The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1904-01-29
THE WORLDS POSITION.
Astronomical Expedition Equipped
10 Determine Where We Are
I'm the Universe.

While the political world has been dis
GUESSING the course of British trad, as
tronomers have been equipping an ex-
petition which is. if possible, to solve the
question whether we are all, free traders
and protectionists alike, with the sun
and the rest of the planets, rushing
through space at the speed of $4,000
miles an hour in the direction of the star
Vega, says the Sphere With this uues-
ton is connected another very vital one
of our position in the general scheme Of
the universe. The study of many facts
in astronomy has tended toward the i'm
preston that the earth is but a grain on
the sand beach of space. Other recent
accumulations Of facts. however. seem
TO indicate-as DR.. Wallace. the veteran
colleague Of Darwin. has pointed out
that the earth occupies unique and CEN
trail position in the visible universe. In
this very vital discussion II IS of i'm
portance TO know whether we are moving
away from the apparently central posi-
ton in the plane Of the Milky WAY with
speed which is great or negligible and
in what direction we are moving.
To gather accurate facts concerning
this movement, Prof. w w. Campbell.
director of the Lick Observatory. has sent
out an expedition 10 Santiago de Chilli.
whose mission it is TO measure the veIo-
city Of 800 OF 400 of the brighter stars In
the quarter Of the sky surrounding the
south pole. for the only way In which we
become aware of the flight OF the solar
system is by watching the counter move
ment Of the stars. I'VE are like" saws
Prof Serviss. passengers on the deck
of a ship moving swiftly through
crowded harbor. The direction Snd
velocity of our motion are indicated by
the other craft and the shores around us
Ships ahead Of us, which we are over
hauling, loom continually larger: those
behind. which we are leaving. dwindle
in the distance. This does not quite ap-
ply in the case Of the stars. because they
are almost infinitely far away. and the
change in their brightness resulting from
an approach TO those in the north and
our retreat from those in the south is
too slight TO be noticed even from year
10 year. But, luckily. the waves Of light
do the work for us. The light OF the stars
toward which we are going has its I'M
dulation practically shortened by our
swift approach, and the light Of those
which We are leaving behind has its un-
dulations practically heightened, and
the spectroscope not only detects these
changes in the light waves. but enables us
by their means TO measure the rate of our
motion and also to deduce its exact d.
rection."
More than 100 years ago Sir William
Herschel declared that the solar-zstem
- sun and his attendant planets, slud-
ing our earth-is moving in e btht
line approximately toward tho M
ton Hercules. That was mF ~
on Sir Williams part. for< 800
means Thereof ascertainin
of the stars or their velocit, r
coveries have shown. howeu.
statement was absolutely Co. sS nd
that the solar system is moving 70 .
point. either in Hercules OF in Lyra.
Herschel put the speed down to about ten
miles a second. Recent lengthy obser-
vations and calculations at the famous
Lick observatory In California declare
the speed at II miles second or As 900
miles every hour.
II Is confidently expected that the COM
bination of the spectrographic results
obtained at the Lick observatory I'm Cali
fornia and at Santiago will lead to a very
satisfactory solution of the perplexine
problem of the motion of the solar sys-
tenn through space. The expedition will
be away two years.
II will be of interest here to quote DR.
Wallace's conclusion: "The three start
ling facts that We are in the center OF a
cluster Of suns. and that the cluster IS
situated not only precisely in the plane
OF the Milky Way. but also centrally IN
that plane, can hardly now be looked
upon as chance condolences without any
significance in relation to the culmiuat-
ing fact that the planet so situated has
developed humanity. OF course the re-
lation here pointed out may be a true re-
lation OF cause and effect. and vet have
arisen as the result OF one in a thousand
million chances occurring during almost
Infinite time; but. on the other hand
those thinkers may be right who hold
mat the universe is a manifestation OF
I mind "a