Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-11-24

prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety, Washington. d. CO
Man takes many trips on the face
Of the globe; II 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 to the celestial scheme OF things.
When mighty storm sweeps over
The ocean, when a great war deyas-
tates continent, when a iKatmai
blows off 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 1t sweeps on
Its course around the sun!
An eminent phsycist has estimated
that the power developed by million
Niagaras In million years would not
equal the energy expended by the
earth In single second as 1t circles
round the sun.
And yet so perfect Is the mechanism
that, flying around It's axis at an
equatorial speed of more than
1000 miles an hour, and around its
orbit at more than LOO miles min
ute, all 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 out into
space with the eye of the astronomer,
there comes the discovery that in all
its seeming greatness the earth is SO
small that even telescope 10000
times as powerful as the strongest in
strument now In existence would not
reveal It to an astronomer on any
fixed star.
Compared with the sun, our planet's
insjgnlficance becomes evident More
than 100000 spheres like ours would
be needed TO make bulk equal to
that of single sun.
Herschel's Picture Of Solar System.
Perhaps our most graphic picture Of
the solar system Is given by Herschel.
Imagine circular field two and half
miles in diameter; place library
globe two feet In diameter In the very
center. 50 feet away put mustard
seed. The globe will represent the
sun and the mustard seed Mercury.
At n distance Of 142 feet place a
pea, and another at 215 feet. These
will represent Venus and the earth,
both as to size and distance. A
rather large plnhead at distance of
427 feet will speak for Mars, and a
fair-sized tangerine a quarter of a
mile distant will stand for Jupiter. A
small lemon at two-fifths of mile
will play the role of Saturn, large
cherry tree three-fourths of mile viii
answer for Uranus. and falr-sized
plum at the very edge Of the field
will proclaim Neptune.
Whether studied as the head Of the
planetary family to which the earth
belongs, or whether as an average
member OF the great household OF suns
that 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 TO us about
as much like the sun as the fireflies
of summer night, yet the patient in.
vestigatIons OF astronomers show not
only that the sun Is a star, but that
1t is by no means either the largest or
brightest OF the celestial family. As
sured that II is star and knowing
that the next nearest one is 100000
times as far away. astronomers adj
dressed themselves to the task OF
learning about the other stars by
studying our own. They found that
there are some like II, giving out the
same kind of light. though most of
them send us. through the spectrum,
messages that tell quite different
stories.
All In Vast Migration.
When we consider the solar system
with its great sun, its eight planets
and their "a moons. and Its 500 aster-
oids-as occupying an area whose d.
arneter Is nearly 6,0000O0,000 miles
tsame 100000 times as far as from
New York to Chicago), 1t is amazing
to think that there may be millions of
other solar systems as large or larger
than our own, comparatively close to
US as star distances go, though so re-
mote that their planets could not be
seen by the astronomers Of the earth,