Evening star., 1933-02-22
UNIVERSE SMALLER,
SCIENTIST CLAIMS
Prof. Joel Stebbins Finds New
Method of Calculating
Measurements.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

The universe is only a little more
than one-third as large as astronomers
have supposed.
Instead of a diameter of approxi-
mately 100000. 900 ,ooO, 900 900 miles.
the great star system Of which the
earth and the sun are part has
diameter of about 900 900, 900 900, ,000, 900
miles, according to calculations report
ed to the National Academy of Sciences
by Prof Joel Stebbins of the Carnegie
Institution of Washington.
He based his calculations on new
data obtained by observations with
photoelectric cell on the light output
Of the great "globular clusters" of stars
near the borders of the Milky Way gal
axy, which can be detected in almost
every direction and which presumably
mark the boundaries Of the system.
Across vast reaches Of empty space be-
yond them are the innumerable island
universeS which are believed to conSti-
tute separate systems roughly compar-
able in size to the Milky Way galaxy
itself.
How Measures Were Made.
The size of the galaxy has been de-
termined by calculating the distance
from the globular clusters, but previous
calculations have been made on the
assumption that space Is transparent
and that there Is no interference with
the passage of light from the far-dis-
tant clusters of millions Of stars Steb-
bins worked on the basis of the exist
: ence Of great reaches Of absorbing ma
: terial Of some kind, such as cosmic
dust, through which the light from the
! globular clusters must pass to reach
the earth. Such absorbing material
would greatly affect the quality of the
Light itself and hence the estimates Of
distance based upon it.
The result of these calculations is to
bring the earth and sun much closer
to the center of the Milky Way galaxy
than hitherto has been supposed. Steb-
bins figures show that they are located
at about two-flfths of the distance be-
tween the center and the borders rep
resented by the globular clusters. The
calculations also tend to picture the
galaxy as much more compact, sym
metrical structure instead Of an almost
formleSs aggregation Of great families
Of stars.
Comparisons More Probable.
Although the spiral nebulae, or island
universes, have been supposed to con-
stitute independent systems of approx
mately the same sort as the Milky Way
galaxy itself, a great difficulty for as
JrOnomerS mas been the vast difference
in size. The great nebula in the An
dromeda constellation, the first of the
island universes discovered and the one |
on which most Of the measurements |
have been made, was only about one
twelfth as big as the great system of |
which the sun and its planets are /,
part. The present measurements bring |
1t up to approximately one-third the |
size, making the comparison of the two |
systems much more probable.
Stebbins measured by the photoelec- |
trio cell method Al Of the globular clus-
ters. He found that four -fifths Of them |
fell well within the compact system !
which he pictures A few which cannot |
be reconciled with his pictures he re- |
CARDS as stragglers beyond the normal |
limits OF the Milky Way galaxy, sur
rounded by vast reaches Of empty space.