GLORY OF THE STARS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 82, 19 September 1947, Page 5

GLORY OF THE STARS

AN ENGROSSING ADDRESS ROTARIAN LUNCHEON TALK “Light flashes at the rate of 186,000 miles per second. It / takes the light of the' sun (94,000,000 miles) some eight minutes to reach the human eye on the earth; from the moon—approximately 11 seconds; but from the nearest star it takes the light no less than four light years to reach the earth!” The above were a few of the astounding facts given by Mr W. Dreghorn in his talk to Whakatane Rotarians last Wedesday on the subject of astronomy. The meeting was well attended and was presided over by Rotarian Harry Warren. Visitors included the County Chairman, Mr J. L. Burnett, and Rotarian Harold Smith, of Auckland. A Vast Subject Mr Dreghorn touched on a subject which is of intensive interest to the average person and the only drawback was the limited time at his disposal fox handling it. As an amateur astronomer he admitted that his knowledge was meagre, but from the point of view of his audience, he practically ‘lifted the lid’ and disclosed a fund of knowledge and data, which made for one of the most interesting addresses local Rotary has experienced. Dealing with astronomy as opposed to ‘astrology’ with which it was often confused, he said that the lat-

ter was sheer imagination, by which its votaries traded on the credulity of their patrons. It dated back to the time of the Chaldeans, who some 5000 years ago were able to forecast eclipses. Man’s Use of Astronomy

Astronomy was a science by which mankind had definitely benefitted in a very sound and practical •sense. Its study , enabled correct navigation, at sea and in the air; it enabled the fixing of the exact time; the knowledge of the tides; and the study of astral ‘atomic bombs’ of which the sun was the greatest and most stupendous example. He instanced how a study of the sun’s components enabled the discovery of ‘helium’ the non-im-flammable gas which replaced hydrogen in airships. The Night Sky

Dealing with the night sky, he illustrated- how the luner light was brighter when the face of the earth was covered with cloud; /how the planets which gave that steady glow from the reflected light of the sun were, not to be confused with the stars; and how our own immediate constellation (earth, sun and planets) was dwarfed by the immensity of the starry universe as a whole.

The planet Mars which was actually smaller than the earth was suspected of having life on its surface. Certain it was that it had an atmosphere, and most authorities were agreed that there definitely was vegetable life on the planet. The atmosphere on Mars was so thin that it was possible to see through it and to take stock of the surface. Venus on the other hand was covered with such dense clouds that its surface had never been seen through the telescope. Some Staggering Comparisons

By way of giving a comparison Mr Dreghorn said that the diameter of the earth was 8,000 miles as against the sun’s 800,000 miles, and Jupiter’s 88,000 miles. The earth to the sun was as a stone to a cathedral, ,and yet in the vastness of the "heavens, the sun was in its turn dwarfed by many of the known stars. He concluded by inviting members to inspect and to use his •own telescope and accepted a request that he give a further talk at a later date.

A hearty vote o thanks , was carried by applause on the call of Ro'tarian Fred Abbott.