Extracts. THE CENTRAL SUN.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 174, 29 January 1848, Page 3

Extracts. THE CENTRAL SUN.

At the close of the meetinp; of the Royal Irish Academy on the 14th uit., Si« Wm. Hamilton announced that lie had just received from Vrofessor Mailer, of Dorpar, the extraordinary and cvcitimr intelligence of the firpoumed di-covtry of a central sun. Professor Midler's essay on the subject was also exhibited by Sir Wm. Hamilton on the same evening to kcveral members of the academy ; but as this work may not, for some time to come, be generally known, or easily procurable in this country, we believe that our readers will thank us for publishing a sketch of the results which it contains, and which were biicfly stated oh the evening already mentioned. This course will also serve to correct any misconception on the iubject which the unexpected nature of the communications and the comequunt absence of many of the members or the ac«deiny, may possibly have occasioned, or at least allowed to arise, By arc extensive and laborious compaiison of the quantities and directions of the pro* per motions of thestira in various purls of the heavens, combined with indications afforded by the paiallaxes hitherto determined, and with the theory of universal •rruvitation, Professor Miidler has ai rived at the conclusion that the Pleiades form the central group pf our whole astral or sidereal bystcm, including the , Milky Way and all the brighter stars, but exclusive of the mure distant nebular, and of the §V)ts of which those nebula; may be composed, And within this central group i'self he hus been led to fix on the star Alcoyne (otherwise known by the name of Eta Tauri), as occupying exactly or nearly the position of the centre of gr.iviry, and as entitled to be called the central sun. Assuming Bcbicl'b parallax of the star Gl Cygm> long

