Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-07-19
SIRIUS DEFENDED. OR A vINDICATIoN OF THE
FIXED STARS.

The witty SIDsIT SIXTH tells Of who spoke dis
respectfully Of the equator This sudacy has been emulat-
ed by certain malicious persons who have venured to accuse
good old Sirius of freaks quite unbecoming the dignity OF
fixed star. This light Of all antiquity stands accused OF
reelng to and fro and staggering like drunken man.
The venerable Humboldt is summoned wtess to these
nebate evouons Of the king Of stars Some even spPre
hend the overu Of all that fabric Of stellar astronomy which
the combined labor Of many great minds has been for
erecting Az sdming friends Of Sirius and the fixed stars
generally duty them, may most
readily be done, from all such aspcrsions.
Admit tha. Sirius has seemed up and down. right
and left and with varying brightness to tw through CO.
lesia polka For all this Sirius has done only what he had
perfect right to dowhas in various degrees is constantly
observed in stars the horizon The explanation Of ell
such apparent Of fixed stars witnessed by
Humbold, Prince AdaIbe. Ksuns and Thugutt. 70 be
found not in any hypobei Of actual motion in the stars
themselves but 10 dsscty rssbs 10 the risons Of amo
sphsric ss6sesion Any person familiar with the subecs
knows The great influence Of rsscon ths horizon
is simply y reason Of the rapid variations in this refacon
that Sirius any other star the horizon to have
rapid proper motion. This motion may be up down,
right left Irregular depending the movement Of the
winds air currents As atmospheric reaction varies with
the density temperature and moisture Of the a changes in
these along the of ray must induce changes in its d
ection, ia the apparent position Of the luminous object
whence the ray proceeds Hence the apparent motion
Observed only in the fixed but in many of
common terrestrial observation
Every have noticed how the currents Of air around
heated stovppe to keep the walls and ceilings, seen
just beyond it, in sembance Of ceaseless emor. It COM
for Shores at distance the water, to seem
tremuous and unsteady, from the In looking
strongly ground distant Objects these
in ceaseess vibration, by Of the ncessan changes Of
intermediate refraction.
About three years since the Mobile papers heraded
ratio umnay which appeared every evening in the south,
and performed extraordinary antics creating, Of course
quite an excitement. This simply the star Canopus
skirtiog the southern horizon eliminating altitude Of
about So II seen the marshes south Of Mobile
where the motion Of the air and the evaporation quite
considerable furnishing sufficient explanation Of all the sp
pearances.
The experience Of the Coast Survey horizontal azmuh
observations has rendered this apparent in the telescope field
both terrestrial and celestial objects quite familiar facts Sud-
den changes Of weather, attended by mingng Of cold and
warm air currents produce irregular motions of such msgn
tude make observations impossible worthless Late
raj displacement ha, frequently been observed the
Of thirty seconds Of arc, and much sometimes when the
disturbances Of atmospheric the observer Yer
which would readily be observed by the unaded eye looking
over fixed edge like the ridge Of house. The extreme
variations though rare, and such appearances Hum
bcld reports consequently The officers Of the
Coast Survey have frequently observed great ray Disturbances
especially beaches and Marshes but from the cause
being obvious and these have particular
discussion.
In bill lay between two stations Of such relative
altitude that the signal sometimes visible and sometimes
concealed by the h depending the differences of inter-
mediate refaction. 1t is for the observed
signal apparently from the centre Of the field with
pretty rapid motion.
Proofs might readily be multiplied that the variations ofre
fraction alone quite suffice for explaining the sac perform
Of Sirius and the fixed stars without in the least i'm
peachng their stability and propriey The scandal
futed but another illustration of the propensity
acbe oes and those above and beyond us which
in truth but deusions due to the atmosphere enveopng
ourselves. E. B. H.