80 FROM NEBULA TO NEBULA 



preferential motion of the stars should appear to be re- 

 spectively in r. a. 90, dec. 11.75, and r. a. 270, dec. 

 -11.75, showing that the so-called star streams are clearly 

 nothing other than an optical illusion. Now compare 

 these results with those derived by others by the labori- 

 ous and conventional methods of empirical observation 

 and analysis. I quote from Doctor W. W. Campbell's 

 Stellar Motions (p. 147) : 



Below are solutions for the apex of the sun's motion and for 

 the vertices of the two star streams, by Kapteyn, Eddington, and 

 Dyson; and for the positions of the solar apex and of the vertices 

 of Schwarzschild's ellipsoid of preferential motion, by Schwarz- 

 schild, Beljawsky and Rudolph. 



Apex Vertex 



R. A. Dec. R. A. Dec. 

 Kapteyn- Bradley stars 91 +13 



Eddington Groombridge stars 266 +31 95 



Schwarzschild Groombridge stars 266 -(-33 9 



Dyson Stars of large proper motion 281 +42 



Beljawsky Porters stars 281 +3^ 86 



Eddington Zodiacal stars 109 



Rudolph Bradley stars 268 -{-26 



Means 272 +34 93 +12 



A logarithmic spiral is denned as one that intersects 

 all radiants at the same angle. This is precisely the en- 

 semble arrangement we should expect of the planets in 

 their orbits at successive instants of time, if, as I have 

 been arguing, the planets are truly balancing themselves 

 as a composite unit on the pivot of their lowest center of 

 gravity. Strangely enough, astronomers have lately 

 shown that spiral nebulae (which for this purpose possess 

 an advantage in having continuous arms to guide the eye, 

 whereas a system like ours has only points) conform to 

 this very shape ! I would ask the reader to pay especial 

 attention to this peculiarity, as it will be adverted to later 

 in an even more important connection. 



It may be objected by some of my readers that the 

 axis of the sun, Jupiter, and Uranus are not at all in 

 alignment with the earth's axis. The objection, on the 



