC, ,00o,-
600, 900 miles long and on he day of its
birth had placed one claw upon the fer
vid surface of Arcturns, it would yet
require the lapse of several thousand
years beyond the present date before
the sensation of the burn would enter
the creatures consciousness-upont the
supposition that sensation travels with
the same speed as light, 10000 miles
per second.
OF course, the figures bewildcr one.
but as far as they can be they have
been proved correct.-N. Y. Recorder.