Evening star., 1897-06-05

and their combined effect is to render this
region Of the heavens hardly less resplen-
dent than that which contains Orion and
his retinue Of first magnitude stars.
The Scorpion is one Of the most striking
decorations of the summer evening Skies
Like Orion, 1t is situated on the border of
and partly in the Milky Way, and like
Orion again, with whom it is associated in
mythology, II this is indeed the very Scor-
pion that caused the boastful hunters
death. 1t ia one of the few consultations
that we cam make something Of. A slight
effort Of the imagination will enable one to
make out the curved group of stars at the
right Of Antares a pair of scorpion claws
vhile the tail may be traced curving down.
ward on the left. The tail terminates in a
pair Of third magnitude stars, which form
the sting. The figure is so striking that NO
one, with these hints. can fail to make it
cut. One will, therefore, be somewhat sur
prfsed upon consulting chart Of the hear-
ems to find that the stars out of which he
Las formed the claws do not belong to this
constellation. but form a part Of Libra
which precedes the Scorpion on the west
The fact Is, astronomers for purposes of
their own, have not scrupled to rob the
Scorpion of its really characteristic fea-
ture. The constellation Libra, the Balance
though apparently a very old constellation
was dropped from the zodiac or perhaps
contracted in dimensions. by the Greek as
tronomers. and when it was restored, as
one OF the astronomical honors accorded
the Emperor Augustus. 1t was made I'D of
stars taken from the Virgin and the Scor-
plcn, between which 1t lies.
For Small Telescope.
The whole of this star-bespangled region
is rich in objects suitable for a small tel
escope-double. stars, star clusters and neb-
ulae-and even with an opera glass one NAV
pick up here many a little gem In the
shape Of star cluster which eludes the
vision Of the naked eye. Turn the glass
first upon Antares and observe how strong
Is the contrast between its distinctly red
color and the prevailing white of the sur-
rounding stars. Antares is, according to
the view now generally held by astrono-
mers, one Of those suns which have passed
their haicyon days and are verging to-
ward extinction as luminar1es. While stars
like Sirius and Vega, which shine with a
bluish-white light, stand at the highest
point in the scale of temperature, their
spectra being characterized by the promi-
nerce OF the hydrogen lines, and the vel
low stars, of which Capella is a typical ex-
ample, and OF which our own sun is one
are at lower temperature, and are sur
with atmosphere largely charged with the.
vapors of metals, the red stars give eyi-
dence through their spectra of being at a
lower temperature still. Their atmospheres
carbon compounds. 1t is to the absorption
Of their light by their dense atmospheres.
not less than to their actual loss of bril-
liancy, that their ruddy color is to be at
doubtless cease to emit any light and will
join the host of dark suns" with which.
as Is known from evidence of various kinds.
anterstellar space Is prcfusely sprinkled.
A Double Star.
The third star from Antares on the left.
Mu Scorpions, may be seen to be double
even with the naked eye. 1t Is very pret-
ty object for the opera glass; and 1t will
give one who has not access to a larger
instrument an idea Of how a double star
appears through a telescope. The lower
OF the two components Of this star known
as Mu 2 Scorpions, has recently been dis
covered at the Harvard College observatory
to be "spectroscopic binary" that. Is to
say, 1t consists OF two stars, or suns. re-
volving one about the other but so close
to Cne another as to be inseparable with
even the largest telescope The discovery
was made by means of photograp phs of its
spectrum. which show periodic doubling
CT its dark absorption lines, a doubling
which Is Interpreted to mean that the spec
trum Is really the superposed spectra of
two stars, which alternately move toward
and from us as they circle in their orbits
Upon this suppositicn the doubling Is easily
accounted for, and upon no other This Is
the third star discovered to be binary in
this way, the first being Mizar, the mid
die star in the harcle of the Dipper, the
second Beta Aurigae, the star in the right
shoulder Of the Wagner. Still more re-
Gently fourth. a star Of between the
fourth and fifth magnitudes in the constel-
| lation Pupis, too far south to be seen by
us. has been added to the list of these
remarkable discoveries not the least won
derful. perhaps. that have been made with
the spectroscope. In all these cases the
period Of revolution is short being in the
last instance only three days and about
three hours.
The Serpent Holder.
ophiuchus the Serpent Holder, is. II
| we include with him the wrtggling SER
pent which he holds. one of the largest of
the considerations. It now occupfes-at 8
oclock-nearly the whole region Of the
| heavens between east and southeast. to
| height Of two-thirds Of the distance from
| the horizon to the senith. Ophiucfus is
| an old constellation, dating back at least
to the time of Homer, and. though there