Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1921-11-30

prepared BY the National Geographic So
clety. Washington. u. c.
Man takes many trips on the face
OF the globe; IL might be well for him
TO soar beyond the clouds to observe
the time table and routes of the
spheres and note the relation Of his
earth 10 the celestial scheme Of things.
When a mighty storm sweeps over
the ocean, when a great war devas-
tates q continent when a Katmai
blows of her head. when an earth
quake destroys a populous city. men
stand overwhelmed and awed at the
spectacle.
But how little and Insignificant are
such forces. measured by the majestic
might Of the earth as IL sweeps on
Its course around the sunl
An eminent phSycist has estimated
that the power developed by a million
Niacaras in a million years would not
equal the energy expended by the
earth in a single second as II circles
round the sun.
And yet so perfect is the mechanism
that. flying around its axis at an
equatorial speed OF more than
1000 miles an hour. and around its
orbit at more than LOO miles a min
ute. an the mundane influences Of
which astronomers know could not
change the length Of its day as much
as a second in 100000 years.
But as soon as one looks ont into
space with the eye OF the astronomer,
there comes the discovery that in all
ifs seeming greatness the earth Is so
small that even a telescope 10000
times as powerful as the strongest In
strument now IN existence would not
reveal Il 20 an astronomer on any
fixed star.
Compared with the sun. our planets
inslgnihcance becomes evident. More
than 100000 spheres like ours would
be needed % make a bulk equal TO
that 81 a single sun.
HerschePs Picture Of Solar System.
Perhaps our most graphic picture of
the solar system Is given by Herschel.
Imagine a circular field two and half
miles in diameter; place a library
globe two feet In diameter I'm the very
center. s. feet away put a mustard
seed. The globe VIII represent the
sun and the mustard seed Mercury.
Al n distance Of 142 feet place a
pea. and another az 2i5 feet. These
win represent Venus and the EARTH
both as 20 size and distance. A
rather large pinhead NJ a distance Of
427 feet will speak for Mars. and
fair-sized tangerine n quarter of a
mile distant will stand for Jupiter. A
small lemon az twO-fifths Of mile
win play Tie role Of Saturn. large
cnerrv tree three-fourths Of a mile will
answer Tor Uranus. and a fair-sized
Mum az the very edge OF the field
will proclaim Neptune.
Whether studied as the head OF the
planetary family 70 which the earth
belongs. or whether as an average
member of the great household OF suns
thar dwell In the distant skies, Old
Sol has many thrills for the student.
To the inhabitants Of the earth the
fact that he shines is the most impor-
tant physical consideration In life.
From him we derive warmth, light
and power: without him the oceans
and even the air itself would freeze
and. OF course. under such conditions
life would be impossible.
While the stars appear 10 us about
as much like the sun as the hretiies
NJ n summer night. yet the patient IN
yestigations OF astronomers show not
only that the sun is a star. but that
n Is by no means either the largeS, or
brightest OF the celestial family AS
sured that Il IS a star and knowing
thar the next nearest one Is 3Oo,oVO
times as Ear away. astronomers adj
dressed themselves TO the task OF
learning about the other stars by
s.uavinr our own. They found that
,bere are some like II. giving oct the
same kind OF light. though most of
chem send Us. through the spectrum,
messages that tell quite different
stories.
All IN a Vast Migration.
When We consider the solar system
with IFS great sun. It's eight planets
and their - moons. and its 500 aster-
oisS-as occupying an area whose d.
ameter Is nearly 6.o00.0oo-oOo miles
fsome 100000 times as far as from
New York 70 Chicago. IL is amazing
- think that there may be millions OF
o,her solar systems rs large or larger
Than our own. comparatively close 10
rs as star distances 20. though so re-
mote thar their planets could not De