Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-30

heavens in this direc-
ton, its position being then nearly central
between the horizon and the zenith, as is
shown In the annexed planisphere Every
one Is familiar with the appearance of this
striking asterism, which hangs in the
heavens like a gigantic letter " 1t is prob
ably one of the Oldest, and is certainly the
most imposing of the ancient consultations
me popular imagination everywhere and in
all ages has seen in this group of stars the
likeness of a human being, huntsman or
warrior. although it is difficult or rather
impossible to trace the outlines of that
figure, equipped with club. sword and shield,
which may be found depicted on a modern
celestial chart.
stars of the First Magnitude,
This quarter OF the heavens is especially
rich In stars of the first magnitude Orion
itself contains two stars Of this class-Be-
telgeuse. In the right shoulder. and Rigel. in
the left foot. In its immediate neighborhood
are three others Of the same magnitude
while midway between the consolidate and
the Pole star is a fourth. making in all six
stars Of the first order of splendor within
this comparatively restricted region. Inter-
spersed among them are hosts of stars of
the second and lower magnitudes, and
through their midst runs the milky way
the whole combination rendering this a pecu-
liarly splendid section of the heavens.
OF Different Color.
Betelgeuse and Rigel can easily be identi-
fled from their positions at opposite corners
OF the constellation. The three stars of the
belt-the Three kings,as they are sometimes
called-lie midway between them. Observe
the difference in their color Betelgeuse is
reddish star. while Rigel is pearly white.
According to the view now in favor among
astronomers these stars represent different
stages of world life. Betelgeuse is in an
early stage. 1t is thought to be not a star,
properly speaking, but rather dense
swarm of meteors,'' still condensing and
growing hotter and hotter. The matter
which composes it has not yet become en-
tirely gaseous. as 1t will become eventually
but Is still undergoing a sort of melting pro-
cess, the heat being supplied by the collis-
ions or the meteorS. Rigel is more ad-
vanced sun. 1t is wholly gaseous and has
reached the stage when a sun is the hottest.
Its future career will be continual cooling
or. In the course of time 1t will become a
yellow star-so say the astronomerS-like
Capella, the bright star now seen nearly
overhead. The yellow stars according to
this view, which is based on observa lions
made with the spectroscope, are worlds in
middle life. Our sun belongs to this class.
The Dog Star.
The very brilliant star beneath Orion and
nearly in a line with the Three Kings, is
Sirius, the dog star. Although reckoned as
Of the first magnitude it stands full head
and shoulders above the rest of it's class,
its light being estimated to equal that Of
five average stars of the first magnitude.
Sirius, like Rigel, shines with an intense
ly white light verging upon blue. 1t is a
sun in the full vigor of youth, in Intensely hot
as well as intensely luminous. The spectre
dor or1.,1
drogen in its atmosphere.
This brilliant star mas held a prominent
place both in ancient mythology and in the
history of astronomy. The Egyptians wor-
SHIPPED it under the name Sothis and be-
lieved it to be the residence of the goddess
Isis. Its rising-that is, its first appearance
above the horizon at daybreak. which oc-
CURED in July-marked the beginning of the
Egyptian year.
The name "Dog Star" has come down to
us from the Greeks and is thought to have
been borrowed by them from the Egyptians,
by whom 1t seems to have been given to
this star because of its supposed watchful
care over the interests of the husbandman,
It's rising giving him notice of the approach
ing overflow of the Nile. Certainly this
name cannot have been suggested by any
thing peculiar in the configuration of the
stars in it's neighborhood, and the notion
that dog days" which follow the rising of
Sirius, are peculiarly baneful to the canine
race probably has no other basis than a
misconception of the import of the popular
It's Distance From Us.
Sirius is one of the stars, fifty or sixty in
number, of which the distance from us has
been ascertained with a greater or less
margin of error. Although not the nearest
of the stars, as was formerly very naturally
supposed by astronomers to be the case, it
has been found to be among the nearest
Its distance from us is now commonly put
at about 6OO,OO0 times that of the sun. This
distance, though really short, as star dis
tances go, is, of course. utterly ncompre-
hensible. The matter is not much helped
when we have calculated that light which
reaches us from the sun in little over
eight minutes. and from the moon in one
and one-third seconds, requires ten years to
fash across the space which intervenes be-
tween us and the Dog Star. The light
which renders this star visible to us tonight
left it ten years ago. In a miniature model
of the universe, in which the whole sola-
system should be embraced in a space no
bigger than the dot upon this i,Srius should
be placed at distance from this system of
about twenty-five feet.
Its Size.