since remarkable for its large piopcr mot, on, to lie correctly iletci mined, Mudler proceed? to' form a first approximate estimate of the distance of this central body irom the planetary or solar *ystcm ; and arrives fit tho (provisional) conclusion, that Atcoyiic is about 31 times as far removed from us, or from our own sun, ns the latter luminary is from us. It would, thercfoic, according to tins estimation, be nt least a million timis ns distant as the new planet, of which tha theoretical or deductive discovery has been io great and beautiful a triumph of modern astronomy, and so striking a confirmation of the law of Newton. The same approximate determination of distance conducts to the result that the li»ht of the central sun occupies more than five centuries in tiavclliug thenco to us. The enormous orbit which our owiuun, with the earth and the other planets, is thus infcircd to be describing about that distant centre—not indeed under its influence alone, but by the combined attractions of nil the stars which are neaier to it than we are, and which are estimated to amount to more than 117 millions of masses, each equal to the total msus of our own solar system, is supposed to require upwards of 18 millions ol yean for its complete description, at the rate of about e\ght geographical miles in every second of time. The plane ol this vast orbit of the sun in judged to have an inclination of about 8 1 degrees to the ecliptic, or to the plnce of the annu.il oi bit of the oaith ; and the longitude of tlii asci nding node of the former orbit on the latter is concluded to be nearly 2 7 rlejfrets. The general conclusions of Miidlcr respecting the constitution of tho whole h ystein of the fixed stars, exclusive of the distant nebula;, »re the following: — h« bclidvcs that the middle is indicated by a ve.y nch group (the Pleiades), containing many considerable individual bodies, though at immense distances li°in us. Round this ue supposes that there is a /.one, pr»portlonally pooi in star*, »»d then a broad rich, ringformed luyer, followed by an intcival comparatively devoid of .stars, and afterwards by another annual and starry space, perhaps with several alterations of the sane kind, the two outmost rings roinpoMng the two parts of the Milky Way, which are confounded with each oilier by perspective in tin* portions most distant from ourselves. Professor MiLllcr has acknowledged in his work his obligiitions, which are those of all inquirers in sidereal astionomy, to the researches of the two llerscliel's, Sir William and Sir John. The views of Sir William Ilerseh 1, respecting the relation of our soar system to the Milky Way, will naturally recur to tbe iccollection of our readers, and while astronomers are anxiously awaiting th« Hhoilly expected appearance of the complete account of Sir John Hrrschel'h observations on tho southern nebulai, the following passage of a letter, which was written in 1835 by that illustrious Ron of an illustrious sire, from the Cipejof Good Hope, to Sir William Hamilton, may be read with peculiar interest, from the agreement between the views it expresses, and somcof those to which I'.oiejaoi Madlcr has been led. In the letter just referred to (from which an extract was published at tic lime), Sir John Herschel expressed himself as follow* : — "The general aspect of the southern oirciwnpolar re • gion. including in that expression GIJ or 70" of S. P. D., is in a high degree rich and magnificent, owinur V> a superior brilliancy, and larger development of the Milky Way, which from tbe constellation of Onontoe that of Antinoun, is one bl. *o of light, Birangely interrupted, however, with vacant and almost starless patches, especially in Scorpio, near a Centaun and the Cross; while to the north it fades away pale and dim, and is in comparison hardly traceable. I think it is impossible to view this gpendid /me with fhe astonishingly rich and evenly distiibutcd fringe of shirs of tho thii (land fourth iiia^niiudtig, which form abroad fcknt to its tfouthern border, liken vast outturn, w tbout an impression, amou iting to a conviction, that the Milky Way is not a mere st a'um, but an annulus ; or at least thut our system is placed within one of tbe poorer and almost vncant p irtsof its gcneial muss, and that tccentrically, so as lo he mudi nearer to the parti, about the Cross, than to that diametrically opposed to ft." — Dublin hv ninjr Post. DISCOVKBY OK ANOTHER Pl>A.NttT, — ProfeSSOr Encke write* as follows from Beilui :—: — 'On the Ist of July, about half-past ten in the evening, Dr. llenckc, of Driesen, the discoverer oftheplaiet Asuca, fonml a second star, not before laid down on his map, a little below the 9ih dcg. in 257 deg. 9 in. 7». right ascension, and 3 deg. 42 m. 5 s. aoutli declination. On the 3rd, about a quarter to twelve, it was advanced to 256 deg. 40 m., and 3 deg. bl in. 5 i. south declination. These figures refer to the equinox, which forms the basis of the Academy Star-maps, one of which, piobubly that designed by Dr. Bremitten, will neive for finding this star, as in tbe case of Neptune. From the report of Dr. He.icke, the new planet ( for that it is sued is highly probable ) was observed at this observatory, on the sth, iv the muiidian and refractor. The fimt gives the place, sth July, 10 h. 14 m. 28 sees ; 236 dcg. 51 m. 43 sees. 5 ; 4 dcg. 8 no. 27 sees. 8. A comparison mide three houra later, shows that the right ascension decreases about 12 m. a day. The star is neaiiy !) m. in size, and most likely is one of tho smaller planets. Fiiib at Po'iTsr-A.—The Port-mouth Dockyard fire' brigade wai called out on Monday at 'I o'clock, to assist in extinguishing a fire in Clock-street, Cnmmon Hard, Portsea. By the direction of Lieutenant II ill, the director of police in the dockyard, the hose of the enginei of the establishment were fitted to the pipes in the yard, and carried the whole length of the Hard whereby so lmnunss a hotly of water was thiown upon j the blazing tenement, that the ln\i was speedily extinguished, though not before the house in which it originated was gutted. Had not this assistance by Lieutenant Hall and the men under his command been promptly rendered, the whole ot Common Hard must have been destroyed, as a very fresh breeze, amounting to half a gale, wus blowing all night. — If). A writer from Mon'rcal to a friend in Leitli, says, *-" I fear we shall bs eaten up thib year. We expect 100,000 emigrants; 10, 00 have already arrived a: the quarantine stations, where sickness in making sad ravages among the poor miserable cieatures. In one vesiel, 70 had died ot fever, on the voyage out ; in another 50, and it is thought, in those veuiels which have not yet arrived, the mortality must be fearful, as the spring voyage out has been unusually protracted, owing to the fields of ice in the Atlantic. . Paul Pry Puzzled. — The following colloquy took place lately between an inquisitive gentleman and his butcher boy :—' What aye your politics?' said the gentleman. ' The Queen's, sir.' • What are the Queen*? 'Mom, sti"' ' What's your numo ?' 'My name,' replied the boy, 'is the idme as father's.' ' And what is his name ?' said the gentleman. 'It is the same ai mom. 1 ' Then wh t are both your names ?' ' Woy, they are both alike,' said the boy. The gentleman turned on his heel, and the boy ihouted— ' Anything more, sir.' Female Loquacity.— Jean Paul says, that a lady officer, if she wanteJ to give tho woid "halt" to hei troops, would do it something in this way :— " You soldi™ s, all of you, now mind, I order you, as toon as I have done speaking, to stand still every one ol you, on this &pot where you happen to b: ; don't you hoar me ? halt, I say, all of you !"