The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1907-02-27
WEIGHT OF THE SUN.
HOW THE ASTRONOMERS SOLVE
THIS WONDERFUL PROBLEM.
,r You VIII Multiply 3s3, 264 by Seven
seXtiilions. You VIII Get Approxi-
mmtcIy the Number of Tons Of Mat
ter Contained In the Great Orb.

hCW W.. 49,
matcIy the Number of Tons Of Mat
ter Contained In the Great Orb.
To weigh the sun. moon, earth or
any other body. said Professor Edgar
l.. I.arkin, the celebrated director OF
Echo Mountain observatory, to the
writer, Is not a very difficult matter.
though to those ignorant Of astronomy
and mathematics ii would perhaps APP
pear 80. Or course weight is merely
relative term, for ut the exact center
of gravity body weighs nothing at
all. Weight varies as we approach the
gravitntiOn point or recede from II,
and the expression as employed in ev-
aryday life--when we buy pound OK
steak or ton of coals-simply means
the weight used on the surface OF the
earth because we live there.
Now. supposing you are DESTROYS OF
weighing the earth, how would you go
about it? Well. if your education had
been neglected and you were in conse-
quence ignorant of mathematics you
might decide to cut up this terrestrial
globe of ours in blocks aud bring each
block to the surface of the earth and
there weigh il on an ordinary pair Of
scales. The operation would doubtless
he costly and fatiguing one. and per
haps many unscientifc landowners
might object to your carrying OF their
property even though you explained
that it was merely as temporary
loan. But let us for arguments sake
suppose that you succeeded.
Well, having carried each block to
the surface (and many of them would.
Of course, have been brought from the
very center Of the EARTH one ut Il
time returning each to its proper place
before weighing the next and having
discovered that each block weighed a
ton, then before your labors ended and
the last block Of earth had been placed
OH the scales YOU would have dealt
with rather less than seven scXtillions.
This of course Is Il tremendous num-
Der OF tons for any moving mass to
weigh. but there Is Il time twice each
year when the earth actually weighs
nothing at all. In October last this
earth gradually began to lose weight
like some huge, giant dying OF de-
cline until at cegtan moment of time
II weighed only an ounce. then half an
ounce. then a quarters. and finally, just
FOR about the fifty-thoqsandth part of
4 second. it weighed absolutely nothing
whatever-not even 80 lnus.h as soap
bubble which baby might plow away.
TO realize this you must remember
that the earth does not travel rNnd
the sun in an exact circle. 80 that ire
distance from the sun j always vary-'
ing, which Of course alters tie power
of attraction or, in other words, the
earth's weight. But in October and
April Of each year the earth is at an
exact average distance during the frsc-
ton Of second. AZ which time. M /
have said before. il weighs nothing.
How short a space 81 time this is may
be judged from the fact that the earth
moves at the rate Of eighteen and a
half miles every second.
But 10 weigh the earth IN the manner
suggested wDulJ ~ very costly mat
ter. and 20 II j. found 70 be more sat
lsfactoTy 10 employ mathematics. when
we shall arrive ~ the same results. as
Stunning 81 course that we are correct
in orr desiBetlODs. And DOW as 10 the
most usual means employed in weigh
ing tie sun. Having satisfied ourselves
a. 10 tie true weight Of the earth. we
rail- that "One'' Or Unity" That is
tie bssis On Witch We work.
The mkt thing 70 DO Is 10 mount 10
some s.eys'iOn-the top Of tower or
the rOof ~ house will answer our
purT<,.H very gell-drop a stone and
find out bOw far IL will fall in one sec
bud u time and what It's exact rate Of
speed will be al the end Of the hrst
sGcDild
This Is not 80 easy as IL sounds. but
ve can spsre ourselves the fatigue OF
calculating. tor after 800 years scien-
lists haze by means Of the most deli
este Instruments arrived al the proved
conclusion that al the end OF the first
.ecOnd tbe stone viii be al distance
u lGi feet from the starting point and
viii Ne then travelling al the rate OF
III feet per second. This Oh is the
most important factor in our calcula
iiODs aud has been called the astro-
nOinicsl scales, for by means Of it We
ran weigh the sidereal universe.
NOW, here, said Professor Larkin,
taking a paper from his desk. is an ar
iicie which / wrote some time ago on
The weighing Of the sun. and | do not
think you can DO better than make an
extract from il. which will save me
much needless repetition. and he hand
81 me- the manuscript. from which ]
quote the following paragraphs:
Every object in the celestial vault
seen by the eye Of man is a falling
body. The earth is body forever fall
ing toward the sun and the moon for
ever toward the earth. II we can find
with what speed the earth is falling TO
ward the sun at the end of our exact
second a clew is obtained that will lead
through n maze Of figures TO the mass
10. hsa trt,a fny