National Republican., 1880-07-07
TwInl,lc. Tvinl,lc. mac stnr.

|
most rigorous deductions partako of the char.
acter of the widest imaginative flights. The
| starry heavens have been celebrated iu song,
in story aud in prayer Aud the lecturer
| who discourses of astronomical mystcriCs, the
| journalist who writes Of stellar beauties. each
is sure to find, the one a crowded audience,
the other wide circle Of readers. The SUM
mor skies, although not Tvs glitteriug or MS
magnificent IN the brightest Of the astral lights
as tho fall or the winter, yet present ra-
diant appearance, aud this article proposes 10
direct the popular mind to tho ready pointing
out OF the brightest stars that at this season
adorn the armament.
The bright stars, which are peculiarly those
Of The summer tide, are Arctmus Affair,
| Adridcd, Antarcs, Lyra, Capclla. Dcuch aud
Azimoch, or the Daisy. To these may be
added the Great Bear forever cncircliug tho
Pole in his perpetual flight from the never.
| ending chase of Bootcs The stars Of tho
Great Bear, commonly called the "Dippci" or
She wagon" never set in this latitude. They
are within the circle Of perpetual visibility.
| The glitteriug chair Of CassiJpcia always on
the side Of the Polar star, opposite 70 the
Great Bear, and equidisiant, also never sets In
this latitude. Both the Qnccu's Throne and
the Wagon are particularly bright in the sum.
mer, being then at their period of highest
attitude The stars Of tho Grat Bear are
much more adapted as q starting point whence
to trace the course Of the other consultations
than even the Pole star. They can never be
mistaken for any other.
Starting thcu at 10 o'clock from the Great
Bear, q liuC drawn almost duo south from IL
will strkca very brilliant ruddy star one Of
the most famous Of all the astral lumiuariss,
which also bears peculiar Interest 70 lovers
Of American literature, because it was tho
fancy Of Edgar Too that it had hccu. away
back in the Night Of Time, his birthplace
and primal home and would be his last uhIG.
la Yf4il Il [. N..s|t
time supposed to be tho nearest of ull "Hxcd
stars 1t Is by far the brightest seen Ia this
latitude, cSccutmg Sirius. and is without OK.
ccptiun the most beautiful of an stars of the
FIRST magnitude. Whcu rising iu The north
east OF setting In the northwest, the gjttcriug
sparkle of its beauty has Egcuatinn that
impels to the belief there is something spir-
iiual about it.
To the south and little west Of Arcturus is
the Virgins Daisy easily rycogniz bic from
lis steady hrillGucc, its cool, pure light. aud
from its isolation In that quarter Of tho hcav.
Gus. No other large star is near
it. it is white star In the
jar northwest is Capcla, the Goat star, Of
magnificent brll!aGcy and emitting a subducd
orange radiance. II sets rather carly aui
rises in the northeast before morning In the
centre Of the sky and extending eastward ut
the hour above INDICATED is the most Inuguin.
cent triangle IN the heavens. Not more srlcn.
the great double triangle which makes up the
diamond in Virgo, this figure Is specially in.
tcrcsting Each angle is tipped with a ST. +
OF the first magnitude, Tho wcstCrumost
! one, now almost in the zenith ut TO- Is Lyra
. - white star OF superb sp!Cudor and which Ia
doubly interesting because in about 10000
years 1t will be the north pole star to the in.
hubitants of the earth, the most glorious OF
s all possible role stars The star timing tho
: northeastern angle Of this triangle is AdriIcd
n or the White swan star II forms part Of the
great Northern Gross, and is the chief star in
b that constellation, out Of which Brsse
\ succeeded In compelling one to whisper into
his cars, from those iar.ot dcplhs Of space.
the grand aud tremendous secret Of its dis.
tance from the earth. The star Gl Cyuui WIS
e the first whose part!lax was measured, and
, consequently whose distance ascCrtaucd
The cHslernmCst star Of this triangle is Affair,
in the beak of tho EAGLE, q bright white star
All three OF the triangle are peculiar for their
o soft, white !ustre The Eagle star is further
to be known by its contigu,y TO small con.
