If our knowledge of the relative distances of the stars were more
complete, it would be an interesting exercise in celestial geometry to
project the constellations probably visible to the inhabitants of
worlds revolving around some of the other suns of space. Our sun is
too insignificant for us to think that he can make a conspicuous
appearance among them, except, perhaps, in a few cases. As seen, for
instance, from the nearest known star, Alpha Centauri, the sun would
appear of the average first magnitude, and consequently from that
standpoint he might be the gem of some little constellation which had
no Sirius, or Arcturus, or Vega to eclipse him with its superior
splendor. But from the distance of the vast majority of the stars the
sun would probably be invisible to the naked eye, and as seen from
nearer systems could only rank as a fifth or sixth magnitude star,
unnoticed and unknown except by the star-charting astronomer.
Conflagrations in the Heavens
Suppose it were possible for the world to take fire and burn up -- as
some pessimists think that it will do when the Divine wrath shall have
sufficiently accumulated against it -- nobody out of our own little
corner of space would ever be aware of the catastrophe! With all their
telescopes, the astronomers living in the golden light of Arcturus or
the diamond blaze of Canopus would be unable to detect the least
glimmer of the conflagration that had destroyed the seat of Adam and
his descendents, just as now they are totally ignorant of its
existence.
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