The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-05-10
-Dietz on Science
TWIN CALAxIES
NEW PUZZLES
IN ASTRONOMY
Existence of Spiral Pairs Is
Discovered by Har-
ward Man.
BY DAVID DIETZ
SerippS-HOward Science Editor

Twin galaXies are the latest puz-
zle which the astronomers must try
TO explain. Their existence has been
discovered by DR.. Harlow Shapley,
World-famouS director of the Har-
ward Observatory. one of the Twen-
tleth Century pioneers in the ex-
ploration Of the far reaches of space.
Our own earth is part of the solar
system. Our solar system is a COL
lection Of planets revolving around
"a sun. That sun is Just one Of some
40 ,000,000OO0 stars comprising the
Milky Way or what astronomers call
the galaxy.
Beyond the limits OF our galaxy
or Milky Way lie the spiral nebulae.
These are now known to be galaxies
like our own. but in various stages
OF evolution. some less developed
than our own galaxy, others more
developed
A few years ago. DR.. Shapley found
that many Of these spiral nebulae
or island galaxies," as they fire.
quently are called, occurred in
groups. These he called clouds of
galaxles, or super galaxieS.
Raises Hard Problem
Now he announces chat further :
study of the heavens has revealed
many pairs of galaxies, instances
where two galazies are separated by
a space which is less than the
diameter of either galaxy.
The existence of such double gall
aXieS, or twins, raises many difficult
problems for the astronomer who is
concerned with theories of the
origin and evolution of the universe.
since obviously no theory is COM
plete unless it explains them.
Twins, and even triplets are not
uncommon among the stars of our
own galaxy. There are even a good
many cases of quadruple stars. 1t
has been estimated that about one
third of the stars in our galaxy are
doubles or triples.
Since double and triple stars are
common within our own galaxy, we
should not be altogether surprised
- find double galaxies fairly COM
mon.
Found by Magellan
1t might be that an observer,
viewing our own galaxy from a
planet situated in some distant is
land galaxy, might regard it as a
triple one.
For our Milky Way does have two
fairly close companions, the So
called Magellanic clouds. These are
visible in the southern hemispheres
and look like pieces of the Milky
Way which had broken loose.
They got their names from the
fact that they were first described
by Magellan in the course of his
famous trip around the earth.
The Magellanic clouds are great
clouds of stars situated at consider
able distances from the Milky Way.
The Small Magellanic Cloud is esti-
mated to have a diameter Of $500
light years and to be 100000 light
years away.
Resemble Pin Wheels
The Large Magellanic Cloud is
estimated to have a diameter Of a.
900 light years and to be 10000
light years away A light year, the
distance traversed by a beam Of
light in year, is six trillion miles)
The most highly developed spiral
nebulae, when viewed with power
full telescopes, reveal a structure that
reminds one of the OinWhee1s shot
off in Fourth of July celebrations.
Spirals range in shape from some
which are not spiral at all but re-
semble great gaseous globes, through
variety of flattened forms, to the
true spirals with curved, branching
orrne