The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1921-07-30

compared III size Win YIN
III "A or heavenly bodies, is EN- !
81 y phasized with startling
~ clearness by the latest in-
k2f yention of Prof. a. "
|KJHNI Nicholson, the eminent
WA physicist of the University
zs3 of Chicago.
The human race, which
for thousands of years fondiy DeileVeu
their little solar system TO be the
center OF the physical universe. but
later unwiIlingly revised that opinion,
can now be assured that neither the
earth nor the flaming sun itself Is
even visible from great stars which
scientists are measuring, and when
are proving to be of prodigious size.
Experts, working under Professor
NIchelson's direction, have just COM
puted the diameter of Alpha Orlonls.
8 star in the constellation of Orion,
which, except among astronomers, Is
usually called Betelgeuse. Using the
new invention. they found that Alpha
Orionis or Betelgeuse, is 3O0,OOO,ooo
miles In diameter, diameter 300 times
as large as that Of the sun. And since
the mass of the sun is about 332,OOO
times greater than that Of the earth,
the relative sizes of Alpha OriOnis and
earth can be seen easily.
Figures like these are hardly to be
Rrasped by the mind until they have
been put into everyday terms. The
diameter given means that Alpha has
: circumference of more than 100000
900 miles A railroad train travelling
without stop at the rate of 60 miles
an'hour would require 15.O000O0 hours,
q 625 900 days, or 1712 years, just to
q. completely around the star. And
computing the life of generation at
/ - years. It would be the fifty-second
+ ecneration of the original passengers
4 % the train who would see the end
( q the journey. To be completing the
| tt1p now, ancestors of the present pas
Dengers would have had to start up
on their journey in the year 200 A. ID.
Light, which travels at the rate OF
! 10000 miles second, would require
! 1B39 seconds, or S0ia minutes, just to
Hash around the staggering bulk of
Alpha 0rioDis
Earth Very Small.
The planet Mars, that familiar red
Do;nt In the sky, maintains an average
distance Of 141 100000 miles from the
IN, which means that the entire Or
blt Of this planet as 1t goes hurtling
through space Is smaller than the d.
a1neter of Alpha Orionis. The Marian
1car Is 6S7 days, but even the terrific
1peed of Mars would not enable it
q encIrcle Alpha within that period.
Compared with the monster stars
80 measured by means of Profess
ichelsen's invention at the Mount
h observatory In California, the
Ia about the size of a nudge.
1ertain remote stars are proving
be much vaster than previously sup
osed. Unless the results of the new
uoode Of measurement are successful
IA challenged, the astronomers will
ave to revise many Of their calcula.
ions In regard to the universe of stars.
he perfection Of Professor Michel.
ms methed for ascertaining the ex.
ncf dimensions of stellar bodies was
announced at session of the Ameri.
can Association for the Advancement
~ Science, held In Chicago recently
~ has been descrilod as an event OF
2upendous importance in scientifi,
kogress.
The method also has been. applied
~ q member Of the staff at Mount
wilson observatory In measuring
Me star Capella.g which has beer
nown from spectroscopic evidence t.
1e really double star. although tn,
twins are so near each other that they
appear as one, even through the mos
powerful telescopes. BY using Profes
- Michelson's attachment on N,
olght-foot telescope mt the observatory
e was found possible to measure tn,
minute angle. only .045 of a second
Gubtended by the two stars and to de
termine their successive positions Al
they revolved In their orbits. Put In
% the language of the market place
= was like measuring the head of /;
Pin more than 1000 miles away.
A brief description of Professor MI
thelson's instrument is as follows
The mirror of an eight-foot telescope
= obscured by an opaque cap with slit