The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1912-01-12
DISTANCE OF THE STARS.
No.. As..onomsrs Set About the Task
Of Measuring II.

With the exception Of a hundred
a.r al most, we know nothing Of
,he distances Of the individual stars.
What is the cause Of this state OF
things: 1t is owing TO the fact that
ve have two ewes that we are en-
sbled not only 10 perceive the di-
,sction in which external objects
are situated, bit 10 get an idea Of
Aeir distance, to locallzc them in
mace But this power is rather lin
ed For distances exceeding some
hundreds Of yards it utterly fails.
The reason is that the distance be-
tween the eyes as compared with
,be distance to be evaluated be-
ZONES too small. instruments have
been devised by which the distance
between the eyes is, as it were, arti-
| fcially increased. With a good in
srument Of this sort distances OF
several miles may be evaluated. For
still greater distances we may i'm
,rne each eye replaced by a photo
| graphic plate. Even this would bs
quite sufficient for one Of the heav-
saly bOdies-vis, for the moon.
Al one and the same moment let
photograph Of the moon and the
rrouDding stars be taken both at
Ae Cape observatHy and at the
RcyL observatory at Greenwich
Pacing the two photographs side BY
Gde in Ole stereoscope, we shall
clearly see the moon Hanging in
pce' and may evaluate its dis
lance.
But for the sun and the nearest
planets, our next neighbors in the
universe after the moon, the diff
rIlty recommences.
The reason is that any svailsble
distance on the earth, taken as eye
distance, is rather small for the
purpose. However, owing TO in
credible perseverance and skill OF
several Observers and by substitut-
Ing the most refined measurement
for stereoscopic examination, as
tOnomers have succeeded in over
coming the difficulty for the sun I
think we may say that at present
We know its distance to within .
thOdsandth part of its amount.
knowing the suns distance, we get
that Of all the planets by a well
hwn relation existing between the
Planetary distances.
But now for the fixed stars,
shbh must be hundreds Of thou
hnds Of times farther removed than
henn. There evidently can be no
question OF any sufficient eye dis
lance on our earth. Meanwhile our
success with the sun has provided
With a new one distance, $4,000
1nes greater than any possible eye
usance on the earth, for now that
I" know the distance at which the
a'ih travels in its orbit around the
'lh We can take the diameter Of its
aai as our eye distance. Photo
psphs taken at periods six months
part Will represent the stellar
.uld as seen from points the dis
aace between which is already best
= expressed in the time il would take
|.snt 10 truyerse it. The time would
|esOout sixteen minutes.
however, even this distance, i'm
nense as il is, is, on the whole, in
.Squate for obtaining q stereo-
|iC'pic view Of the stars. IL is only
|I quite exceptional cases that pho
IEIrsphs Oh large scale-that is,
Iuuihed by the aid Of big tele-
|SOPe.-show any stereoscopic ef-
~ Tor fixed stars. BY accurate
Is suFement OF the photos we may
inaps get somewhat beyond what
can attain by simple stereoscopic
but, as we said a mo-
COY ago, astronomers have not sue
'slsd e In this way in determining
~ distance Of more than a hum
sastsrs in all.-Scientifc Ameri-