Salt Lake Telegram | 1932-05-20 | Page 10 | Thousands of Stars, Too Far Away to be Seen by Naked Eye, Are Same Size as Sun, Astronomer Declares

Thousands of Stars Too Far Away To Be Seen by Naked Eye Are Same Size as Sun SUDs Astronomer Declares Studies Fail to Indicate if They Possess Planets 1 Like Earth my nr Br Associated Press PASADENA CaL Call Ma May 20 Enor 20 Enor Enormous numbers of of the thc fainter stars those far beyond the reach of the naked eye are arc of the size and brilliance brilliance brilliance bril bril- liance of ot the sun Milton L Humason astronomer made this announcement today tod at the completion of a year 10 study o of se selected selected se- se areas of the sky with ith the 60 inch reflector at t Mount Wilson observatory ob ob- a branch o of the Carnegie institution of Washington He observed faint stars staYs and estimated es cs- more more than 2800 of or them are arc like the sunLight sunLight sun I Light from rom them he said requires requires requires re quires more than 1600 years ears to reach the earth Most of the faint stars arc giant il t hot stars and up to light years away Dr Humason's study gave further support to the theory that the universe universe universe uni uni- verse is shaped like a thin watch with the earth well out from its center so that most of the stars He lie in the direction of the milky wa way On photographs photographs photo photo- graphs of areas away vay from the milky way only 10 to 11 faint stars appeared while those of areas in or near the milky way revealed the spectra of as many as faint stars QUESTION ARISES The question naturally arises i said Dr Humason as to whether these other dwarf stars have planets like the sun The suns sun's planets which arc are seen only by reflected light arc are visible but for a n comparatively short shor distance We cannot hope to discover even eve when the inch telescope is com whether there are arc other planetary plan plan- clary etar systems other planets like th the earth But there is nothing to Indicate ind indicate indi- indi cate that the sun is unique in th this respect His Isis findings were reached from irom a study o of photographs of the star stars stars' spectra obtained by gathering th the light with the great reflector an end nd passing it through a prism He made mad more than photographs with exposures exposures ex ex- of or four lour and one half hours hour eaSh each h. h PART OF PLAN Mr Humason's work was part o oa of ofa a plan advanced nd by the late Dr J J. J C. C C Kapteyn Dutch astronomer i In 1906 At that time lime observatories over the world were opera operating tins and with no organized pro gram Dr Kapteyn suggested that representative areas of the sk sky be chosen and that each observatory undertake a phase of study in these areas Several of the studies have been bee completed Harvard university fo for instance obtained the spectra o of more than stars brighter than magnitude 85 Stars down to th the sixth magnitude are visible to th the naked eye Mr Humason said Hamburg observatory obtained th the spectra of ot stars between magnitudes magnitude 85 and 11 and Mr Humason has fo for fort forthe t the e first time charted the spectra o or of fainter stars of magnitudes 11 to Previously Dr Frederick H. Scares assistant director of ot Mount Wilson observatory had obtained the photographic photo graphic magnitudes and colors o otho of tho the fainter stars and other astron astron- omers there are computing the radial velocities of tho the stars a tedious undertaking undertaking un un- which will require another decade to complete