Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-04
SEPTEMBER SKIES
Stars and Planets That Well Repay
Close Study.
HINTS FOX AMATEUR ASTRONOMERS
Interesting Figures as to the Great
Nebula of Andromeda.
THE SHIFT IN THE EQUINOX
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evenn. Star.
The Milky Way now passes, at . pm.
directly overhead. In it or near it are the
consultations Scorpio and Sagitarius both
low in the southwest: Ophiuchus, holding
in his grasp the wriggling Serpent; the
Eagle. with its brilliant star Affair; the
Swan, or Northern Cross, nearly in the
zenith; Cepheus, standing above the Pole
Star; Cassiopeia, in midheavens in he
northeast; and below Cassiopeia. the Old
hero Perseus, brandshins in his right hand
an invisible sword and swinging in his left
the frightful Gorgeous head.
To the right of Cassiopeia and Perseus
at abont one-third of the distance from the
horizon to the zenith, is Andromeda The
constellation is easily located by means of
Its three brighter stars, all of the second
magnitude, which lie at about the same
distance apart in a line curving upward TO
the right. The lowermost of the three is
Gamma, beautiful colored double star
one of the finest in the heavens consisting
OF an orange-yelow star and a fainter
companion, which is emerald green. This
star is a splendid object for a small tele-
scope The middle star of the three-the
brightest of the three which form the
maiden's BELTS Beta; the uppermost in
the head is Alpha, known also by the Ara
bic name Aipheratz.
Andromeda is now in her best position for
observing as a constellation. She reclines
In the natural and easy pose which she
may be imagined to have assumed while
bound to the rock, awHiting the arrival of
the sea monster, who, but for the timely
Intervention of Perseus, would have made
meal of her. To the modern star-gazcr,
however. this constellation is less interest,"
Ing for Its mythology than for Its great
nebula. This object lies near the upper
most of the three stars in the belt. 1t can
easily be detected with the naked eye as a
peculiarly fuzzy star. Through opera
glass 1t has still more of a hazy look. Its
appearance in the field of a small telescope
was very aptly described by Simon Marius,
who first turned a telescope upon it, in
16l2, as that Of a "a candle shining through
horn" In form 1t is roughly elliptical. and
photography has shown that encompassing
its central nucleus, core of light, are
whorls and incurviEg streaks of a fainter
glow, the arrangement of which tells plain
ly of motion. There is certainly mighty
turmoil of some sort going on, however.
slowly, in this region of space; but whether
the nebula is simply vast whirlpool of
nebulous matter, whatever that may he,
as Is the impression which one first re-
-oeives on looking at its photograph, or,
closer examination renders more likely,
1t is an aggregation of whirlpools-an in
tricate interlacing of eddying and coiling
streams-it is difficult to decide.
According To Theory.
On the ''metecric theory of Mr.. Lock-
yer, tnat WHICH Is mere WDlrlnS ana
ing is a mass of met ortes-bits of stone
and metals-and the nebGous glow is due
to their collisions. which result in heat
sufficient to vapcrize and render luminous
their more volatile substances. The spec
troscope favors this view, If it does not
establish 1t. The light of the nebula is
shown by this IL strument to come partly
from matter in the solid or liquid state ana
partly and mainly from gaseous matter.
OF the gases, enc is certainly hydrogen;
respecting another, which seems to be
about equally plentiful, there is q question
whether it is nitrogen. as is the opinion cl
DIR. Higgins. or. as Mr. Lockyer contends.
the vapor of magnesium These gases, to-
gether with few others that betray their
presence occasionally through the spec
troscope. and none of which has been iden-
titled with certainty. are found in all of the
nebulae.
To form some idea of the probable size
Of this nehula. assuming that it's distance
from us is about seventy light years.
which, though simply wild guess, Is an
assumption probably within bounds-we
may calculate from the nebula's apparent
size that actually it is large enough more
than to bridge the space between us and
Alpha Centauri, the nearest of the stars,
that it's diameter exceeds that of the solar
system nearly 5000 times.
Alpha Andromeda forms one corner or
the great Square OF Pegasus. now con-
spicuous object, at o'clock, in mid
heavens in the east. Although the Square
is roughly rectangular, each angie
by a star of the second magnitude. its
sides are not equal in length, the shortest
measuring about twelve and the longest
seventeen degrees. Its shorter sides range
north and south: its longer, east and west.
The two stars which form the eastern side
serve as pointers to the yernal equinox
the point at which the sun crosses the ce-
lestial equator from the southern TO the
northern hemisphere, about the list or
March, and from which astronomers reckon
the fright ascension" corresponding 10
terrestrial longitude, of celestial objects. A
line run through these two stars from
north to south and prolonged TO distance
about equal to that of the stars apart, ter
inmates very close to this important point
in the heavens.
First In the Zodiac.
Below Andromede, as she is now posed. Is
Aries, the Ram. the first In order of the
twelve consultations which form the 20
-diac. The constellation is marked con-
spicuousiy by a pair of stars between the
second and third magnitudes and about
five degrees apart. which are placed by the
chart makers in the Rams horns. Near
the more southerly is a star of the fourth
magnitude, in the Rams left ear. which
serves literally as an lear mark by which
this pair of stars may always he recog-
nized, wherever seen This little group OF
three stars forms practically the whole CT
the constellation, which is otherwise poorly
marked with stars.
We have tonight a good opportunity to
observe the amount Of shift which has
taken place In the equinox in the course of
the last 1000 years In the time of the old
astronomer Hpparchus the vernal equinox
was near the head Of Aries. that the