The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1908-10-23

Is the Moon Really "a Dead World,
and What IL the MILKY Way?


The unsolved problems OF astronomy
are legion. For instance, we do not
yet know whether the nearest Of all
celestial bodies, the moon, Is absolute
ly dead and abandoned or not.
Within three months past one astro-
homer, NJ. Charbouneaux, OF Meudon,
has seen, as he and his assistants aver,
an active volcano on the moon, with
clouds OF dust or vapor floating over IT,
Another unsolyed problem OF intense
Interest relates TO tile sun. We do not
know whether the sun is growing hot
ter or colder. II II is yet only gaseous
IN It's constitution there is "A known
Jaw which proclaims that its heat
must increase while il continues 10
contract
Ii remains To he shown that the sun
IL remains 10 be shown that the sun
grown 50 dense that the laws govern
lng gases no longer control II. Ii that
stage has not been reached, then an
epoch may be approaching when there
VIII be truly a hot time on the earth.
A third problem. Of vastly greater
range. that astronomers are working
al concerns the structure of the uni
verse. Everybody knows that the sky
Is encircled with soft, pearly ring OF
faint light, which seems like a girdle
drawn around the sphere OF the stars.
One OF the greatest Astronomical prob
lens is the nature Of that girdle-the
Galaxy, or the Milky Way. as it is
called.
The question is. what relation does
the Milky Way hold To the other
brighter separate stars which are scat
tered all over the sky? Is 1t in reality
what ii looks Ikea girdle or a spiral
Of very distant stars having no connec-
ton with the other and nearer orbs Of
space, or is it simply an effect OF per-
spectiye. produced by our being in the
middle OF an enormous fiat disc made
OF stars, which stars appear few and
scattered when we look out sideways
from the disc-shaped space that they
| occupy, bat become innumerable and
stretch off into infinite distance when
we look along the plane Of the disc
toward It's narrow edgef 1t is not yet
settled which Of these two explana-
tons gives the more satisfactory &C
count of the phenomenon.
Then another question arises out OF
| this one. and brings our sun and our
solar system again into the problem:
What is the situation Of the sun with
respect to the Milky Way?
Evidently if the Milky Way Is a
ring we are not far from the middle Of
IT, and II il is a disc we must likewise
be near the center OF that disc; but the
sun. carrying us along. is in constant
motion. going roughly speaking, from
/ the south toward the north.
VIII il eventually transport us into
the ring OF the Milky Way, or will its
course change so that we shall move
away from that wonderful girdle or
disc OF stars?
Upon this arises yet another prob
| lem. Is there common center Of
gravity for all the stars, for the whole
universe. around which center every
thing moves: or, on the other hand,
are there only minor system Of orbs
connected by their mutual gravitation,
but virtually independent Of other sys-
temst
Gravitat.on. which is itself an uneX-
I planned mystery seems TO extend over
all distances: hut that is merely seem
/ ing, for we have proof only that its
sway exists between the members Of
the solar system, including the comets,
and between the orbs that make mp
/ the so-called binary stars, where two
/ close by stars are observed 10 be in mo-
| ton about their common center.
For the universe at large il Is only
a probable inferencc-not matter OF
/ establishing fast-that gravitation af-
| fects all bodies alike and extends TO
| all conceivable distances, only weak
ening as the distance becomes greater.
London Express.