The times-herald. [volume] (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929, 1915-10-23
A PEEP INTO SPACE
Can the Finite Mind Of Man
Measure the Uniyerse7
THE LIMITS OF THE VISIBLE.

Science Saya the Sounds OF tho Stellar
.em Are Dsfinabs and That the
inverse Is as an Island Of Stare In
an 'nfnlts oesan Of Ether.
To the visible universe there are at
tainable limits. IL may be that the
greatest telescopes have not yet reach.
ed the bottom, or the boundaries. OF
the entire system. but they have al.
most done so.
This IS shown by the thinning out Of
the fainter stars. These stars. as n
whole. are the most distant. and II they
were unlimited numerically every In
crease In the penetrating power Of
telescopes would bring previously un.
seen ones into view. In proportiouately
undiminished numbers.
As fact, however, there Is rapid
falling OF In the proportionate mum.
bers at great distances. This Is shown
by Kapteyn's .'law OF star density"
Taking the ''parsec' as the unit OF
measurement "a parsec is equal to
nineteen million million miles,, the
density OF the stars at increasing dis
tances comes out rs follows; At o dis
lance. 100: at 90 parsecs, 900: Mt 1856
parsecs. O.s6; at 213 parsecs. OCT; at
$40 parsecs. 0.30; at $50 parseis. 0.i5,
This does not mean that the absolute
number OF stars decreases with increase
Of distance. but that the ratio OF their
number TO the volume OF space occu.
pied decreases in the proportion shown.
30 that at distance OF $50 parsecs
stars as there should be II there had
been no falling Off in relative density.
Various counts and estimates OF the
actual numbers Included within various
limiting distances have been made. and
these show that the total number OF
stars IN the visible universe is numer.
able and probably does not exceed
thousand millions at an outside csti.
mate.
The fact that fairly definite shape
or outline has been found for the yisl
BILE universe Is in Itself a proof that
II Is not unlimited In extent. We are
virtually certain that It expands around
US In such a manner as TO assume
roughly the form of fiat. Irregular
disk. the more distant parts or edges
of which lie In the plane OF the Milky
way. II Is thus like a floating island OF
stars IN the ocean Of space.
Space itself may be infinite, although
what We call the universe is not. As
10 other uniyerses existing beyond the
iirs1ffa ~ nt,r., and fn,-fafi,s.. 20 ,,a that
10 purely a speculation, which appears
more or less probable according to the
in which ones mind approach. |,
rs It
But, at any rate, there is no positive
evidence Of the existence Of such outer
,tar systems. From time TO time one
bears suggestions that this or that neb
lla Is an "outside universe" dIrnly
shining TO US from its millions Of
'rowded stars across immeasurable
racts Of Intervening space. But II Is
ar more probable that no nebula or
'ther object visible In the migbtlest
eiescope is unconnected with the uni
'erse to which our sun and our earth
'elong.
As TO the continuance OF the Crea.
cr's work in forming new suns and
lew planets. OF that there can be no
question. This work is. IN truth. visi
ly going on before us In the heavens.
there Is the utmost variety OF ages
mong the stars, Just an there 10
mong the human beings In crowd.
our lives were heightened 80 that a
ear would be but as a second to Us
Ve should see the stars around us dis
ppearing and new ones gpringing into
xistence, as we see flowers fading
nd fresh ones blooming In the garden.
To return for moment 10 the qlies-
lon of the ininitude OF space. II is
'eii known that the human mind can.
OF conceive limit TO space, for the
istant you attempt TO fix or imagine
uch a Limit your Imagination nies be
ond It You have got to think OF an
inside as well as OF an inside.
And II you hy to another imagined
,undary instantly another outside ex.
anse stretches away before you! II
, then, perfectly legitimate TO sup
ose that, while the visible universe
limited, the invisible universe has (
, bounds. Ip comparison with that 1
] that we see, or can ever see, Il, q
uly. Infinitely less than rs q grain \
sand TO a desert or drop OF water !
an ocean.--Garrett y. scrviss In :
ew York Journal a