Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-06-20
A BONA FlDE INFINITE.
Stars Are Numberless and Space Has
No Limits.

Belief in the limited nature OF the
material universe has gained much
ground of late. One of the most pow
erful arguments that have influenced
astronomers toward the opinion that
the number of celestial bodies is finite
is the consideration which has seemed
to most of them legitimate, that other
wise the heavens would appear as a
uniform blaze of light, for light from
an infinite number of stars would fill
the sky, no matter what their dis
tances. This view, as pointed out by
George C. Comstoek in a paper on
The Distribution of the Stars" read
before the Astrononli al and Astrophy-
steal Society of America, and given
in abstract in Science, assumes that
the stars are all equally luminous and
that there is nothing in space to stop
their light. Both these assumptions
the author regards as unwarranted,
and he therefore believes that there
is no reason for denying that the stel-
lar universe may actually be of unlim-
tied extent. He says:
The first and more important of
these factors relate to the intrinsic
brightness of the stars. 1t has been
commonly assumed that the fainter
stars appear faint because of their
greater distance from the earth. and
that there is no reason to suppose
them to be intrinsically less luminous
than the bright ones. The first part
of this statement is unquestionably
correct as far as it goes; the second
part is wholly wrong. The faint stars
are less luminous than the
bright ones, and stars of any given
magnitude emit, on the average, only
ninety per cent as mucn light as do
stars a magnitude brighter.
The second factor omitted in pre-
vious discussions is not here ignored,
but rejected as useless. The known
existence of dark matter or cosmic
dust scattered through space leads
naturally 10 the supposition that it may
in some manner affect the transpar-
tgcy of interstellar spaces and cause
an al-reciable diminution in the light
of fainter stars. Although this view
has been rejected from current theo-
ries, it is evident from mathematical
discussion of the data here considered
that there is such an absorption and
that approximately five per cent OF
light is lost in transmission over dis
lance equal to a million times the di
ameter of the earth's orbit"
In abandoning the concept of linn
tied and measurable system the writer
considers Professionally the hypothesis
of a system indefinitely extended or
every side, but thinning out on either
side of the Milky Way, because the
stars are here less numerous, or les
brilliant, or because a denser cosmiC
dust more effectually absorbs theil
light This new hypothesis, the
writer believes, brings out features
uurecognized OF unexplained. He goes
on:
The stars are not all of one kind
but differ among themselves in physi
cal condition and properties, WHICH
the spectroscope is able to detect ant
analyze. By far the larger part of the
stars fall into ont of two classe:
which the spectroscopists designate
| as type |. and type H., and which thel
regard as different stages o. develop
ment of the individual, star OF type
| |. passing over with increasing ag'
into type II. Now Pickering ma
shown recently that these stellar type
are not scattered indiscriminatel
throughout the sky, but that tn
younger stars. type l., show NOR
pronounced tendency to cluster alon
! the Milky Way than do the matur
ones. and this tendency grows NOR
and more pronounced with diminishin
brightness of the stars 1t is Difficult
to see why this should be SO; VIII
one part Of the universe should lag be
hind tne rest Ia development, but tn
new hypothesis indicates at once tina
such is not the case. The distribute
found by Professor Pickering is onl
| an apparent one utpeAuAhS dbOli w
known fact that the type /. stars ar
intrinsically brighter than their con
panions of type II. This fact alone
a system such as is here suppose
would produce an increasing account
lation of faint and therefore distar
stars Of this type in the region az
joining the Milky Way, although.
fact, the two types may be everywher
distributed with a uniform ratio
frequency.
"Other matters can be touched upo
here in a summary way only. 1t is a
immediate consequence of the presel
hypothesis that any considerao
group of stars in part of the sky r
mote from the Mflsy Way must on II
average be nearer IL us than a grou
of similar stars in the &tilfs Way a
though this relation has not been re