Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-25


binary, or double, stars These were stars of equal
nearly equal size revolving not round each other
but round their common center of gravity, thus
showing also the existence of higher organization
IN the realm of systems than the solar system.
Hunting for the Stellar Lord
THE discovery of the binary stars having cleared
the air, and having displaced all necessity for
prejudice in favor of large central orb the subject
was taken up with more enthusiasm The conditions
necessary to the center of system worked out
and then these were looked for in the heavens As
they comparatively easy to comprehend will
state them here. But first let it be stated that such
a large central existed the stars nearest it
would be most under its influence, and would show
their by the swfness of their motion; all
that would be necessary to find such vast orb
would be to pick the of the fastest motion
As none of great swiftness has been found it is
safe to assume that there IS no big central But
the conditions that would obtain the center
OF gravity of such astral system
The great center would probably be located within
the limits of rich cluster all the stars composing
which, well those within about twenty-five
degrees would appear to move in the direction,
due to suns progressive motion through the
celestial regions Those Immediately next to the
central would appear to move with the same
velocity due to that SUM- and the entire group would
sweep through space together without parting
pany; that IS, would appear to do this seen from
An astronomer named Maedler thought he had
found the satisfy these conditions in the
stellation known as Taurus or the Bull. closer
search proved the special star under examination to
be lacking in some of the conditions; this
left and the search begun anew. This astrono-
mer persisted in his search with wonderful faith in
his theory and at last found fulfilling in the
most wonderful and complete manner the necessary
conditions
Maeder's Great Discovery
EVERYONE is familiar with the beautiful little
= cluster known the Pleads, stars The
telescope however, shows fourteen stars clustered
about the beautiful and brilliant star Acyone which
is the optical center of this group The proper
motions of all these have been determined with
great exactness. They all in the same direction
and all nearly equal to each other, and, what IS
still more important. the mean of their proper
tons differs from that of the central star Alcyone
by only one-thousandth of second of arc in right
ascension and by only two-thousandths of a second
in declination.
Here then, is found magnificent group of suns
either actually allied together and sweeping together
through space, else composing cluster situated
to be affected by the same apparent motion pro-
duced by the sun progression through the celestial
regions.
But extension of the limits of research round
Acyone exhibits also the wonderful truth that out
Of hundred and within fifteen degrees of
this center, there sixty moving south-that is,
in the same directon-in full accordance with the
hypothesis that Alcvone is the center; forty-nine
showing practically no motion; while only one single
individual that moves at all contrary to the
puted motion Thus Maedler profound specu-
lation justified. Furthermore, assuming Acyone as
the grand center Of the millions of stars composing
astral SYSTEM and the direction of the suns
motion to be as before mentioned, Maedler nves-
tigated the consequent movements of all the stars
in every quarter of the heavens. Just where the
swtest motions should be found in accordance with
this assumption there they actually exist this either
demonstrating the truth of the theory else showing
well nigh impossible series Of condolences
Alcyone the Universal Center
THEREFORE,, the conclusion given out by Maed-
Ter is that Alcyone, the principal star of the
Pleads occupies the center of gravity and is
present the great central about which the uni
of stars and all created matter within our ken
is revolving each entity in its special path
There two interesting things deduced
from this conclusion and the distance of this
central sun from 1t has been computed at