The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1883-08-11
.Ow TO TELL THE STARS.
& simple and Comprehensive Lesson
in Practical astronomy.
New York Sun J

New York Sun
II the observer goes out OF doors in
some place where he has plenty of sky
room, say at half-pas nine o'clock in the
evening, he will recognize, low in the
west and northwest, some of the constel-
lations described in April when they were
high in the heavens Poised upon the
northwest horizon ne will perceive the
sickle OF Leo; above that the nebulous
glimmer OF Bernice's hair, and half way
up to the western sky the golden Arc
turus ourshining everything in that part
of the heavens. Between Arcturus and
the zenith is the Northern Crown. The
Great Bear is seen descending headfore-
most toward the extreme northwestern
horizon, and the Little Bear is poised
above the pole, apparently balancing on
its tail. Spica, the diamond Of the Vir-
gin, glitters low down in the southwest.
Now, leaving his old friends of the spring
evenings, let the observer look overhead.
A little east OF the zenith he will see a
star which at once chains the attention
both by its unusual brilliancy and by the
tinge of splendid blue which the eye de-
tects in its lively rays, especially when
it is looked at with telescope. This is
Vega in the Lyre. Ii the observer has
telescope, here is chance to test its
powers. A first-rate object glass of three
inches aperture will show the delicate
eleventh-magnitude companion star of
Vega, if the air is clear and steady.
Close by Vega, on the east, will be seen
the little stars which make a triangle
with it. a powerful opera glass will
readily show that the northermost Of
these stars, which is called Epsilon
Lyre, is double. Now, let the observer
turn three-inch telescope upon it, with
magnifying power of say 200 diameters.
He will perceive that each of the stars
shown by the opera glass is in turn COM
posed of two stars very close together,
and if his telescope is of the finest quality,
and his eye good, he will see between the
two pairs two exceedingly minute stars
which Herschel called the Debillissima,
and which are famous tests for telescopes
of three or four inches aperature. A few
degrees south of Vega are the third-mag-
ni'ude stars Beta and Gamma Lyra, both
double, and about half way between
them lies
THE WONDERFUL RING NEBULA.
Not trace of this nebula can be seer
with the naked eye, the spot where il
exists appearing black and empty. Il
the observer has no right ascension ant
declination circles attached to his in
strument, he can find the nebula by
sweeping with the telescope from Bet,
to Gamma Lyr@. 1t looks like one o
the smoke rings that smoker sometime
blows from his lips in the still air Of
room, but it would encircle the who'll
solar system, with plenty of room t.
spare. East of Vega is the constellation
of Cygnus, marked by the easily recog
nized figure of large cross, sometime
called the Northern Cross. The brigh
star at the head of the cross is Dene
Cygni, and the smaller star at its foot
Epsilon Cygni. The latter is one of tn
most beautiful of all the double stars o
account of the contrast in the color of il
components, one being orange and tn
other a deep blue. They are readil
separated by a telescope of three incht
aperature. In fact, large spyglass,
armed with an astronomical -piec,
will show this splendid double wei
Rather more than third of the distan,
from Vega to the bowl of the small dil
per in the Little Bear group. of sta
forming a diamond.shaped figure will
seen. This is the head of the Dragon,
constellation the remainder of who
stars are strung out in a winding lii
nearly encircling the pole. Far over
the northeast the observer will see Il
W-shaped figure formed by the princip
stars of the Cassiopela. Turning no
toward the southeast quarter of the SIX
he will see, pretty well elevated abo
the horizon, 6rst magnitude star,