The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1916-12-08
DISTANCE OF THE STARS
How Astronomers Set About The Tass
g Measuring Il.

~ ~~Sff' ''' 49,
With the exception OF hundred
stars at NJ st. Te Know moth 1g O.
the distance OF tue individual stars.
What + the cause Of this STATE Of
thinzs: It IS OWL = TO the fact that
we have te-o YES lat We are e9,
abled not o,t5 t. perc9Aye the q
rection in which exteEfsl obiects
are situate. h to s.an idea ot
their dis &C. eeni53e them II
space. But ia r. er hl
tied. For dst II Az
hundreds of yards . D,.eu, t2lf
The reason is that -Aei distance :
tween the eyes p 4haarea rit
the distance to be -. - f.
comes 100 a.sa4 ,nsts. ~
been de sec bY II - q
betweer the eyes IS. .. asse. .;
fcially increased. WEN . good =.
strrment of this soll siytaaces {.
several miles MAJ oe eva.nate'F ~
stiIl greater. dist&nces.we NJ III
axius each eye replaces by q f~sote
graphic plate. Even this wo@d b:
quite sufficient for one Of tie hcaF
enly bodies-viz, for ne moon.
1t one and the same aent l.
q photograph Of the r-orl a"e
surrounding stars,be taken ta.h .
the Cape observatory ana at tn
Rcyal observatory at GreenwioA
Placing the two photographs side b
side In the stefeoscope, p we s4ll
clearly see the moon .''h:,ng ng:j!
space" and may evalnate lis 81
tance. ~
But for the sun apjf tbs ncos
planets, our next nsisA hois in -
universe after tie noon, she d'i'
Guilty recommences.
The reason is that any, syailal
distance OF the earth. taken =
distance, IS rather small f. &.
purpose. However, owing g. :
credible perseverance and >s :
several observers and by subs -
inzs the most refined ~measnremer
for stereoscopic eXaIiiration, a
tronomers have s'.eceeded in owe
coming the dif'oulty for the sr7
think we NAV say that at pi Il
we know It's distance to w'tla-
thousandtl part o. its GiaOun
Knowing the suns distance, y" <
that of all the pls neta by a WI
known relafIoa existing betwee4 t.
planetary distances
But nov foi ,ae li2ef stai
which must lie nu4lrels OF ~
sands of tsncs further removed IN;
the sun. There evidently can te
question Of any s. icirnt eye Ii
tance on or earth ! IN aile q
success with the snu las pro- Il
us with q nov one c.:st,n, y .Oi
tim greaie~ han any lNHf.ible g
distance 81 the earth, Ter uow tn
~ know the distance at shich z
ea.th travels III is orbit around I
sun we can take the diameter of
orbit as our eve distance. Phct
graphs taken at periods six mont
apart will represent the stell
world as seen rom points the q
lance between witch is aIeadv bt
expressed. IN tie time it would "a
light to.traverse it. The time woC
be about sixteen minutes.
However, even this distance, I
mense as it is, Is, or the whole. =
adequate for obtaining IA ster'
scenic view of tie stars. 1t IS OF
n. quite exceptional eases that pl
tographs on a, Large .sc'de-that
obtained By the aid Of big te
scopes-show any stercoscopic
l eect for fixed stars. BY accur'
|, measurement Of the photos we II
| perhaps get somewhat beyond WI
se can attain by simple stereSsco
Inspection; but, as we said a 4
ment ago, astronomers have not 9
4 ceeded in this way in ,determin
4 the. distance of more than a b.
4 dred stars in aIl.--Scientifc Ann
~ ran. ~