The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-07-26
THE E|ARTH'S MOTIONS
How We Are WhirIing Around
and Through Space.
THE INFLUENCE OF THE SUN.

| Forever In Straight Line.
There are those who think much O
moving from one point to another O,
the earth-travel they call it-and We
pay little heed to the wonderful Jour
ney Of the earth itself. Many, again
so to seek q climate while the hurry
ing earth Is bringing to them one eli
| mate after another in endless success
| sion. Those who have not hitherto
taken much notice Of the earth's prog
ress-who have not, 80 to speak. looked
out Of their carriage window as they
are whirled alonS-might find a new
interest in doing so Look. for exam
pie. at the apparent size Of the sun
Casual observation shows that it ap
pears larger in the winter heavens
And exact measurements tell US that
It is largest on Jan. and smallest on
July 2. The size of the sun thus marks
the earth'S nearest approach and
greatest distance from the sun Accu.
rnte astronomical measurement of the
suns diameter might even determine
the day Of the year. for the daily vari.
alton In the apparent size Of the sun ,is
some nine dftieths Of a second Of an
gular measurement And astronomers
profess to measure the second decimal
OF seconds.
There are three ways in which we
are journeying with the earth. There
IL. drst, the daily revolution. which car
ries us through a complete circle in
twenty-four hours at a rate varying
from rather more than a thousand
miles an hour at the equator to moth
ing at the poles, where no one. by the
way. has ever been. Then we are trav.
cling around the sun once a year at
the rate OF eighteen miles a second
Thirdly. we are journeying through
stellar space. for one Of the most re-
markable facts which modern astron-
omy has brought to light is that our
solar system. the sun with all its plan
cts, is on a journey toward the con-
stellation Lyra at the rate Of ten miles
q second. p
AZ we sit in train and are whirled
along 1t sometimes appears as If the
scenery were flying past US rather
than we past It, So the daily revolu-
ton Of the earth-a thousand miles an
hour at the e,,uator-rakes the sun
rise ana set. and our yearly Journey
makes the sun apparently travel
through the consultations Of the 20
dfac. If we move round any stationary
object on the earth we see 1t with a
constantly changing background-now
q windmill, now cottage, now a
wood. how a church. ETC.. So as we
travel round the sun we see It with an
ever changing background OF stars
now those Of Aries. now Of Taurus,
now OF Gemini. and 80 on. The posi-
ton Of the sun among the stars marks
the stages OF the earth's annual jour-
ney. And as the earth arrives at Diff
ferent points Of its orbit the times Of
the risings Of certain stars vary. These
indications OF the enrth's progress
have been taken as marks Of the sea-
sons. Thus when Sirius rose with the
sun it was known that the dog days
had begun. Early astronomers watch
ed carefully for the rising Of the dog
star. The Egyptian astronomers look
ed for the helical rising Of Sothis to |
proclaim the new year.
It is the earth's yearly journey round
the sun which enables US to determine |
the distances Of the stars. The method |
b precisely that adopted by surveyors |
for determining the position Of objects |
On earth. The direction Of the object |
whose distance Is to be found Is OBJ |
served from two points a known dis |
lance apart. The rest is mere calcula-
ion. In the case Of the stars the direc-
lions are observed from two extrenc
points in the earth's orbit instead Of
from the two ends Of base line The
process is called triangulation when
applied to earth measurements, and
understands what 1t means.
When applied to the stars it is called
oarallax and remains mystery to
most people. Such is the obscuring
power Of word.
The little more and the little less"
4 Browning are forcibly illustrated in
he direction Of the earth's journey
'ound the sun. An elliptic course diff
ering very little from q circle, COM
lined with a tilt OF the axis, gives us
he seasons. But II this difference and
II. did not exist there would be no
easons and one climate would rule
he year. II. again. the course were
more elliptic. then for the hemisphere
whose winter occurred at the earth's
'reatest distance from the sun there
night be glacial period.
The straight line" says Miss Helen
Keller. ''symbolizes duty. 1t is dull
bought drawn out endlessly." And
his seems to be reflection on what
re had thought was the earth's path
{ duty round the sun. for this path Is
be curve known as the ellipse. More
yer. the thought makes the sun
empter OF the earth from the strict
ath Of duty. for the earth. we learn
rom our Newton. II left to itself
Tould wander on forever through
pace IN straight line. It is the sun
Fhich draws 1t from this dull course
ito the pleasant curve Of subsection.
et the suns victory Is only partial,
,e earth's actual path being a combi-
alton Of its own straight line Of IN
Iination and obedience to the pull Of
,e sun. And 50 instead OF the dull
fought drawn out endlessly" we have
&c beautiful thought Of the changing
ensons. the flowers and fruits Of the
nth. with its ever varying weather,
lnshine and storm, heat and cold.