The Raymer enterprise., 1922-06-29

vsanspsttlns the foo.ineh Min
tPsparsd By the National Geographic n.
eisty, washinston. D. c.)
Man takes many trips on the face
Of the globe; 1t 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 a mighty storm sweeps over
the ocean, when q great war devas-
tatea q continent when q Katmai
blows of her head, when an earth
quake destroys q populous city, men
stand overwhelmed and awed at the
spectacle.
But how little and lnsignificant are
such forces. measured by the majestic
might Of the earth as It sweeps On
its course around the sunl
An eminent phsyclst has estimated
that the power developed BY 4 million
Niagaras In million years would not
equal the energy expended BY the
earth In q single second as II circles
round the sun.
And yet 70 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 1.100 miles q min
ute, all the mundane influences Of
which astronomers know could not
change the length Of Its day as much
a. I SECOND In 100000 years.
But a. 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 20
small that even Z telescope 10000
times ~ powerful a. the strongest Ia,
strument now In existence would not
reveal It to an astronomer Oh any
fixed star.
Compared with the sun, cur planets
inslgnificance becomes evident. More
than 1900. 900 spheres like ours would
be needed to make bulk equal to
that Of . single sun.
herechePs Picture n es.ee system
Perhaps our most graphic picture Of
the solar system ID given BY Herschel.
Imagine 4 circular field two and half
miles In diameter: place q library
globe two feet in diameter In the very
center. 81 feet away put a mustard
seed. The globe will represent the
sun and the mustard seed Mercury.
At q distance Of 142 feet place a
pea, and another ct 215 feet. These
will represent Venus and the earth,
both as to size and distance. A
rather large pinhead at a distance OF
~ feet will speak for Mars. and q
falr-sised tangerine a quarter Of a
mile distant will stand for Jupiter. A
small lemon at two-flfths Of q mile
will play the role Of Saturn, a large
cherry tree threef0urths Of mile will
answer for Uranus, and . fair-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 skles, Old
Sol has many thrills for the student.
To the inhabitants OF the earth the
fact that he shines ID the most impor.
tant physical consideration In life.
From him We derive warmth, light
and power: withuu, him the oceans
and even the air itself would freeze
and, Of course, under such conditions,
life would b. impossible.
While the stars appear to us about
a. much Ike the sun a. the hreflies
Of a summer night, yet the patient In
vestigatlOns Of astronomers show not
only that the sun IL q star. but that
Il In by no means either the largest or
brightest Of the celestial family. As.
sured that II Ia 4 star and knowing
that the next nearest one IL 800, 600
times AZ far away, astronomers ad.
dressed themselves to the task Of
learning about the other stars BY
studying our own. They found that
thers are some like It. giving out the
same kind Of light, though most Of
them send US. through the spectrum.
messages that tell quite different
stories.
Al In Z Vast Migration.
When we consider the solar system
with In great sun, It's eight planets
and their q moons, and Its SO aster.
oids-as occupying an area whose d.
ameter Is nearly 6O0O. .O0OO0O miles
(aome 100000 times a. far a. from
New York to Chicago, It ID amazing
to think that there may be millions Of
other solar systems a. large or larger
than our own, comparatively close to
M a. star distances 90. though % re-
mote thnt their planets csuld not bs
pesa by the Astronomers of thA saxtA
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