Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-12

ly imagination can shape into the figure of
morse with a rider upon his back. They
belong to Sagtttarius, who is represented
upon charts as centaur-a monster half a
man and half a horse. They form only the
left arm and the bow and arrow of the
Archer, ss the constellation is now regard
ed, but 1t seems quite probable that orig
inally they formed the whole constellation
At any rate, the group is very suggestive
to one who is in search of animal shapes
among the stars. Five of these stars-the
most easteriy fve-form the Milk Dipper.
The handle, marked by a single star is at
the upper right-hand corner of the bowl
The dipper is in a position to scoop up a
of which it stands
This short-handled ladle must not be con-
founded with the Little Dpper." There
are three celestial dippers-the well-known
Great Dipper, ir the Ursa Major; the Little
upper another name for the Little Bear
tUrsa Minor of the ancients at the end
OF the handle of which stands the Pole
STAR and this Milk Dipper in Sa gittarius.
Meteors.
Meteors, or shooting stars" are now
known to be solid particles or small bits
OF stone or metal, ranging in size, prob
ably, as rule, from that of pea to that
of paving stone. They circle round the
sun, like the short-period comets, in great
elliptical orbits, some of which cross the
earth's path. moving in clouds or shoals,
millions of them in practically the same
orbit. These particles of matter being
struck by the earth, and entering it's at
mosphere with velocity so or 100 times
that of a rife ball. are quickly consumed
by the heat engendered by the friction of
the air, their tracks being lighted up mo-
mentariy by their fatal splendor.
A large number of meteor systems are
now recognized. The meteors belonging to
the same system move in the same direc-
Of tl,o;,
enter the earth's atmosphere are parallel
to one another, except that the meteor
probably glances more or less; yet, from
the law of perspective, these tracks appear
to rad1ate from some single point in the
heavens. The position of this point, or
radiant gives its name to the system
These Perseids seem to come, as before
stated from the direction of a point in
Perseus; the Leonids-the November me-
teors-from a point in Leo; the Orionds
from a point in Orion, and so on. Of late
years the annual display of the Perseds
has been remarkably fine, the meteors fire.
quently being of great, size and leaving
long trails. They appear occasionally from
about the middle of July to the Goth of
August. but they are the most frequent on
the nights above named, particularly on
the 10th.
The Planets.
Mercury will be an evening star, but too
near the sun to be visible until the 10th of
the month, when it will pass between us
and the sun, and will become a morning
star.
Venus is still morning star, but has
drawn in too close to the sun to be visible
to the naked eye.
Mars is an evening star, in the constella-
ton Virgo, setting about pm.
Jupiter is still a bright evening star, seen
at 8 pm. low in the southwest.
Saturn also is an evening star, in the
Scorpion, crossing the meridian at about
$50 pm. On the 21st it's "retrograde"
movement will cease; it will become sta
tionary." After that date its movement
will be direct" or toward the east
Uranus is about two degrees east of the
star Beta Scorpii. 1t shines as star of
the sixth magnitude, visible to a keen
sighted person with the naked eye and to
anv one through an opera glass