Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-02

though its figure is but dimly visible. The
third star from the tip Of the Dragons tall
situated midway between the Guardians Of
the Pole and Mizar. is Alpha Draconis, a
star OF considerable notortety. Some 1000
years ago this was the Pole star being
then but a trifie over three degrees from
the true pole of the heavens, a fact which
has held prominent place in the discus
sion regarding the age Of the Egyptian
pyramids.
The most striking feature Of the Dragon
Is Its flaming eyes, a pair of stars which
very closely resemble the twin guardians of
the pole Two stars of the fourth magni-
tude form, in conjunction with the two
eyes, a quite noticeable acknowledged
figure: The more southerly of these, how
ever, belongs to another constellation, being
In the left foot of Hercules.
To the right of the Dragons head Is the
Tyre Qyra), easily located by means Of its
bright star Vega, or Alpha Lyrae. This
small but very interesting constellation is
OF triangular shape, as shown on our chart
each corner being marked by a pair of
stars. The upper corner, as the Tyre Is
now placed, Is marked by the brilliant Vega
and a fifth magnitude star to the left The
small star Is Epsilon Lyrae, famous dou-
Die star, sometimes called the ''Double-dou-
BILE" Even an opera glass will resolve it
into two stars, while small telescope
which magnifies fifty or one hundred times,
will show that each of the two stars that
form the double star, as seen through an
opera glass, is itself double. A larger tele-
scope will bring into view three still fainter
stars lying between the pair of doubles;
that Is. Epsilon Lyrae, which to the naked
eye appears as a single star, is really a.
multiple star, having seven components
The star just below Vega, at about the
same distance from 1t as Epsilon, is also
double. but 1t can hardly be resolved with
an opera glass.
An Interesting Star.
The pair Of stars which mark the south
ern corner Of the Tyre are Beta and Gam
ma Lyrae. The upper Of these Beta) is a
variable star of great interest to astrono-
mers, though the range of its variability is
only little over one Observation-Disclosures
magnitudes "a and 4.5-and It is, therefore
less interesting to ordinary star gazers than
are Algol and Mira, which we examined
some four months ago. Beta Lyrae goes
through its changes in a period of a little
under thirteen days. A remarkable pecu-
liarity of it Is that it has two ''minima," at
one of which 1t falls only to the fourth mag
nitude, and not always even so low as that.
Midway between these two stars Is the
famous ring nebula of Lyra. 1t can be seen
but hardly recognized, with an opera glass;
show 1t we'll 1t appears as a thick ring
of nebulous light. turned toward us partly
edgewise. so that 1t has a slightly eliptical
figure. 1t is the largest and the most SYM
metrfcal OF this claS or nebulae, and when
seen with an adequate telescope power Is
a very striking object.
The Tyre has recently been invested with
an additional inter est for us through the
labors of Herr Stumpe, who has placed
within its limits the apex of the suns
way" phrase, which being interpreted,
means the point toward which the sun and
It's attendant planets are moving in space
The first to attempt a solution of this prob
lem was Sir William Herschel, who, making
a sort of general average of the motions of
the stars-their proper notions" as they
are called-reached the conclusion that the
sun Is moving from a point about twenty
degrees southwest of Sirius. in the constel-
lation Argo. toward a point near lambda
Herculis-marked on our chart with a small
circle and the letter II. Other astronomers
have confirmed Herschers view in the main,
although there has been a considerable dis
agreement as to the precise location of the
apex" All have, however fixed upon
point somewhere in this neghborhood. Herr
Stumpe deduced his conclusions from indie
pendent observations on four sets OF stars
In every case the apex fell within the con-
stellation Lyra, the mean position of the
four being the point marked on our chart
with a small cross. Herr Stumpe finds the
rate of the suns motion to be eight miles a
second-no less than go 100000 miles
year. To this extent, then, according to this
astronomer, our distance from the Tyre is
annually decreasing.
The Planets.
Mercury will be an evening star through
out the month By the end Of this week 1t
should make its appearance low in the west
shortly after sunset. and It will be seen
higher and higher each evening until the
22d. when 1t will reach its greatest appar-
ent distance from the sun toward the east,
and will at sunset be an hour and a half
high.
Venus is morning star. rising two hours
hafa ha
toward the sun. and her bri1liancy has d.
minished sensibly during the past month.
Mars now rises at about midnight. He
VIII be in "quadrature'' with the sun-90
degrees, or six hours in advance Of the sun
on the nth Of the month.
Jupiter and his near companion, Neptune
are now close beside the sun, the former
having been in conjunction with 1t on the
LIST ard the latter on the Sd of this month.
Saturn is now an evening star, setting at
about a m Its position, near the star
Spica, is shown on the planisphere. Since
February this planet has been ''retrograd-
ing'-moving westward. On the 21st Of
this month 1t will be stationary, and after
that date its motion will be direct or to-
ward the east. 1t continues to be in an ex-
cellent position for observation with a tel
escope-
Uranus Is about one and a half degrees
three diameters of the moon-to the right,
or west of Alpha Librae. 1t can be seen dis
uncIy Win an oNefa glass, ana PROBABLY
without this aid by a person of keen eye
sight Alpha L:brae is a star Of the third
magnitude, lying midway between Spica
and Antares, and should be found without
difficulty. 1t is double star. separable with
an opera glass, and this circumstance will
aid in its Identification There is faint
star near Uranus, but since the planet is
moving westward few nights observation
will enable one to distinguish 1t from the
star.
On the Dist Of this month the sun will
enter Cancer and the tropical summer will
begin
From Life.
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