The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-11-30
Scraps About the Sun.
BY ]. L. JOHNSON.

The temperature at the sun goes up
to more than $4,000 degrees Fahren-
heitl This has been ascertained ap-
proximately by series of electrical
experiments.
The sun is distant from US about
ninety-three million miles. Such
magnitudes are beyond the compre-
hension of our minds. It will help
as to realize this distance if we say
that railroad train, running night
and day at the rate of thirty miles an
hour. will accomplish this distance in
three hundred and forty years.
The suns diameter is 8S7 ,076
miles and his circumference, 2. .7S5, 400
miles.
To help our minds to realize this
astonishing size, let us imagine the
sun to be hollow ball, with the earth
placed at the centre. Then the moon
in it's orbit, 100000 miles from the
earth. can circle around the earth in
side the sun, and still be but little
more than half way between the CEN
ire and circumference.
The volume Of the sun is l 400, 900
times that Of the earth; that is to say
from pile containing fifteen bushels
of navy beans, pick up one bean; the
single bean will represent the relative
volume of the earth, the rest Of the
pile the volume of the sun.
The volume of the sun is six hun
dred times that Of all the planets
combined. The rays of this immense
body, of course, shoot out in all di-
rections, but being so far away from
as only 1-2, 300, ,OOO,OOOth pars of its
light and heat reach us. The density
Of the sun is one-quarter that Of the
earth. The weight of the sun is sew
en- hundred and fifty times the COM
bined weight of all the planets. The
weight Of the sun is $4,000 times
that Of the earth; so that man who
weighs one hundred and fifty pounds
nm the earth would weigh 53,250, 900
pounds on the sun.
The sun revolves on It's axis very
rapidly, for so large mass, making a
revolution once in about twenty-five
days. So rapid is this motion that a
point on the solar equator travels
through space 1850 miles an hour,
which is nearly fourtimes as fast as a
point on the earth's equator moves.
Owing to this rapid rotary motion the
ssun is much fattened at the poles.
The sun has an atmosphere Of fire
Ave hundred miles deep. Whether
this is liquid or gaseous it is hard to
say; it is at all events Anid, as is
shown by the spots, which are storms
In the fiery envelope of the sun. As
water in funnel, by its rapid gyra-
tory motion, opens up cavity in the
center, SO the tremendous cyclonic
sweep Of these immense storms in Che
sun opens up cavities, which let us
see through the fiery envelope to the
darker body of the sun. Some of
these holes are SO big that the earth
could be dropped down into them
without touching the sides. Ono spot
was observed which was four times
the size of our globe. AS many as
eighty spots have been known at once
Usually, however, they are more rare.
Sometimes a year had passed with
none in sight.
IF the light and heat Of the sun are
the result of combustion there is sure
ly an atmosphere. Is there life there?
Certainly no life organized like the
forms we know here.
Such are some Of the surprising
facts relating to the sun. And then
to think Of it, there are now in sight.
with the aid of our largest telescopes.
1OO,OOO,OO0 blazing suns, each, pre-
sumably, the center Of system Of
worlds. ''Great and marvellous are
Thy works, Lord God Almighty