Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-01-09
the JANUARY SKIES.
Other Worlds Than osrs 4 elit..'ias Parade.

OF all the months or the year. none ~ ~
equal January IN the br rrc,myoi H and
zodtacai consultations are nov aueu .s t,,e
most brilliant groups of the southern shy
Since the disap SlHtese, Summer constei-
lations.. this section OF the heavens ma
been OF little interest to the average s!aa-
gazer: but December and jan renIste with With
first magniture stars ana s"rseou'
Standing then. with face to the south I'm.
east at Or ocl1cKi we sea i,' region II the
heavens. Wirhin an area less lnan o,e y,
fifth OF the visible hemisphere are Iocassu
Orion. the prince rs 81 cea gnisde stars, Ri
gal and Betelgeuse fpro1onnceuai a. De ITO
iuze9. and the pretty straignt-ilne .ri1.
1.-THE kings. midway bet ,raca ;vc c staS'
Sirius. the brightest in az me mea ,,e. :.
CAMS Minor, identified by Procyoh' near
Nv in the east: Gemini, with the twsils,
Castor and Polux. above Procyoa. ana
Aldebaran in the head, Taurus, nor Tar
from the zenith. If we look, little FAR
Their to the north we may 1neiuae .nc W. WI
tagonal figure OF Auriga, "nere the hire
| white star Capella. the brightest Oh ths
northern hemisphere :, 80, M
With this field in sight 1t does NOT re-
uuire a scholar to grow ecstatlc over tue
abundant destinations OF astroh ,y
Here are the stars which Homer knew
and of which Sappho sang. All lnuseu
are hallowed by myt mo- gnis a'u hhunter
holding in his right hand a hsge t s,uo
with which to smte Taurus IN the iacc;
while his left grasps me le ha has Slain
Taurus is the celestial bul whose duiy ~
was to open the year with ms eo.nen
horns. CAMS Major is the hunter dos.
| that sits In an upright position ana pegs
his master Orion to lei him loose upon
the Hare that rests beneath Orions Zee;
The Hyades in the face of Taurus anu
the pleiade.. in the shoulder. seen IN the
neiyhborhood of the zenith. are the Two
! finest naked-eye clusters of the SKY. NJ
| prollp has been the subject OF more poe-
try and legend than 5hat Oh the r'e n9 A.
| las and the sea-nymph Pleione. whom Jh-
piter translated to the skies TO keep IIol'
the clutches Of Orion. orisinaiiy ti he-l
| were seven sisters, but Aicyone wept hef,
self away over the loss of her peioVeh
| Troy, so that six nakea-eye stars no"
| comprise the cluster ,,,,,
| In this southeast quarter OF the celestial
hemisphere are therefore seen SIX OF Ine
| twenty first magnitude stars-and WITH
one exception the six brightesi,-and near
Sirius is nearest the southeEh horizon and
besides being the brightest OF the flXe1
stars. il also has the distinction OF beng
the nearest to Us 81 ssy solar uni,s or
eight light years. distant. the nearest
| star is now thought 10 be Alpha Zen
tauri, 4 brilliant nrst ihaSHItuus st' lie
low the southern horizon, which Is na sd
| As far distant. IL is easily seen tnae INT
/ distances of the stars are anconsei.ao.!
great for while light travels at Inc stoi
mons rate of 1Si, 900 miles per secJnd, OF
| from the moon to the Garth In one ana q
quarter seconds. or seven times arounl
the earth in one second. yet IL requires
| four years to come from the nearest s.a,:
The majority OF stars are so far away
that n takes more than century ioF
light to come from them. Stars ina,
may have become extinct before ,b me MINI MN
is still on its way to the earth. mes
prodigious distances require ceiesliai
units Of measurements; For sn9ri 10
the distance TO the sun, 9s00.Q0o miles;
fot. greater distances the light year.
which signifies the distance light traVeis
Although classei as a first magnitude
star, vet Sirius Is nine times as bright as
some Others of the same class. ii Is ia,
l nmons the Greeks and Romans was re-
rardei as star of III omen. and was
Thought TO forebsde famine and disease
among animals and men. but IN I - ,ha
abode of Isis and its appearance in the
southeast ushered in the annual inunda-
ton of the Nile, which brougn,, ierui''s
white star, but Aldebaran Is red; Tne
color, however. is no longer thought 10
indicate Intensity of heat, as is Indicated
dne rather TO the materials that enter
into the composition OF the star ana sur
rounding atmosphere. ~
Besides the first magnitude stars, be
telgeuse and Rigal Orion has Bellatrtx o.
th. second magnitude in the lett shoui-
der. the three kings" forming the oeit
also of the second magnitude ana oa1ph
in the right knee Of the third when con-
southern winter sky. Note the large d.a-
mond formed by Rigal, Betelseuse. SIRIUS
and Aldebaran with the three kings IN
the center: and later III the evening d ' Rat
selgeuse Procyon brings up the rear OF
this gorgeous pageantry of stars, ana "
y Light years distant from US. II Is Oh
additional interest because or ass ~, ,I cisee
COMPANIONS, which. however. have never
been found. although searched Ior ny lne
largest telescopes. Castor and Poiiux are
in The hands of the twins and are OF the
second and first magnitude. respectively
The former is a magnificent double: tne
cunponemts differing but one magnitude
in brightness. -. ~, .,,,o,s
wiu continue through the month or jan
uary to be the crownins glory OF ans
81 the planets Venus and Jupiter. the
bright objects of last summers evening
sky. are now morning stars, and very
close to the sun. Mars. however. is the
| bright fiery red star In the east IN tIie
middle evening. Saturn Is III IN oc9rp,o p
| ana is a bright morning star, rising ABOUT
| 1 A. NJ. Uranus is also in this consteila,
| ton. but is not to be seen by the naked
| eve. Neptune is not far from Inc up *
! the southern horn OF TAURUS. mere t w,
be no eclipse of the sun visible in TINS
| country in 1899 and but one eclipse OF tne
moon will be seen in America rms VII
will be completed in four hours.