The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1909-11-04
A GREAT CENTRAL SUN
MadIer's Theory Is That 1t Is the
Star Aicyone.
THE CENTER OF GRAVITY.


According to the Astronomer, the
Principal Star of the PIeiades 10 the
Body Around Which All Created
Matter Within Our Ken Rsvoivss.
1t has been the dream of all the ro-
mantle astronomers since the time Of
Copernicus to prove the existence of
central sun. says Lawrence Hodges.
writing in the New York Tribune. By
this is meant a heavenly body us much
larger than the sun as the sun itself
is larger than the earth. round which
the sun. with all its planets. must re-
volve. 1t has been proved that the
sun and all its satellites are rushing
forward through space with enormous
velocity. but whether the motion was
In straight line or circular path
was not proved for some time.
Hu' oven if 1t was proved curved
path and that there probably existed
central sun that transcribed the
earth's lord in size. why couldn't we
see it? The only answers are that 1t
would have to be noniuminous or else
so far away that the light hadn't reach
ed us yet But if all the stars. inciud
ing our sun. were children of this big
sun. just as the earth is the child of
the sun and the moon of the earth,
they would have had to have been
flung off from the big sun with
greater velocity than that of light In
order for the big sun not to be visible
and still be luminous; also the big sun
would have to be luminous II any Of
its children were. for that is the in
variable law of the heavens. So the
problem simmered down to finding
star or group of stars that would take
the place of the central sun.
The motion of the solar system hav-
ing been settled as to fact. quantity
| and direction. astronomers set about
to find the center of gravity of the
whole astral system. for there. il any
| where. the central sun was to be
found. An astronomer named Mad
Ter thought he had found the star to
satisfy the necessary conditions In the
constellation known as Taurus. or the
Bull. A closer search proved the spe-
cial star under examination to be lack
ing in some of the conditions. SO this
one was left and the search begun
anew. This same astronomer persist
ed in his search with wonderful
faith in his theory and at last found
star fulfilling in the most wonderful
and complete manner the necessary
conditions. Every one is familiar with
the beautiful little cluster known as
the Pleiades. or seven stars. The teles-
cope, however. shows fourteen stars
clustered about the beautiful and bril-
liant star Alcyone. which is the OPP
teal center Of this group.
The proper motions of all these have
been determined with great exactness.
They are all in the same direction and
are all nearly equal to each other. and.
| what Is still more important. the mean
of their proper motions differs from
that of the central star. Aicyone. by
only one-thousaDdth of a second of
arc in right ascension and by only
wo-thousandths of a second in decli-
! nation. Here. then. is found mag
nifcent group of suns either actually
allied together and sweeping together
| through space or else composing q
cluster so situated as to be affected
by the same apparent motion produced
by the suns progression through the
celestial regions.
But an extension of the limits of re-
search round Alcyone exhibits also the
wonderful truth that out of 10 stars
being within IS degrees of this center
there are sixty moving south that Is.
in the same direction-in full accord
ance with the hypothesis that Alcyone
is the center. forty-nine showing prac-
tically no motion, while only one sim
gle individual that moves at all con-
trary to the computed motion. Thus
was Madler's profound speculation
justified. Furthermore. assuming Al
cyone as the grand center of the mil
lions of stars composing our astral sys-
tenn and the direction of the suns mo-
ton to be as before mentioned. Mad
| Ter investigated the consequent move
ments of all the stars in every quarter
| of the heavens.
Just where the swiftest motions
should be found in accordance with
this assumption there they actually ex-
list. this either demonstrating the truth
of the theory or else showing we'll
nigh impossible series of condolences.
Therefore the CONCLUSION given out by
Nader is that Alycone. the principal
star of the Pleiades, now occupies the
center of gravity and Is at present the
great central sun about which The uni
verse of stars and all created matter
within our ken is revolving, each en-
tity in its own special path.
Meredith's Advice to Stead.
| ". r. Stead tells a characteristic
story of George Meredith, which is all
the more appreciate as It Is told
against himself.
HE was true friend" says Mr..