' stcllatiOn just east Of it, pOpulMly known ug
Jobs Cultin" otherwise the Dolphin, In
the far south there is II group Of stars in tho
p shape Of bow kite with q long tail. Where
: the tail joins the body OF tho kite IL a suDorhy
brilliant star, unupprOachablu in all that ncigh.
borhood for splcudor-Autarc', or the Sc0r.
, pion's Heart. 1t is the only star in the sliv Of
exactly the same peculiar cOppor-rod huo as the
planet Mars.
IN the western sky aud gradually sinking
TO the north Of west about II o'clock /. n
very brilliant star one Of the chief gloriCs Of
= very brilliant asJorism-Drneb, or the Lion 5
Tail. IL forms the westcrgmnst angle Of that
great triangle composed OF ITSELF ArCturus
and the Daisy, aud may be easily pointed out
' by remembering its triangular position with
a those bright lights. The stars of the Lion
2 arc more properly spring stars but D,pcb
u. nt,t l.tt
popularity of this star and of Rggulus. the
, Liou's Heart, is the steady spleUdor with
:, which they shine. They are not diminished
d in apparent lustre cyc7i when the gi'tcring
path of the ful moon lies broadly bright
: through the name Of the Lion.
East Of the great triangle which at 10 o'clock
is nearly in the centre Of the sky, is % regular
square, each angle defined by brilliant star
of the s. cOnd magnitude. This il the Great
Table in PEGASUS. The northeastern star OF
this square forms tho FIRST ofa slightly curved
: line extending to the mort beast ANA dstn-
gushcd by tho throu most beautiful of AL the
stars Of the second magnitude seen in the
northern hemisphere. They are the bri ,ht
stars IN Andromcda, The one In the corner Of
the Table in pngasUs IL Alphcrat2,O ,On't tho brow
= Of Audromcdu Tie next, going toward tho
northeast is Mcrach, in the girllc and sill
further to the northeast H. hmuack, on the
foot Of Audromclu. Never were brow, waist
OF lO'l Nl ll M Nh1 ~ utNNNllNllA UI 80 Ufll-
, liautly adorned Near Mcrach, in the cirdle
+ and litlo.tu the northwest, Ia the only ncbula
s visible 10 tho naked eye, the famous ncLula
in Audromcda, which hua probably been more
t closely observed byu larger number Of per.
+ sons than any other object in tho heavens out
sdo the solar system,
These are about all OF the very bright and
' easily dstuguishuble stars that slime with
S greatest hrlluucy In the simmer time. They
are the "stars Of the summer night which
sparkle in Lougiellows most beautiful lyric
The distance of these stars from the earth
!. appeals 10 the imagination aud not 10 the
' Judgment. For example Of all the bright
a stars that have bccu named us beinr pecu.
=, liarly those which rise snd ahino with greatest t
=, lu,tre In tho summer time ouly CspclM,
~ Arclurus ana Lyra have hcon measured Tho
D., distance in miles Is as follows Lyra, 1872 2iI, p.
= giOUOOO0C Arc,urus liS, !52JUOUOpO; Ca.
:. pella, Au9972, l2s OuO00O Across such puIf,
r. OF space the Imagination even Of un archangol
- would fail to pass,
y Assuming that the light Of star Of tho
y sixth magnitude, The G,iutest that eau h., seen
" by the naked Gyc in this climate, is rcure.
u sentcd by unity, then tho light Of the sua /.
equal TO 100000 Of these units the light OF
the moon to 5000, a thousand Times less than
r. the suns; the light Of Sirius, 300 hrctuuIs
r Capolla and Lyra from l75 10 200; Venus, al
10 hor greatest bIiIlt,ucy more than double,