Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-10-04
ASTRONOMICAL DISCOVERIES.
FROM tbs cIscISsArI GAZETTE.
THE REVOLVING STARS.

catalogue OF double STARS presented the world by NJ Suve
the result OF his examinations of the with
ebraed Dopo Reractor In attempting ascertain the
physical union Of pair Of double stars long series Of accu
rate observations requisite for the purpose Of determining
that there motion in the SYSTEM and then to obtain The
Of motion in given time, and the position the plane
in which the motion has place Strives first object sim
ply to fix the place Of those whose proximity warranted
the suspicion that physical union might exist All the
entered his catalogue divided into four classes The
rst class included those whose distance does exceed four
seconds Of the second class those in which
e distance between the two companions greater than
ou seconds and less than eight seconds the third class in
a stars whose distance eight seconds and
.'' seconds while the fourth class comprehendcd those
"''s usance was between sixteen seconds and hiy-two
These distances are all no minute that they cannot be
discovered with the naked eve and indeed he rre.,est hv
TWO seconds - not 80 great the apparent diameter Of the
planet Jupiter Suve in sweeping the heavens from the
north pole to the parallel Of latitude een deoees sout of
the EQUATOR an equal to about two;rs of the entire
sphere of the henyens has marked down the places az M less
than three thousand double stars The ino;,v NAV he,a
arise to the probability Of tho apparent close PROXIMITY Of
these stars being occasoned by accidental location Of The
one far behind the other This matter presented itself in The
outset to Strives penetrating mind and by application Of
the Calculus Of Probabilities he arrived the following re-
markabe results Among hundred double stars Of the first
attributed to position place the right ns as
seen from the earth.
Among the hundred double of the second class the
places Of ten may be attributed accident leaving ninety
out OF the hundred in which there every believe
that physical union exists The proportion of
higher in the other classes yet the fourth class large
number remain to be accounted for other hypothesis
than accidental distribution.
When it is remembered that physical unen be looked
tor especially among the double stars Of the first GLASS; and
that the closest only be separated by nsr
mens Of the very highest class wonderful that few
binary systems have yielded the of their intimate
connection.
After fixing the position of than three thousand double
stars absolute space by their right decnation
Strive then undertook the aborious and difficult task
fixing their positions with reference each other This is
done by measuring accurately the distance by which the
separated from each other and also their angle Of position
This is the angle formed by the right line joining the stars
with circle of decinaon passing through Of Them
catalogue formed Of distances and angles position the
data at obtained for detecting any changes which
going in double system by comparison Of these p
mitiye positions with any subsequent These compar
sons have led to the detection already Of large number Of
systems in which physical union certain to exist When
we remember that only few years have elapsed since these
examinations commenced and the very few instruments Of
power capable Of resolving the double the closest orde
and the immense periods in which these generally cir
cuaie around each other is surprising that much has
been already done.
Maeder, who succeeded Strive Dorpot, and who has
with great aro the periods Of the double stars
gives us the following remarkable results.
Among l02 binary systems there whose periods range
between 81 years and 100 years there systems whose
periods are between 100 and 200 years
between 200 and 500;
8 between 800 and 400;
% between 500 and 1000;
20 between 1000 and 1000;
10 between 1000 and 5000;
IA between 5000 and 5000;
between 5000 and 5000;
between 5000 and $3.50
and system whose period of revolution exceeds l6 73
years The slow and majestic motion of these mighty orb il
not surprising than the restless activity which dsti
cuisines other systems In the of Zeo Hercu we find
two suns revolving round each other in less than half the time
employed by the planet Hesce in circulating about its central
Since the erection Of the Cincinnati refracor as much time
could he spared from other been devoted to an
examination of the double The instrument has been
applied to Of the very closest systems and has proved
itself capable Of eecing absolute separation in every case
which has yet been examined
few evenings since, in company with Mr.. Hamilton
Smith of Ceveand the difficult in Strives Gaia
ogue, Epselon Arutis, separated with power Of Co.,
although with the Dopot refacor il had been seen
distinctly separate the two stars always remaining absolute
contact, under the favorable circumstances.
have already remarked that Strive divides the double stars
into four classes the first class involving those whose dis
ances do not exceed seconds Of At the time his cata-
ogue was published there example known in the
heavens Of star Of the first magnitude, attended by
panion, enough to fall within the first class Nearly
three months SINCE in examining the southern heavens,
led to suspect that Auores the brightest in the
selaton Scorpio attended by minute companion As
could find of any such remarkable object in any
Of my books for time in doubt whether might
not be deceived by optical accident but after exan-
nation Of two weeks called TO my aid several Of my
friends who the accustomed to these minute ex-
aminatons There longer any doubt Of the truth Of
my first impression the minute distinctly revealed,
and since that time have repeatedly and have
sured its distance and angle of position.
The large is of the first magnitude and is red while the
small star Of the 18th 18th magnitude and decidedly blue,
these two coors exhibiting themselves with great dsncnes
The distance between the and
onds Of placing this object winth first class Of distances
and presenting solitary example Of its kind On
count Of the deficiency my library would be quite mpos
sbe for whether any person has the COM
panon Of Auores before its discovery at this Observatory
have written to Europe, and in the Of lew weeks
shall receive intelligence which will settle the question
to whether this extraordinary object certainly the only
instance Of its kind already known to the Astronomers of