THEFIXEDSTARS 149
sun'smotionthroughspace isnearly sixteenmilesa
second.
"Andnowdoyoudemandhowmuchrelianceisto
be placed onthisbewilderingannouncement? Ian-
swerthatas totherealityofthesolarmotion,there
isnot onechanceoutof fourhundredthousand that
astronomers have been deceived. We cannot resist
theevidence; and startlingas thetruth appears, we
are obliged to yield our assent, reluctant though it
maybe, tothelogicalreasoningby whichthismag-
nificentresulthasbeendemonstrated.
"But whither is oursystem tending? If moving
onward with such tremendous velocity, is there not
dangerthat erelongitmay reach the region of the
fixedstars,andbysweepingneartheothersunsand
systems,derangethe orderoftheplanetary worlds?
Letusexaminethisquestionforonemoment,onthe
hypothesisthatthesunaloneismovingamongallthe
starsofheaven,andthatitwillholdoninitspresent
directionuntilitshallreachthestarinHerculestoward
whichitisnowurgingitsflight. Thisstarisoneof
thethirdmagnitude; andaccordingtoourstatement
already made,themean distanceof its class is such
thatits lightdoesnotreach usinaperiodlessthan
forty-six years. Executing the calculation, we find
thatincasethesolarsystem should continuetopro-
gresstowardthestar,itcannotpasstheenormousin-
terval,evenat33>550>ooomilesperannum,inlessthan
1,800,000years!
"Iftheeye ofanysuperiorintelligencecanbehold
thisamazingscene,howstupendousmustbethespec-
ann
(Ann)
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