Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1922-04-19
ASTRONOMI
OBSERVATIONS
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What Are The Stars?
BY Levi G. johnson

When looking at the countless num-
Der OF \glimmering points of light
called stars, such questions may arise
as, what are the stars and what are
their number, etc.? Apparently it looks
as If they were fastened to a back
ground which eternally Is circline
around the earth, but this is not the
case, for they are spread out in space
and their distance from us and from
each others varying beyond compre.
hension.
The Fixed stars-the uncomparable
majority are called fixed stars, be-
cause they apparently remain station
airy relative to each others. They
shine with their own light and are
:"the suns Of space, to this class our
own sun belongs. They are divided
into classes or magnitudes according
to the volume Of light they send US,
which depends on their size, distance
from us and the quality Of their light.
In favorable conditions we can see as
low, la the 18th arasgnitude. The !totat
number belonging to the FIRST magni-
tude Is 20, second IS, third 100, fourth
42S. nth 400, sixth 5000. There
fore, about 5000 are visible to the
unaided eye. OF these one-sixth have
never been seen in Marshall county
because all stars south of Latitude
Al degrees so minutes 8. never rise
above our horizon. A corresponding
area located within the northern cir
cumpOlar circle never sets. The stars
which are seen only with the aid of
instruments, or telescope stars, like
wise increase in number for each
lower magnitude. All stars, including
the 18th mag, are estimated at over
half million millions. Stars as low
as the Goth mag. are 100000 times
fainter than 9Th mag. and are with
in range Of very few existing in
struments. while one of the Dist mag.
is 100000 times fainter than 9Th
mag. Beyond that stars become in
visible although they may exist.
The Planets-Unlike the fixed stars
are dark bodies rejecting the light
from the sun. Apparently they seem
to move about in certain paths among
the stars, sometimes moving back
ward. To-, this class our Earth be-
longs which with the others revOlve
around the sun in regular intervals
and in regular paths called its Or
bits. Some Of these are accompanied
by one or more satellites or moons,
which in their order revolve around
it's planet The relative motions and
speeds Of these bodies are subject to
very exact rules or laws. caused by
their mutual attraction, the sun being
the overmastering force. The motions
and relative positions of these bodies
can therefore be calculated with as
tonishing accuracy by the celestial me-
chanics But when we come to deal
with the attractions of stars We get
beyond the range of definite calcu1a-
tions. Our sun, with it's system OF
planets is known to be speeding to-
wards the constellation Hercules. Not
only our sun but all the suns (stars)
are moving in various directions and
with different speeds. so that the gen
eral effect of their changing attrac-
lions upon one another, presents a
very complex problem. which state,
according to EddingtQn, can be pre-
ferably }ikened to the motions of the
molecules of rare mOnOtOnOus gas
under their own attraction. If our
great sun can be likened to a mere
f1ying mOlecule what about its atoms
the planets, including our own great
world.
The whole problem Of the suns OF
space has been rather complicated
than simplified by recent discoveries
that there exists two or more greaI
streams or currents Of stars, moving
in different directions, although thu
stars belonging to different streams
appear to be actually interminsled II
space.
Astronomical Table for Week
Ean- CO., 0,,p Moor