Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-06-08
BUCKLEY & GOODRICH.

ly large quantity of such meteoriC
matter falling upon the sun to main
tain its heat, for, II there were a very
large quantity of such matter near the
i sun, the motion of the planets Venus
and Mercury would be sensibly dis
| turbed, a result that is not borne out
| by observation. The other theory was
proposed by one Of the greatest physi-
cists that has ever liVed-Helmholtz.
| whose death was announced not long
| ago. This theory is so Spccious and
| rational that it has been almost uni
! Nersa!y adopted. II is based upon the
! indisputablc fact that. by the contrac-
ton Of Il large mass, proportionately
large amount Of heat is generated.
| HelmhOltz has shown that, even under
| the most unfavoraLle circumstances. a
| contraction in the suns diameter OF
about $50 feet in a year would account
for the whole output Of heat. Taking
the enormous mass Of the sun into ac-
count, such Il contraction would escape
the possibility Of observation. Il
would require more than 5000 years to
reduce the suns diameter d single sec
ond Of arc, ana anything less than
Illdl tbulu IlOl III htlftltu ny sui "
mcnt. Although contraction of the
suns body cannot be discerned, it is
Of the highest degree Of probability
that such a contraction is going on,
and, granting this. the problem Of the
maintenance Of the suns heat no long
er presents the slightest difficulty, and
Helmholtz's theory must be admitted
as absolute certainty.
IL hat
be on the meridian about nine O'Clock
in the June evenings are Bootes, Corona
Boraalis. Librc and Ursa Minor
Foote's, or the Huntsman, is especially
recognizable by the brilliant star
Arcturus. the finest fixed star after
Sirius in our latitude. 1t forms. with
Spica. in Virgo. and Dencbola. in Leo
large and conspicuous cquilateral trl-
angle The brightest star in this con-
stellation after Arcturus is Epsilon
which with Beta. marking the head
ana Delta and Gamma, marking the
shoulders. forms a somewhat irregular.
but still recognizable, cross. Corona
Rorcalis. or the Northern Crown, Is cer-
tainly one of the prcttieSt star-picturCS
in the heavens. The stars constituting
it from an almost perfect semi circle
The brightest, Alpha. also called Gam
ma or Alphacca, being situated in the
middle of the arc. Tho ZOdiacal con
stellation Libra is rather inconspicu-
Gus. Alpha and Beta. Of the second
magnitude. being the only brighter
stars in it. Still it may be easily rec
ogriZcd BY lying between the fine con
stcllations of Virgo and Scorpio south
of Libra is situated the fine consteila-
ton Ccntaurus. Of which. however, but
few stars. and these not very bright.
are visible in the United States. Il
contains two stars Of the first magni-
tude. AIpha and Beta. of which the
former is our nearest neighbor among
the fixed stars. Another constellation
living south Of Libra is Lupus, or th2
Wolf. an ancient constellation. Al
though it contains not inconSlderaole
uumEer of third and fourth magnitude
stars. il is too lnw for any satisfactory
observation in our latitude. The So
pcnt. constellation that also WEI pJ
Oh the meridian in June, is so ciosti|
lconnccted with Ophiuchus as TO be DIST
described with the latter in our next
article. Trsa Minor. or the Lesser
Bear. though containing but few really
conspicuous stars. Is. heNcrlil'ita9' ~
| tinruishcd both by its dipper-lh'
shane and by the advantage us POSI-
tion in the heavens affords 70 haNl5d-
tiou and surveying. The extremity OF
| tho line. prolonged four and onc-hall
times. Of the two pointers in the Great
Bear is marked by Polaris Or the Poe
star. so-callcd because ii lies very close
"a the true pole of the heavens. H.
ginning with Polaris, at the cNtrcml'y
| of the handle the other visible stars
tbat constitute the constellation OF
r-rsa Minor are Delta. Epsilon, Zeta'
Eta. Gamma and Beta, of which the
/ last four mark the dipper, and the iasl
| two. Beta and Gamma, corresponding
/ ia The Pointers in the large DlpPeF'
are known as the Guardians OF th'
| pole" Beta is also known by tho
name of "kochab.' baltimore ou"'