The Wonders of the Stars

Hastings Standard, Issue 249, 17 February 1897, Page 4

The Wonders of the Stars

How mysterious are some of the phenomena observed in the heavenly bodies ! How can wc account for the variations of some of the stars ? As an example, the star Algol, in the constellation Perseus for *2 days 181 hours is a star of the second magnitude ; then it suddenly decreases, and in ;->i hours is diminished to the fourth magnitude. It then increases in brilliancy, and in a further period of n-k hours again attains its maximum. All this takes place in 2 days, 21 hours, 49 minutes. Another star, Mira, in the constellation Cetus for (j months remains invisible, then it reappears, * its light gradually increasing for 3 months, and for 15 days it is equal to a brilliant star of the second magnitude, repeating the variations in a fixed period of 331 days, 15 hours, 7 minutes. We are accustomed to regard the socalled "fixed stars" as being absolutely stationary in the heavens. This, however, is not so, as the whole of the stars are in rapid movement. As an example, Arcturus is calculated to move through space at the prodigious felocity of no less than 197,000 miles u hour, or 54 miles per second. In a

ntui-y,. therefore, this great star traverses no less than one hundred and seventy thousand millions of miles And yet to our vision his position in the heavens is pmctic-ally unaltered, so vast is his distance from us. Our sun itself is calculated to be travelling at the annual rate of 158,000,000 miles towards the bright star Yoga, which is now such a brilliant spectacle in the zenith ; but as that star is calculated to be more than 11 5>.000,000,000 miles distant from the sun, we need not be alarmed lest there should be a collision in our time; as even supposing Yoga to be advancing towards the sun at the same terrific rate, the crash would not take place until 875,000 years hence, so prodigious is space. Yoga,, however, is by no means a distant star, but may be regarded as one of our nearest neighbors, another

bright star, Capella, being reckoned to be more than four times her distance. But the vast body of the stars are plunged in the illimitable, fearful abyss of space, infinitely more profound and incalculable distances, it being only of the nearest stars that the parallax can be taken, and the distance thereby calculated.

A celestial phenomenon which has given rise to lunch popular error, is that of the " shooting stars.'' ]fc Mas long imagined by the uneducated that shooting stars wore real ii\ed stars falling from their position in the heavens, and a brilliant display such as that of November, INC>(> (which will he repeated in 185)0), gave rise to considerable perturbation amongst the ignorant. These brilliant visitants, however, are but minute fragments of cosmic matter, a belt of which appears to revolve round the sun, and through which the earth travels in the months of August and November, which,'rushing through space at an infinite speed, are raised by friction with our atmosphere to a, heat so intense that, in a few seconds from the first impact with the air, they are resolved into gas. The average weight of those little bodies is estimated at about two ounces but occasionally much larger bodies come within our range, which continue in an incandescent state for several seconds before being consumed, and presenting a most brilliant appearance. These are popularly termed meters. And occasionally yet larger bodies, of metallic origin, which has been wandering through apace for ages, come within the sphere of attract ion of our earth, and plunge, with deafening roar, into the soil. The>e are the meteoriiies. or " thunder bolts," which may be seen in many of our museums.

llow absolutely regular and immutable are the laws which govern the movements of the luavenlv bodies! The earth p< rl'orms its journey of 'JsO.OOt),UOO miles round the sun in days, 0 hours, n minute.-*, it) S' conds, and 7;V hundredths of a second, never varying probably the hundredth part of a second, and, from year to year, and from age' to age, travelling over the exact position, relatively to the sun, it had previously traversed : and thi> notwithstanding that it is rushing along at the rate of fis.oou miles an hour, and that it is al-o revolving upon it- own a\i, at the rale (at the equator; of I.tXM) mihan hour. The»e two movement:-, aiv performed with such exact and absolute punctuality that astronomers can calculate with unfailing aecuraev. and without the error of a fraction of u second, astronomical events which will happen many years hence.