Evening journal., 1898-12-01

would be hardly perceptlDle in a CEN
ltury on account OF the almost ineon-
ceiyable distances Of the latter. It wiz
take many hundreds, nay, many thou
sands OF years before the suns proper
motion in space will change the confg-
lurations OF the star groups. From dee
scriptons Of many consultations given
by men who lived long before the b.
ginning on the Christian era we can
draw bait the one conclusion: That any
changes in these configurations from
that remote period to the present time
must have been so exceedingly slight as
to escape detection.
II the planetary aspect of the heav-
ems is rather unfavorable in the De-
cember Of this year. the stellar pano-
rama is the more beautiful and grand.
The principal consultations that come
to the meridian at about 9 o'clock in
the December evenings are Aries. Cetus
and Perseus.
Aries. or the Ram, Is the first OF the
twelve consultations of the zodiac. but
in consequence OF the procession Of the
equinoxes occupies the sign Of Taurus
now. since through that cause the vcr-
nal equinox shifts westward. Almost
due south Of Gamma Andromedae.
where the Andromeda handle OF the
Great Square of Pegasus bends In a
southeast direction. we see three small
stars, forming a little right triangle,
the principal configuration OF the con-
sse,lation caked Triangu.um, or the
Triangle, which would scarcely De
worth mentioning were IL not
for the fact Of its being one
Ct Peolemys ancient famous forty
eight consultations. South Of Il three
stars will be noticed that are the
most prominent ones in the constella-
tion Aries. They form very ohtuse
little triangle, the northernmost yer-
tex of which is Alpha, or Hamal. The
middle star is Beta, OF sheratan, and
the third Gamma, the first binary auu-
BILE star ever discovered, having been
noticed as SUCH as early as 1864.
Cetus, or the Whale. sometimes aso
called the S.a Monster is very ex-
tenslYe constellation, although 1t con-
tains only one star that may fairly
be called bright The head is marked
by an irregular pentagon, situated
south OF Alpha Arletis. Aipha, OF
Menkar, is the principal star In the
pentagon, but 1t is not quite as brignc
as Beta, or Deneb Ceti, which marks
the Tail Of the monster, and is the
brightest member in the whole constf r
lation. The most remarkable feature
Of this constellation consists, however
= in the fact Of its containing one o
/ the most singular Of the variable stars
= It lies att not great distance north
E west from Alpha Ceu, and is calle'
Q Mira, or the Wonderful" It's yariaDil
:. ity was discovered as early as 1886
. st Of the time it is invisible 70 th
T. naked eye, being then a ninth magni
s ud star, but onCe in little less than
{ year Il appears as a fourth magnitud'
a star, and even sometimes attaining Il
s the brightness OF a. second magnitud.
Y star. II then changes back to its origi
r nal faintness, the rise and fall occupy
e ing a epace Of about 100 days. Mira
r therefore, belongs to that class Of va
= riable stars that have a certain fixe'
period in their changes, differing iron
t those in which no such periodicity
:. noticeable. Extending the Andromed
n handle OF the Great Square Of Pegasu
n in s.Ia. ght line. the bright secon
e magnitude ssar Alpha win be noticed
: which is the mcst conspicuous in oh
l. constellation Perseus
Il Ii is also called Alg nib, and mus
n net be confounded with Gamma Pegas
n in the Square, which bears the sam
IT name. The reason for two difleren
# stars bearing the sumo proper name
d rot apparent. With Delta on one SID
Ie of A.pha. and Gamma and Eta on oh
r other, we see q conhguration whic
II sometimes, and not inappropriately,
le called the Segment Of Perseus," form
le ing curve which is concave towar
" the northeast and runs along th
l. Milky Way toward Cassicpeia. d.
Il south Of Aipha is seen what may
regarded as one Of the most remarl
re abce fixed stars in the heavens. Tn
Of is Beta Persei, OF AlgOl, which, wit
D. some small stars near it, forms q
A. Head of Medusa." The classic
II scholar will recollect the story Of Pc
.y seus and the petrffying head Of Nj
in dura. Algol is most Of the time OF Il
r second magnitude. but changes fro
MS the second magnitude to the fourth
eh the brief time OF about three and on
it half hours, and back again in the san
be time. after which it remains 50 for 2
cy days, when the same changes reu
n The period Of changes is known Wi
C. great precision. being days 20 hou