AMERICAN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 June 1920, Page 2

AMERICAN ITEMS.

(By Electric Telegraph—Colyright.)

EXTENT OF UNIVERSE. WASHINGTON,'June 8. Whether there is one great universe, pefhaps'ten times as large as commpnly believed, or a million “ island * universes sjmilar to that of which the earth is a dart, was discussed at a session qf thie annual meeting qf flip National Academy of Sciences, Dr Herbert I>, Curtis, of the Lick Observatory California, defended the old idea that the Milky Way contained practically all the stars, all tho planetary and diffused nebulae and the star clust- • ers. He said such a universe was “ relatively small,” being less that 30,000 years in diameters and not, more than 3000 light-years in thickness. He reminded his hearers, however, that light . travels 186,000 miles a second. Dr Harlow Shapley, of the Mount Wilson solar observatory, advanced the theory qf a galaxy of stars ten or more times larger ’ than the “ Milky Way.” Beyond this galaxy, .lie declared, there undoubtedly are other universes, the only traces of whicli appear as dim star clusters through the telescope. In a discussion concerning twins in the humajl family, Dr C. B. Davenport, of the Carneigie Institute, preseptqd a study that about 1.1 per cent of human births were plural and that twins are especially apt tp occur ip families of whicty the mother or father, pr both, have close ■, bjoqd relatives who were twins. '