The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1912-04-05
DISTANCE OF THE STARS.
ROW Astronomers Set About the Tass
of Measuring II.

of Measuring IL.
With the exception Of a hundred
stars at most, we know nothing Of
the distances of the individual stars.
What is the cause Of this state OF
things? 1t is owing to the fact that
we have two eyes that We are en-
abled not only to perceive the di-
rection in which external objects
are situated, bat to get an idea OF
their distance, to localize them in
space. But this power is rather linn
tied. For distances exceeding some
hundreds of yards it utterly fails,
The reason is that the distance be-
tween the eyes as compared with
the distance to be evaluated be-
comes too small. instruments have
been devised by which the distance
between the eyes is, as it were, arti-
fcially increased. With a good in.
strument of this sort distances o1
several miles may be evaluated. Fol
still greater distances we may i'm
agine each eye replaced by photo
graphic plate. Even this would be
quite sufficient for one of the heav-
enly bodies-viz, for the moon.
At one and the same moment LEI
a photograph of the moon and the
surrounding stars be taken both al
the Cape observatory and at the
Royal observatory at Greenwich
Placing the two photographs side by
side in the stereoscope, we shal
clearly see the moon changing II
space and may evaluate its dis
tance
But for the sun and the neareSt
planets, our next neighbors in the
universe after the moon, the diff
Guilty recommences.
The reason is that any available
distance on the earth, taken as eyt
distance, is rather small for tht
purpose. However, owing to in
credible perseverance and skill O
several observers and by substitut
ing the most refined measurement
for stereoscopic examination, as
tronomers have succeeded in over
coming the difficulty for tie sun.
think we may say that at presen
we know its distance to within ;
thousandth part of its amount
Knowing the suns distance, we &c
that of all the planets by wei
known relation existing between tn,
planetary distances.
But now for the fixed stars
which must be hundreds Of thou
sands of times farther removed thar
the sun. There evidently can be n
question of any sufficient eye dis
tance on our earth. Meanwhile OIL
success with the sun has provide
Us with a new one distance, 24,00'
times greater than any possible ey
distance on the earth, for now tha
we know the distance at which tn
earth travels in its orbit around tn
sun we can take the diameter of 1t
, orbit as our eve distance. Photo
graphs taken at periods six month
apart will represent the stella
world as seen from points the dis
tance between which is already bes
expressed in the time il would tax
.. light to traverse it. The time woul
be about sixteen minutes.
However, even this distance, i'm
meAse as it IS, is, on the whole, in
adequate for obtaining a sterec
scopic view of the stars. 1t is onl
In quite exceptional cases that pho
tographs on large; scale-that il
obtained by the ala of big tele
scopes-show any stereoscopic e
feet for fixed stars. By accurat
. measurement of the photos we ma
! perhaps get somewhat beyond wha
we can attain by simple teieoscopi
inspection; but, as we said mC
!, ment ago, astronomers have not sut
ceeded in this way in determinin
: the distance of more than a hui
dred stars in all.-Scientific Amer
can.
. c-ubworm Races.
An odd form of animal conte:
used to be practiced by Office clerk
in London some years ago. 1t W.
known as grub racing, and near
, every younger clerk had his stab
r of racers. These worms were bre
? in nuts or apples and carefully ST
/ bled betwecY two walnut shell
: They were selected BIZ placing the
g in the center OF Il piece OF pape
r and the one that proved most adel
r in making a speedy bee line to Il