The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-11-20
TIE Sun, UNIVERSE, AND SPACE

The above topic is not often writ
ten upon for the public prints.
Probably the subject is too far
reaching to be comprehended by
the reading public. So far as the
university Of space is concerned,
with the host OF heavenly bodies
that make midnight SO glorious,
aud about which the poet wrote,
Little star, little star; How Iwon-
der what you are" etc, we do not
propose to say anything about; for
it is so little that we can know
about. They belong to the realm
of infnity, and the finite mind can
not comprehend infnity; hence we
dismiss this part of the subj cct, and
speculate about things little
nearer home. Yes. speculate, for
we cannot know definitely, even
about that.
OF the Solar System, which is
but a small speck of the university
of space, people have gained a pro-
found fund of useful knowledge.
The solar system is a very interest
ing and useful study. And though
much has been learned about it,
and yet but comparatively little is
known about Our planetary system.
OF course, astronomers are perfectly
familiar with the laws of attraction
and gravitation and OF the centrip-
etal and centrifugal forces, and all
the laws governing all the orbs in
their revolutions, yet notwithstand-
ing, there is a hundred fold in the
DARK, and that may perhaps never
come to light, to satisfy the insati-
able thirst of the inquiring mind
toward which every energy is bent
to solve the mysteries ofthe planets.
The question 50 often asked; Are
they inhabited" may never be
answered.
From astronomy we learn that
the sun is $50, 900 miles in diameter
and about o5, 900, 900 miles distant
foom the earth. The moon is about
24o, 900 miles distant from the
earth. The interesting point under
consideration, is, the dimension OF
the sun in the vastness of his BODY.
We are perfectly aware that but
the fewest number can comprehend
the fullness of the idea.
The diameter of the moon orbit
is about 4So, 900 miles-about one
half the diameter of the sun. We
presume that everybody under
stands what we mean by the word,
'orbit. " To the naked eye the
moon looks as far distant as the
sun. To illustrate our idea of the
dimensions of the sun, we will sup
pose that the outer surface of the
sun, or shell, envelopes the earth,
every portion of the sun shell to be
equally distant from all points CT
the earth, forming a canopy like
the blue sky, we would find the
distance to any point of the sun, S
shell, covering us, like the heavens,
to be 44o, 900 miles. The moon
could revolve in its orbit around
the earth and still be 200, 900 miles
distant from the aforesaid sun sur
face, or shell. To the naked eve
this would seem like the universe
itself.
Or, to put it in another form:
Suppose then, that the centre of
the sun occupied the centre of the
earth, his body would extend from
all points of the centre, in every
direction as far as to the moon and
as much farther beyond as the dis
tance from the earth to the moon. e.
These statements are not the work
of imagination or fancy, though we
had to imagine the position OF the
sun, other than his location, to
illustrate the vastness OF his dimen-
sion. If science is approximately
correct the sun in vastness, is a
body in size as we have here illus
trated.
Now since so many school pupils
and people in general never study
astronomy, we wrote this article
for their reflection and benefit.
Whenever one strives, in his fight,
TO soar on the wings of his intel
lectual efforts, in pursuit of knowl.
edge, there is no limit to the field
of exploration; and as soon as he
gets away from this mundane
sphere, he gets lost in thought,
amazement and wonder. J.C. w.
Dragged Beneath Gar; Fell Through