Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-01-04
-d,lraster f,ltelligencer.
TUESDAY EVENING. JAN. 4. 1881.
The Starry Heavens.
Third Regular meeting Of Star Gu

third Regular meeting Of Star Club.
A full meeting of the Star club was held
at the rooms of the Christian association
last evening. In addition to the numeri-
cal star list, which was increased to forty
six, Mr.. Frank Greist read very interest
ing paper on the planets, and the history
of the advance in astronomical knOwl-
edge in regard to them from the crude
theories of Olden times to the certain
knowledge of tie present. The star list
was continued as follows by Mr.. J. P. Nc
Caskey:
The constellation Familiarity known as
"Job's Coffin" but marked on the charts
as the Dolphin, is faint group lying be-
tween the Eagle and the Great Square of
Pegasus. Affair of the Eagle, it will be
remembered, is at the southern angle
of the triangle which includes the Northern
Cross. The star in the head of the Dol
phiD, nearest Gicnah in the Northern Cross,
is Svalozin; while Rotancw is nearest
Affair. We turn now to the northwest
and look at one or more of the constella-
tions in this quarter. A line drawn from
Deneb, in the head of the Northern Cross,
to the North Star will determine the posi-
ton of the constellation Cepheus. and fix
it's principal stars. The two stars Alder
amin and Aiphirk lie a little off this line,
the former being nearer Dcneb, and the
latter about eight degreesdistant, towards
the North Star. The third star named in
this constellation is Errai, which may be
determined by a triangle, nearly isosccles,
having Aiphirk and the North Star at
the extremitics of its bases and Errai at
its vertex towards the w formed by tho
principal stars in CassiopGia's Chair.
To fix the head of the Dragon, an irreg-
nlar quadrilateral, VIC draw line from
Vega to the North Star, and the first
point in the position of our group is de-
termined, the head being on the side of
our line toward the Great Dipper, and not
far from Vega. The star nearest Vega is
Etanin, the next, in u straight line toward
the first in the handle of the Great Dipper,
is RastabaD, the next, 4 faint star in the
same direction is Ell Rakis. The Dragon
may now bc traced 10y line of stars curv.
ing upward and backward, toward Alder.
amin and Alphirk. 1t then returns pass
ing between the two Ditpers and almost
enclosing the Little Dippcr. AS it passes
around the bowl Of the Little Dippcr, half
way between this and the second star in
the handle of the Great Dippcr We have
Thuban, the old North Star of 4, 600 years
ago.
The Great Dippcr-also known as ''The
Plough" and ''Charles's Vain in the
constellation of the Great Bear, is widely
known group of stars in the circumpoIar
region of the heavens. 1t now lies rather
low i'm the horizon in the carly evening.
The first star in the handle is Bcnctnascll ::
the second, several degrees distant, is Mi
Ear, near which is the star-pOint AlcOr :;
Alioth is the third in the handle, and is
next the bowl of the Dipper; Megrez is
the first star in the bowl, and Phad is the
first star in the bottom of the bowl
Mcrak is eight degrees from Phad and five
degrees from Dubhc, which is the last in
the bowl. Tho last two named are called
The Pointers because they point out
POlaris, the North Star, nearly thirty de-
grees distant.
The North Star is in the extremity of
the handle of the Little Dipper, which
curves downward toward the handle of
the Great Dipper. The two brightest stars
in the bowl are kochab and Pherkad,
known as ''The Guards to the pole. The
remaining stars of the handle and bowl
are of faint brilliancy.
Our star list for this evening is therefore:
NO. ~, SValozln SS, KOtancW ~, Al
deramin; 30, Alphirk; 81, Errai; 80,
Etanin 33, Rastaban; "a, El Rakis 35,
Thuban 36, Benetnasch 81, Mizar 3S,
Alcor; 80, Alioth 40, Mcgrez /; Al, phad;
AZ, Merak {; 45, Dubhc /; a, Polaris the
North Star 40, kochab, and 46, Phcr-
kad. The first two are in the Dragon {:
the next three in Cephcus; next four in
the Dragon next eight i'll the Great Dip
per, and the last three in the Little Dip
Der