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Show I DESTINATION OF SUN. V flrrsohel't Conclusion of Century Ago Jj Arc JMeltiK Vrrllleri. 1 Moro thnn a century ago Sir Wllllnm I Horschel was able to fix roughly what I we call tho apex of tho sun's way In J ( space, or tho point among tho stars rffl- toward which that way Is (or tho mo- mont directed. Wo say for tho mo- ment, but wo meant that moment of 1 which Bradley saw the beginning In 17S0, and upon whoso end no man of 1 those now living shall ever look. Hcr-1 Hcr-1 schel found that a comparison of old stellar observations seemed to Indicate that the stars In a certain part of the sky were opening out, as It wore, and that the constellations In tho opposite part of tho heavens seemed to be drawing draw-ing In, or becomtng smaller. There can bo but one reasonable explanation of this. We must bo moving toward that part of tho sky where tho stnrs nro separating. Just so n man watching watch-ing a regiment of soldiers approaching will see at first only a confused body of men. Hut as they como nearer the Individual soldiers will seem to separate, sepa-rate, until at length each one Is seen distinct from all the others. Horschel Hor-schel fixed tho position or the apex at a point In tho constcllat-n Hercules. Tho most recent Investigations of Nowcomh, published only a few months ago, havo, on tho whole, verified veri-fied Herschel's conclusions. With tho Intuitive power of rare genius Her-schcl Her-schcl had been able to sift truth out of error, Tho observational data at his disposal would now bo called rude, but they disclosed to the scrutiny of ii his acute understanding tho germ of 9 truth that was In them. loiter lnves-' lnves-' tlgatlons hnvo increased tho precision of our knowledge, until we can now say that the present direction of tho solar motion Is known within very narrow limits. A tiny circle might bo drawn on tho sky to which an astronomer as-tronomer might point h'.s hand and eny: "Yonder llttlo circle contains tho goal toward which tho sun and planets aro hastening today. Even the spoed of this motion has been subjected sub-jected to measurement and found to be about ten miles per second." |