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eye on proceedings.Astronomical Progress.“We have but entered tho vestibule of our acquaintance with the universe, says Camille Flammarion. “May there not exist among the planetary races psychic bonds whereof wo are as yet ignorant?”Well, we will give it up, that last part of the problem. But the latest achievements in astronomy give reason to hops that many things now seemingly impossible may become a» easy as making an egg stand on end was to Columbus,when we once know how it is done. The best that has been accomplished by astronomers in many a year is tho finding out how to get the physical constitution of a star. Photography has come to tho aid of astronomy in accomplishing marvels. A star is viewed through a telescope. Its -light is made to fall upon a prism. This prism separates tho rays. They fall as a colored ribbon upon a screen beyond and the ribbon is photographed.Optical chemistry discovered soma years ago that each substance known to man majces, when it burns and its blaze is passed through a prism, a ribbon of light peculiar to itself, which never varies. If at times other rays are mingled with those of this ribbon or spectrum it shows tlmt other substances have been mixed with the first one. By comparing the ribbons or spectra formed on the screen by tho different substances known on our earth with tho spectrum formed by the light of a given star astronomers can determine tho constituent elements of that star.Some time ago it was found at the Harvard observatory that the rays of tho spectra were double in case of certain stars. This led to the wonderful discovery that certain stars in tho far off uni verso havo other stars revolving about them with a rapidity that is almost inconceivable to us. Sometimes tho twin star is so far away that its light cannot bo seen by us through any telescope yet invented, but wo know tho star is tliero from its spectrum. Astronomers havo even been able to calculate how long it takes these stars to revolve about ono another. Sometimes a star visible through the telescope disappears altogether at regular intervals and appears serenely in tho heavens again, in this case tho star goes into eclipse behind a dark star, Algol, tho licry orb in Medusa, has been found to bo a double star of immense size, the twins being composed of ono white sun and one totally dark one. Tho two fly about each other in 2 days, 20 hours, *13 mi miles, .011 seconds.Another great donlilo star is tho ono called Meukalinan, near the White Capelin. These twins waltz around each other at tho dizzy rate of 8,050 miles a minute. This double sun is 800,000 times as heavy as our earth. It travels well for a largo body. In many eases both stars are light, as with Mizur in tho const c Hat ion of the Dipper. These revolve more slowly, performing their journey in 10-1 days.Tho above discovery in regard to tho spectra of double slurs may he considered perhaps Die most important ono made in astronomy in years. Another, however, is almost equal to it. That is, that by the same two boons to astronomers, spectral analysis and astro-photography, it is possible to ascertain whether a star is approaching earth or receding from it. These two achievements, together with the fact that wo are constantly obtaining more and morj powerful feel os copes, constitute the mnut important results of astronomical work in the past few years,
Newspaper Details
Carroll Sentinel
Carroll, Iowa, US
Wed, May 11, 1892
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Caroline A.
NA, 02 Dec 2024
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