File:Guy's Elements of astronomy - and an abridgment of Keith's New treastise on the use of the globes (1864) (14595281137).jpg

Identifier: guyselementsofa00guyj (find matches)
Title: Guy's Elements of astronomy : and an abridgment of Keith's New treastise on the use of the globes
Year: 1864 (1860s)
Authors: Guy, Joseph, 1784-1867 Keith, Thomas, 1759-1824. A new treatise on the use of the globes
Subjects: Astronomy
Publisher: Philadelphia, C. Desilver
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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,CC0 of miles. 1 CHAPTER X. THE FIXED STARS. All the heavenly bodies beyond our system arecalled Fixed Stars, because, except some few, theynever appear to move or to change their places, withregard to each other, as the planets do. As they areplaced at immense distances from our system, theymust be bodies of jrreat magnitude, and doi:btlsss shineby their own liglit. They are probably suns. like oursun, to different systems ol planets: each fixed starbeing siipposed to be ine centre of its own system. That the fixed stars shine by faeir own light is concluded; being atlach vast distances from the snn, they could not possloly receive froii>bim 80 strong a light as they shine with. 53o great is ihcir distance Fa^e 2S. Plaie 18. Telescopic^ Vuftrs
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P 5 Ihival^ ith-Ptul* THE FIXED STARS. 37 tfiAt thoiigh th« orbit of the earth is tvvire 95,()€<),0€0 of mjles atross, andwe are roiiiequeiiLly 190,000,000 of miles nearer to some siar.^ at onttime than we are at another, yel the siars always appear in the sameplaces, and with the same magnitude. See plate IV ii^. 2. Lei * * *represent the lixed stars, and A B C D, the earths annr»al eoarse: thenwill the enrth in lliat part of its orbit at B, be i9U,000,UOO oiniues neareiiti tike fixed stars, than when at D. The distance of Sirius, or the Dog-star, the nearesto^ the fixed stars, cannot be less than two millions ofmillions of miles. A cannon ball flying from that starat tiie rate of 400 miles an hour, would not reach us in570,000 years. Professor Vince says, ^ the nearest fixed star cannot he less tliaft400,000 times larther from us than the sun is. IleiH-e 400,000, multi-plied by 95,000,0(30, give 38 millions of millioiis of miles lor the near-est fixed star. Dr. Herschel say

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