The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-06-07
ASTRONOMY FOR JUNE.

! northern hemisphere. Arcturus can Away
| be identified readily from its position on
continuation OF the curve of the handle o
the Great Dipper Following thi
curve still farther at distance from
Aroturus about enIal TO its distance from
the end of the Dipper's handle, we strike
spicl, the Wheat Ear. the brightest star In
Virgo. Spica has Just crossed the merldiar
at two-ifths Of the distance from the hori-
2on to the zenith. AT a somewhat lower al
ltude IN the west Is ReSuus In the con-
stellatlon Leo--the jewel In the handle o,
tho Sickle, which iorms the Lions head
and shoulders. Low In the southeast is
AnIares, the rudy heart OF the scor-
plJn."
The three last named stars, all OF the
first magnitude. lie along the suns path
the ec.lptic--and will serve tonight to
SHOW US al glance the location of the half
OF that important g,eat circle OF the hsay-
ems which Is now above the horizon. The
planets travel very nearly in the same path
as the sun. Two OF them are now visible
Jupiter, unmi9takable from its great brill
liancy, between Srlca aud Regulus, and
Saturn. some six degrees northeast of An
tares.
Arcturus and Spica mark two OF the cor
ners OF the great Diamond OF Virgo, thu
eastern and the southern, respectively. AT
the western corner stands Denebola, q
bright second magnitude star in the tail
OF the Lion. At its northern corner Is Cor
Carroll the principal stan In the Hunting
Dogs Games Venatici. This star is OF only
the third magnitude but, being much the
brightest sta" hereabouts, 1t is quite con-
spicuous. 1t Is at about two-thirds OF the
distance from Dsnebola to BenctDatsch, the
end star in the Dipper's handle. The loz-
onge-shaIei figure, or diamond, formed
by these four stars measures about fifty
degrees from north to south-fve ninths OF
the distance from the horizon TO the zenith
and, though a modern constellation, like
the Dipper, the Sickle and the Square of
Pegasus, 1t is a useful landmark in this
region OF the sky, easily remembered and
serving to fix clearly In mind the relative
positions of the stars which form 1t,
In the upper half of the Diamond, mid
way between Denebola and Cor Carroll. lies
the rich though rather diffuse, sprinkling
of small stars known as Coma Berenices,
Berenice's Hair. There are said to be IN
this clu.ter forty or fifty stars visible 10
the naked eye mostly of the fifth and sixth
magnitudes II Is beautiful field for the
opera glass The cluster is particularly in
teresting to astronomers from Its remarka-
bic richness In nebuae 1t lies very nearly
a, one of the poles OF the Milky Way: that
from a great circle OF the heavens running
along the cente.' OF the Milky Way.
The distribution of the nebulae over tho
celestial sphere is, like that OF the stars,
very far from being uniform. and re-
mark able fact--first observed by the e.der
Herschel and brought out very strlkingy
by Proctor, who carefully plotted upon
chart of the heavens all of the known
that the distribution OF the
nebulne is in general precisely the reverse
of that Of the stars Where the stars are
tho most plentiful the nebulae are, as
rule the fewest. The stars are crowded In
and along the Milky Way, and diminish
In abundance rapidly as we carry our sur
vey to distance from this belt OF con-
densation, on either side. The reverse 10
the case with the nebuae. these family
luminous. wisplike objects being the most
abundant In the regions about the poles OF
the galactic circle.
Facing now the cast. we have upon our |
left, at about one third OF the distance |
from the horizon to the zenith, the brilliant |
star Vega, or Alpha Lyrae rival, If not |
an equal of Arcturus in splondor, Directly |
before us. well zip toward the zenith. is
the Northern Crown a small semi-oval OF |
six stars which form the asterlsm TOO |
striking to be mistaken. The crown les |
at about one-third of the distance from |
Arcturus to Vega on a line curving slight |
~ downward The region below the crown |
as the heavens are now posed, and at the |
right of Vega, is occupied by the old con- |
stellation Hercules a rather interesting |
for reason to be given
presently The body OF Hercules--or the |
lover part of the body-is formed by
very noticeable trapezium OF four stars OF
he third magnitude. situated midway be-
tween Vega and the crown, The head,
marked by variable star. Alpha Her
rules. which ranges between the third
md fourth magnitudes, is southeast OF the
rapezium. at distance from 1t about
vice the length of its longer diagonal Be
ow this star is bright second magnitude
star, which marks the head of Opiuchus
rhe left arm of Hercules is formed by
conspicuous line of five fifth magnitude
tars midway between the head and Vega
The figure Is in a kneeling posture, the
eft knee. marked by a star of the fourth
nagnture, being midway between the ira
'e2ium and Vega; the left foot also
marked by star OF the fourth magnitude,
$ about degrees south of the "eves" OF
he Dragon. With these hints and the aid
u the sketch on the planisphAre this can
tellation, OF which the Greek name was
fngonasin, tho Kneeler, should he found
asily. Hercules contains one OF tho finest
oiesccpic star clusters in the heavens
tten referred TO as tho 'globular clus-
|
re trapezium. A small telescope shows II
merely as round nebulous spot a large
instrument resolves 1t into several hun
red tiny stars-s2s is the number given
" Prof. =. c. Pickerlng-arranged, an
'arently. In a globulor form.
But mere interesting to us than this teIe-
eopic object is the fact that this consteila-
ION contains. according to the observations
II Sir William Herschel the point toward
which the sun and its family OF planets
ire travelling In space,
We were speaking last month OF the
proper motion" Of the stars II is proba-
Dle that none Of the stars are really I
'hNcd, !" but that all of them are travelling.
With greater or less rapidlty. In various
directions in space. though so distant are
hey tina, centuries ara required In most
asses to effect chenges of relative position
'erceptible TO the naked eve Our sun is
My star. Hence Hersehel conjeetured
hat 1t, like its brethren. was in notion
VAS travelling somewhther. To dete
ueh motion, II II exists is matter very E
nipple in principle When we move in any /
direction surrounding objects appear 4, a