Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-30

briiiiant Vega, in the Tyre. Before US are
the consultations Ursa Minor, Draco and,
just skimming the northern horizon, Cas-
sicpeia. half hour can be spent profit
ably with these circumpolar stars.
To begin with. the Pole Star Itself
known among astronomers as Polaris. and
popularity as the North STARTS position
nearly in line with the two outer stars
in the bowl of the Dipper, the Pointers
as these stars are called, affords a ready
means Of finding it. Its distance from the
near of the pointers is about equal TO the
length of the Dipper and since IT is the
brightest star heIe-it is rather below tie
fun second magnitude-one can hardly MIS-
take its identity.
The Pole Star can also be recognized
easily from its position at the end of the
handle of the Little Dipper This constel-
lation. like the Great Dippcr. is formed by
seven stars. of which three-Polaris and
the two which correspond in position with
the Pointers In the Great Dipper-are of
the second magnitude, the Others being
considerably less bright, one of them of
only the fifth magnitude. The bowl of the
Little Dipper will Toe found tonight above
and at the right of the Pole Star.
This is the constellation called anciently
Crsa Minor. the Smaller Bear. The
handle of the dipper forms the bears tail
while the bowl forms its rather diminutive
body.
INV LUIS -
Another ancient name for this group of
stars was Cynosura. The name is Greek
and signifies Dogs Tail" whence we may
gather that the constellation was some
times regarded a dog rather than
bear, particular stress being laid on the
great length of it's caudal appendage The
CynoSura, and not the present Pole Star
was the compass of the Greek and Phue-
nician sailors, the pole of the heavens be-
hair div h Il.
greeS distant from the star which now
| marks its position tvery nearby. and being
| nearer than now to the body of the Little
Bear. The change has been brought about
by the Same slow, wabbling motion of the
earth, as ii spins on its axis, to which is
due the procession of the equinoxes' the
poles" of the heavens being simply the
two points toward which the earth's ANS
happens to be directed. The position of
the northern pole 1000 years ago is inii-
Gated on the planisphere by a small cross
1t will be seen that the two bright outer
stars In the bowl of the Little Dipper then
served as pointers and, indeed, these two
| stars are still known as the Guardians of
| the Pole. From Cynosura comes our word
cynoSure, applied to an object which at
tracts all eyes.
The space between the Tyre and the two
Bears, or Dippers. is occupied by Draco.
| the Dragon The head Of this monster lies
about midway between Vega and the bowl
of the Little Dipper. 1t consists of Il
trapezium of stars, of which the brightest
two-a pair which closely resembles the
two Guardians, both in magnitude and in
distance aDart-are referred to In ancient
descriptions of the constellation as the
Dragons fierce" torvD or burning
(ardentes) eyes" The general shape of the
Dragons tortuous body is that of a re-
versed letter s. The tip of the tail lies
| about midway from the bowl of the Great
Dipper to the Pole Star. From this point
the body can be traced barring its numer-
| Gus imaginary cells, by line OF third
| magnitude stars, which sweeps partly
| around the Little Bear and then takes an
outward curve toward the head.
Former Pole Star.
The third star from the tip of the
Dragons tail. midway between the Guard
ians of the Pole and the middle star in The
handle of the Upper, is Alpha Draconis.
Some 1900 years before the Christian era
the north pole Of the heavens was within
four degrees of this star, which was. there
fore, the pole star of that epoch The
larger of the pyramids of Egypt are
thought to have been built at about that
time, and it has been pointed out as a re-
niarkable and doubtless significant fact
that the passagewayS leading into these
pyramids, en- their noItherr faces, all have
an inclination such that from the bottoms
of these passages the then polar star could
be seen when at its lower culmination-that
is. when directly beneath the true pole.
This pole star of COCO years ago is marked
On the planisphere by letter A
Another star of historic interest in the
Dragon is the star Gamma, the lower of
the two eyes" as the constellation is now
posed. 1t was from observations of this
star that Bradley discovered the ALBERTA
ton of light" discovery which decided
long-standing question whether light
flashes through space instantaneously or
requires time for its propagation. Bradley
observed this star through an entire year.
and he found that I'm the course of the year
1t seemed to describe little ellipse on the
face Of the sky, an apparent movement
which he connected with the earths actual
movement In its orbit. and which he ex-
planned very ingeniously and satisfactorily
on the supposition that the stars light did
not come from 1t to the earth instanta-
neously. but consumed time on its way. 10
understand how this must give to the star
its observed movement. let one imagine
himself to stand In . pouring rain at
time when there 10 no wind and the drops