Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-08-22
srEIhEn DISTANCES.
Scientific Suggestions That Indicate d
immensely of Universe.

Scientific Suggestions That indicate tb,
immensely of Universe.
T. J. J. See. in the Atlantic Monthly.
1t Is wDll known that the nearest of
the fixed stars is A pha Centauri. the
brilliant southern binary, which il re.
moved from us 275, 600 times farther than
the sun. One Of the next nearest stnrs
is Sirius, which Is about 500, 600 times
the SUMS distance. These distances
correspond 10 the spaces traversed by n
rRy OF light In four and eight years.
and hence we see these two brilliant
stars a. they ahone four and eight yenra
ago, respectively. The smallest angular
magnitude which can be certainly
measured In the greatest modern tele.
acope Is five ope-hundredths OF second
OF arc, aud this corresponds to tho mar.
allaA OF star at distance OF GO light.
years, or the angle subtended BY
human hair, assumed to nave
diameter OF one-th ousandth Of an inch.
at distance OF $50 feet, Hence it fol-
lows that all stars removed from us by
irore than co light.years have parai.
lakes too small to be detected even by
the most refined methods OF modern re-.
search, and we can at best merely guess
nc their distances. As the near star,
Alpha Centauri, is only four light.
years distant, while some of the known
stars are Ii times AZ remots ii soeals
probable that all those stars which b I'VE
measurable parailux are very clio % TO
US, compared with the distances OF tho
more remote objects. II we suppose the
average star to be Is times as remote
as those objects having the smallest
measurable parallax, the average dis.
lance would be about 800 light years.
As this estimated distance il probably
too small, 1t seems certain that the
multitude OF stars are removed from Us
by more than 1000 light-years, or $50
times the distance Of Alpha Centauri.
We may reckon that in all probability
the most remote regions are 10 zines
more distant from us than the nearest
portion OF the galaxy, aud hence that
our Telescopes probably penetrate
regions lying so remote that light from
the most distant objects would nos
roach us In less than 10000 years.
WHAT we see in these border regions Of
the universe, is, not the events now
transporting there, but phenomena as
they were 10, 600 years ago. or before the
beginning Of human history
The rays that Ienoh our eye from diff
ieroub portons OF Gne SKY tnu6 started
in different ages, and may lie raid to
disclose different phases of the develop
ment OF the universe; those from the
more remote regions representing an
Gent, those from the nearer pnrtions
more modern cosmical history. Even
II all the creation began at the same
time and progressed uniformly our view
of 1t would be altered by the time RI.
quired for the propagation of light
across the immense spaces by which wa
are removed fiom other portions of the
universe. And as all the stars probably
did not begin TO develop at the same
time, it Is natural that we should see
all stages Of world development now
going on In the heavens.
1t Is worthy of remark that II We
imagine sufficiently powerful sensitive
and perfect set of eyes placed INA
cluster of the Milky Way, Mt the dis.
lance of 5000 light-years, and directed
toward the earth, the ethereal throhs
falling upon them would reveal history
as it, was 5000 years ago; and IL these
eyes should move toward the earth they
would witness all human hietory as il
was enacted through the successive cen
turtles. Thus the nature Of terrestrial
events is forever preserved and trans.
mitted on through the ether of infinite
HnAca