Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1908-08-06
Things We Know About Stars.

spinning upon fixed journey around
the sun. But is the sun, therefore,
stationary? Not very long ago even
astronomers supposed that the sun was
the fixed and motionless centre of our
universe. Now they know better.
The sun, carrying with it the whole
solar system, is whizzing along through
space at the appalling speed Of nearly
10 miles a second.
1t isno use attempting to imagine
this speed. The human brain simply
cannot picture it. But the Question:
is, Where are we going to end upY
All the astronomers can say Is, that
we are moving In the direction of the
constellation of Lyra, and that Vega
is the particular star which seems to be
attracting US. But whether this solar
system will reach that which Vega con-
trolls, or what will happen if it does, no
one has the remotest idea.
Astronomy presents more problems
and more startling ones than does any
other science. How many stars there
are is question asked constantly, but
one which will probably never be an
swered. With the naked eye thou.
sands can be seen; very moderate
telescope shows hundreds of thousands;
the gigantic lens Of a telescope like
that in the Lick Observatory shows
millions. We can safely say that
there are at least hundred million.
But if there are 80 many, why, you
suggest, should there not be more ?
Future generations will build more
powerful telescopes and SO bring up
fresh points of light out Of the clear
depths of infinite space. Therefore,
why should the number of the stars
not be unlimited Well, there is
proof that this cannot be the case.
Mathematical science shows that, if
the number of stars were infinite, the
whole sky would be luminous. See
ing that this is not the case, we can
definitely assert that the universe has
a boundary. But we do not know
where this boundary is, nor can We
say whether outside, at distances too
appalling for human imagination, there
may not be other universes.
We live by the warmth radiated by
the sun. Without the sun not only
the human race, but all animals and
all plants would shortly die, and even
our atmosphere would freeze and turn
to clear ice. But what makes the sun
hot2 That is another Of the still un.
solved prablems which confront astron-
omers. To imagine that it is composed
of burning fuel is simply absurd. The
general idea is that the great orb round
which we revolve is steadily growing
smaller, and that It's constant con-
traction causes the heat which we re-
ceive. Others have still more re-
Gently attempted to solve the problem
by our new knowledge of radium and
its strange properties. But no one can
say for certain what makes the sun
cast out those gigantic flames of blaz-
ing hydrogen, one Of which, photo
graphed last autumn, was 100000
miles in height.
Can lie exist upon other planets OF
our system2 In other words, are the
stars inhabited About four years
ago Mr.. Douglas, an Arizona star
gazer, observed upon Mars series Of
strange, bright lights extending in a
straight line for some hundreds Of
miles across that part of the planet
which we call the Icarian Sea. These
lights lasted 70 minutes and then van
ished as sharply as blown-out can
die. We're these lights produced by
intelligent people and were they
meant as a signal to us2
We know that Mars is about the sane
size as the earth, that it has seasons Of
snow and of comparative warmth, that
its rocks are dense enough for human
feet to walk upon but beyond that
little. We don't know whether
there is water upon the planet, not
even whether there is breathable air.
Its canals, SO called, are an absolute.