Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-01-19
THE JANUARY SKIES.
Other Worlds Than Ours-A GlittcrIne
Parade.

most brilliant groups of the southern
sky. Since the disappearance OF SCorpio |
and Saggitarus, the brilliant summer
consultations, this section of the heavens
has been of little interest to the average
star gazer; but December and January
usher in u section of the sky that is re-
plete with first magnitude stars and gor-
lgcous groups.
Standing then, with face to the south
east at or . o'clock, we have before
our eyes the most superb star region of
the heavens. Within an area less than
one-ifth of the visible hemisphere are
located Orion, the prince OF constela-
TONS containing the two first magni-
tude stars, Rigal and Betelgeuse (pro-
nounced Be.te-juze) and the pretty
straieht-llne trio. the kings" midway
between; CAMS Major. containing the
all attractive Star Sirius, the brightest
in all the heavens; CAMS Minor. identi-
fed by ProCyon, nearly in the east;
Gcmini, with the twins. Castor and
PolluX, above Procyon, and Alderbaran
in the head. Taurus, not far from the
zenith. If We look a little farther to
the north we may include the penta-
gona figure of Auriga, where our eyes
will be irresistiby drawn to the pure
white star, Capella, the brightest of the
northern hemisphere.
with this field i'm sight 1t does not
require a scholar to- grow ecstatic over
the abundant destinations of astronomy
Here are The stars which Homer knew
and of which Sappho sang. All indeed
are hallowed by mythology and glori-
lied by song. Orion is the mighty hun
ter holding in his right hand huge
club with which to smite Taurus in the
face, while his left grasps the terrible
skin of the Nemaean lion which he has
slain. Taurus is the celestial bull whose
duty it was to open the year with his
golden horns. CAMS Major Is the hunters
n n ppriybt nd
bcgs his master Orion to let him loose up
on the Hare that rests beneath Orion's
feet.
The Hyades in the face of Taurus and
the PlciadeS in the shoulder, seen in
the neighborhood Of the zenith, are the
two finest naked-eye clusters of the sky.
No group has been the subject of more
poetry and legend than that of the Plci-
AIDES. They We're the beautiful daugh-
tiers of Atlas and the sea-nymph Plei
one, whom Jupiter translated to the
skies to keep from the clutches of Orion.
Originally there were seven sisters but
Alcyone wept herself away over the loss
of her beloved Troy. so that six naked
eye stars now comprise the cluster.
In the southeast corner OF the celes-
tial hemisphere are therefore seen six of
the twenty first magnitude stars-and
with one exception, the six brightest
and nearby are two others, Capela and
Rcgulus. SIRIUS Is nearest the southern
horizon and besides being the brightest
of the fixed stars 1t also has the dstinc-
ton of being the nearest to us of any
northern hemisphere star. 1t is 10000
solar units" or eight light years dis
tant The nearest star is now thought
to be Alpha Centauri, n brilliant first
magnitude star below the southern hori-
zon. which is half as far distant. 1t is
easily seen that the distances of the
stars are inconcevably great, for while
light travels at the enormous rate Of
$4,000 miles per second, or from the
moon to the earth in enc and one-quar-
ter seconds or seven times around the
earth in one second, yet it requires four
years to come from the nearest star.
The majority of stars are so far away
that ii takes more than century for
light to come from them. Stars that
may have become extinct before the
earth was created are yet shining, as
their light is still on its way to the
Garth. These prodigious distances re-
quire celestial units of measurem ents.
For short distances the solar unit is
used, which is the distarcc Of the sun,
. 80, O0o,G0 mics, for greater distances the
light year, which signifies the distance
light travels in Il year
> Although classed a first magnitude
star yet Sirius is nine times as bright
, as some others of the same class. 1t is
,, Familiarity known as the dog star, and
ulnOHp tnc brcchS ana ROMANS WIS t.
garded as the star of i'll omen, and was
, thought to forebode famine and disease
among animals and men. But in Egypt,
on the contrary, ii was worshppcd as
., the abode of Isis and its appearance in
the southeast ushered in the annual in
undation of the Nile, which brought fer
tiity and harVests. Sirius, like Capelia,
is a white star, but Aldebaran is red
The color, however, Is no longer thought
to indicate intensity of heat, is indi-
Gated in white-hot and red-hot iron, but
it is due rather to the materials that
enter into the composition of the star
and surrounding atmosphere.
Besides the first magnitude stars, Be
tclgeuse and Rsal Orion has Belatrix
. Of the second magnitude in the left
shoulder, the three kings forming the
r belt also of the second magnitude and
: Sa!ph in the right knee of the third
= which contributed to make it the glory
: of the southern winter sky. Note the
large diamond formed by Rigal, Betel-
Ecuse, Sirius and Allebaran with tht
| three kings" in the center: and later
in the evening that formed by Procyon
= Sirius, Rigal and Betelgeuso. Procyor
brings up the rear of this p'ur,ee Gus pa
: Eeantry of stars. and is IL light years
2 distant from us. 1t is of additional in.
, forest because OF its irregular motion
| supposed to be caused by close compan
ions. which, however, have never beer
I found, although searched for by the
= largest telescopes. Castor and Pollu>
, are in the hands of the twins and arc o.
+ the second and first magnitude respec
+ lively. The former is of a magnificent
$ double, the componants differing but one
5 magnitude in brightness
= The brilliant section of the heavens
: will continue through the month OF Jan
4 uary to be the browning glory of tht
e winter sky.
. OF the planets Venus and Jupiter tht
=, bright objects of last summers evening
G sky. are now morning stars, and Very
[ close to the sun Mars, however is tn,
= bright, fiery red star in the east in tn,
$ middle evening. Saturn is still in Scor
{ pho and is n bright morning star, rising
t about a. III. Uranus Is also in thi.
= const citation, but is not to be- seen by
the naked eye. Neptune is not far from
the tip of the southern horn of Taurus
L There will be no eclipse Of the sun Visi
Ole IN this country in 1895 and but on,
eclipse of the moon will be seen il
? America This will occur on the eve
d ming of December &c. and will be Complet
f ed in four hours.
= MANIC pOnN EniIMn