Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-06

they stu, in that primitive condition which
on Prof. Lockyer's "Meteorite Theory"
marks the incipient stage of sun life-are
they simply condensing shoals of white
hot meteors? Again, 1t would be interest
ing to know how far away these stars are
that We might form some idea of their size
and of the actual dimensions of the system
which they form. From rather uncertain
data II has been estimated that the dis
lance of the Pleiades from us is not less
than 80 light years." or about twenty
hVe times that of Sirius. Assuming this
to be the case-though really the estimate
is little better than a random guess-:he
naked-eye stars of the cluster must be
vastly superior in size to the sun. which at
that distance would dwindle to a star of
about the tenth magnitude. 1t would require
a good three-inch telescope at the least to
discover it. Alcyone must surpass il in ac-
tual splendor a thousand times. Figuring on
the same basis, We can calculate that the
size of the cluster. which is roughly glob-
ular, is such that light requires seven years
to speed across it from side to side. Were
its central star in the place of the sun, the
oItermost stars of the globular portion of
the cluster would be found nearly at the
distance of Alpha Centauri, the suns near
est stellar neighbor. while its outlying
streamers would extend far beyond.
Meteors.
On the nights of the 18th, 14th and 18th
of the month We may look for the annual
recurrence of the November meteors-the
Leonids, SO called from the circumstance
that the point from the direction of which
they Seem to shoot their radiant is in
the constellation Leo. In 1899, according to
the calculation of astronomers shower
OF these meteors is due-one of those
grand and terrifying displays which this
meteor system gives at intervals of thirty
three years, and experience has shown
that in the year or two preceding the
shower there is apt to be an unusually
fine display, though the locality in which it
Will be seen, whether in the eastern or
western hemisphere, cannot be predicted
nor the hours at which it will occur
This is true also of the shower" Wheth-
er we in America will witness it or it will
be best seen in Europe is uncertain. We
can only watch and anticipate perhaps
only to be disappointed.
The display is always the finest in the
morning hours, at which time the radiant
is above the horizon. Unfortunately this
year a bright moon will be shining on
the meteor nights, and since these me-
teors are apt to be small many of them
may be missed. Watchers last year were
not equally favored. Some saw no me-
teors at all. some saw a few. and two
or three observers reported fairly fine
displays on the morning of the 18th
Probably the luck of all will be better this
year, but nothing certain can be predicted
Mira and AlgoI.
Cloudy weather has prevented any very
recent observation of Mira by the writer
The star will doubtless be easily visible
to the naked eye by the time that this is
i'm print, end If true to its record it
should increase in brilliancy until 1t
reaches a maximum, some time i'm Deem
Der. The popularity of this wonderful
star was described last month, and di-
rections for finding ii were also given.
Note that it lies nearly midway between
Aldebaran and Fomalhaut, and at a dis
lance from Menkar, to the right, about
half as great that of Menkar from
Aldebaran. The star is of a decidedly red
dish color
A minimum of Algol convenient for OBJ
serving will occur at IL pm. on the 9Th,
and another at 8 pm. the 18th. With
the aid of the planisphere this star should
be found easily.
The Planets.
All of the planets except Venus, Jupiter
and Neptune are too near the sun to be
of interest to naked-eye observers. Mer-
curry will be in conjunction with the sun
(superior) OH the 9TH. Uranus on the 2Ist
and Saturn on the 25th.
Venus is still morning star, about
an hour and half west of the sun, but
her brilliancy is now less than one-tenth
as great as in June last
Jupiter is a brilliant morning star
about one nour ana a. quarter west of
Venus.
Neptune, invisible to the naked eye, is
pianisphere.