Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-02-21
THE ENDURING STARS.
NINTH MEETING OF THE STAR c.,
Heart Of Charles ':-Berenice's = Hair-..Dia
mOnd of Virgo ''-MOrning COnstella-
tiOns- Outside Membership-
Light anu Eclipses-The
MicrOScODe. Etc.


was held last evening. The addition to
the list of stars and consultations was not
SO large as usual, but was perhaps of more
than usual interest.
The Hunting Dogs Of BoOtes Games Ve-
naticD are now above the northeastern
horizon by o'clock i'll the evening. The
Bear Driver holds them in leash as they
forever pursue the Bear around the Pole
The constellation is not a prominent one,
the only conspicuous star being Cor Carroll,
Heart of Charles i'll the neck of Chara.
the dog farthest west, star named by Sir
Charles Scarborough in memory of Charles
l., of England, who was beheaded A. d.
1919.
1t will be remembered that, as the han
die of the Great Dipper is the tail of the
Great Bear, the dogs must be looked for
Immediately behind him. the charts repre-
senting them in vigorous pursuit. To fix
this star. extend Il line from Benetnascl in
the extremity of the handle of the Dipper
to Denebola in the tail of the Lion, No.
104 on our list. Divide this line into three
equal parts. At the first point of division.
that nearest Benetnasch, we have Cor
| Carroll and at the second point, nearest
| DcnebOla, the beautiful cluster of faint
stars known as Berenice's Hair. \ line
| from Dubhe, one of the Pointers. through
Phad, produced nineteen degrees farther,
| will also fix Cor Carroll.
Coma Berenice's, OF Berenice's Hair, is
| a very interesting star group. The story
OF how it was named is often repeated and
familiar to many. Bcrenice, the queen of
| Egypt, alarmed for the safety OF her hus-
| band, promised her beautiful locks as Il
votve Offering to the goddess Venus should
he Ee restored to her unllarmed. The
king returned and the vow was paid. But
her hair soon disappeared from the temple
of the goddess, and to shield from punish
mcnt those who had it in charge, the
astronomer Conon declared that Jupiter
transferred it to the heavens, and, in proof
of this statement, he pointed out the con-
stellation, known ever since as Bcrcnice's
Hair.
The address OF the astronomer saved
the lives OF the priests from whose
!
as an old-time specimen OF high grade
adulation--hish rs the helvens-at first
glance it seems only less stupendous than
the effort of the Latin poet. Lucan. who.
in an address to the Emperor Nero, prays
him, that, after death, he may not choose
his place near either of the poles lest his
| weight should disturb the balance of the
| l..
was, and try to realize what the universe
is, COnon>s story becomes Il modest COM
pliment and Lucan stands matchless for
ever.
We began our work in October last,
with Bo0tes sinking rapidly in the north
west. His dogs We're already out Of sight.
Disappearing before their master, they, of
course, rise before him. Their present po-
sition has just been indicated. -irctnrus,
the bright star in the knee of BOotes, is
now on the horizon before nine o'clock in
the evening and before 10 o'clock the big
| is in full view. When we saw this
bright star sink in the northwest, it was
placed at the head OF our list. and now As
| the Earth moves on in its course around
| the Sun. our No. comes again into view,
to remain i'm our sky until late in the au-
tumn, bein. eight months -: the year
above the horizon and four months below
| it.
| Havin. now three stars of what is k;iown
as the Diamond of Vir1o'-namely, Den
ebola, Arcturus and Cor Caroli-we com
plete the figure to the southeast with the
fourth, which is Spica in the Virgin. This
does not rise in February until after nine
| o'clock, but by ten o'clock the entire fig
ure may be easily distinguished. Sp;ca is
the only bright star in the immediate vi
cinity. 1t is in the ear of corn in the left
hand of the Virgin. 1t is thirty-tive de-
| grees from DenebOla, and, when on the
meridian, about fifty degrees, almost due
south from Cor Carroll. Nearly midway
between Spica and Berenices's Hair is Vim
| demiatrix, in the right arm of the Virgin.
1t is nineteen degrees from Arcturus and
about the same distance from Coma Bere-
nices, thus making an isosceles triangle
| which points southwark. Zavijava is in
the top of the left wing of Virgo, thirteen
degrees south of Dencbola. line from
Arcturus through VinGemiatrix, and ex-
tended as far beyond it, will indicate this
star.
We have then this evening, continuing
our numerical list: No. 1l3 Cor Caroli in
the Hunting Dogs; ia Coma Berenices
or Berenice's Hair. a constellation 1l5
Spica, or Arista. 116 Vindcmiatrix, and III
Zavijava in the Virgin.
1t is interesting now before day-break
to see the stars and consultations in
the east which Il few months ago we saw
set in the west. At a. IN. we have Her
cules. Serpentarius and the head Of the
Dragon nearly on the meridian-with the
Harp, the Eagle, the Swan and the Dol
phin conspicuous in the eastern sky. The
bow of the Archer is we'll up in the south
east, but Vega, Affair and Deneb, in the
head Of the Cross, are the three brilliant
star-points that arrest the attention of
even the careless observer.
The newspapers also announce al inter
esting event for the last day OF February,
when, very early in the evening. the
planets Jupiter and Mercury will be i'm
CONJUNCTION. They will be very close to-
gether. but little more than half degree
between them, distance about equal to
one fifth the Belt of Orion. Mercury is
planet that comparatively few people have
seen. 1t must be looked for, if it is to be
identified, and good opera glass will be of