This glorious orb may be seen almost any clear day, by looking intently
in its direction, through a piece of smoked glass. Through this medium
it appears about the size of a large orange, and of much the same color.
It is, however, somewhat larger, being in fact 887,000 miles in
diameter, and containing a volume of matter equal to fourteen hundred
thousand globes of the size of the Earth, which is certainly a matter of
no small importance. Through the telescope it appears like an enormous
globe of fire, with many spots upon its surface, which, unlike those of
the leopard, are continually changing. These spots were first discovered
by a gentleman named Galileo, in the year 1611. Though the Sun is
usually termed and considered the luminary of day, it may not be
uninteresting to our readers to know that it certainly has been seen in
the night. A scientific friend of ours from New England (Mr. R.W.
Emerson) while traveling through the northern part of Norway, with a
cargo of tinware, on the 21st of June, 1836, distinctly saw the Sun in
all its majesty, shining at midnight!--in fact, shining _all_ night!
Emerson is not what you would call a superstitious man, by any
means--but, he left! Since that time many persons have observed its
nocturnal appearance in that part of the country, at the same time of
the year. This phenomenon has never been witnessed in the latitude of
San Diego, however, and it is very improbable that it ever will be.
Sacred history informs us that a distinguished military man, named
Joshua, once caused the Sun to "stand still"; how he did it, is not
mentioned. There can, of course, be no doubt of the fact, that he
arrested its progress, and possibly caused it to "stand _still_";--but
translators are not always perfectly accurate, and we are inclined to
the opinion that it might have wiggled a very little, when Joshua was
not looking directly at it. The statement, however, does not appear so
very incredible, when we reflect that seafaring men are in the habit of
actually _bringing the Sun down_ to the horizon every day at 12
Meridian. This they effect by means of a tool made of brass, glass, and
silver, called a sextant. The composition of the Sun has long been a
matter of dispute.
By close and accurate observation with an excellent opera-glass we have
arrived at the conclusion that its entire surface is covered with water
to a very great depth; which water, being composed by a process known at
present only to the Creator of the Universe and Mr. Paine, of Worcester,
Massachusetts, generates carburetted hydrogen gas, which, being
inflamed, surrounds the entire body with an ocean of fire, from which
we, and the other planets, receive our light and heat. The spots upon
its surface are glimpses of water, obtained through the fire; and we
call the attention of our old friend and former schoolmate, Mr. Agassiz,
to this fact; as by closely observing one of these spots with a strong
refracting telescope he may discover a new species of fish, with little
fishes inside of them. It is possible that the Sun may burn out after a
while, which would leave this world in a state of darkness quite
uncomfortable to contemplate; but even under these circumstances it is
pleasant to reflect that courting and love-making would probably
increase to an indefinite extent, and that many persons would make large
fortunes by the sudden rise in value of coal, wood, candles, and gas,
which would go to illustrate the truth of the old proverb, "It's an ill
wind that blows nobody any good."
Upon the whole, the Sun is a glorious creation; pleasing to gaze upon
(through smoked glass), elevating to think upon, and exceedingly
comfortable to every created being on a cold day; it is the largest, the
brightest, and may be considered by far the most magnificent object in
the celestial sphere; though with all these attributes it must be
confessed that it is occasionally entirely eclipsed by the moon.