Evening journal., 1899-02-09

eight years for it's light 70 reach us.
OTHER BRIGHT STARS.
Northeast Of Orion and southeast Of
Auriga two bright stars, at about the
distance Of the two Pointers in the
Great Bear from each other constitute
the two most prominent members OF
the constellation Genrlni, or the
Twins, Alpha, or Castor. is OF the
second and Beta, or Po,iux. OF the fret
magnitude. When the modern nomen-
ciature q naming the fixed stars by
Creek and Roman letters came into
use, Castor was the brighter Of the
two, and on that account received the
name Alpha. II Is more interesting
star than Pollux, as II is a double
star, the duplicity Ct which can be de-
tected easily with a small telescope.
Connecting Poilux and Betelgeuse by a
straight line. Il passes Gamma Gemi-
norum, or Athena, being situated come
what nearer Betelgeuse. Aurlga, with
/ Capella, and Taurus. with Adiebaran,
and the fine clusters OF the Pleiadee
and Hyades are still high up. while
Cyngus and Pegasus have either set
r are on the point OF disappearing
below the western horizon. East Of
lBetelgeuse the magnificent star Proc
yon in the constellation CAMS Minor,
20 be described In our next article,
forms a splendid ,aIge equi'ateral tri-
ang.e with Sirius ard Bets'geuse which
greatly adds to the beauty ui the stel-
lar panorama
During the month CT February the
moon will go through hei phases as
follows. Last quarter on the Attn, new
IN the 11th; first quarter on the 18th
and full on the 2eth She wiki be
nearest the earth On the 18th, and
most remote on the 25th. IN course OF
the month"; the sun Will sweep through
an arc Of about 91a degrees in south
dec.ination, being al the end Of the
month a little over degrees from
4 the equator. When We lOek at any
celestial object, no matter whether 4
is the sun or the moon, or a plane
or fixed star. we see IT, eS it were
projected upon the inner surface Of az
immense sphere, which may quite ap
propriate.y be called. ana rs not In
frequently so called, the celestial vault
From merely looking at such an objec
It is impossible to form any correc
estimate of it's distance from us, IS.
that the comparatively near moo
locks as distant from rs as the re
mctest planet or any fixed star. Thi
sxplains the apparent motion Of tn
sun, moon and planets. rhe su
movee in a great circle thai is In
slned to the equator at an angie OF 2
- degrees and q minutes. and IN cons'
quence of this angle we see It move
- .wo-fold manner. eastward among th
, stars and north and southwark th
Z former being its mction IN right al
eension and the latter IN aecdnatio
Z upon which the seasons depend. SUI
posing an object TO be thrown q
= uquely into the air. say, toward Il
q west, It viii, as long as it IS risin
continuously recede from the grour
and continuously approach any obje
~ lying due west OF H. seen from
= great distance the body will appei
- as moving toward the west, and
the same time receding from the su
~ face Of the earth. This twO-cold m
y ,ion Of the sun accounts for his m
~ ton through the zodiacal oonsteli
90 tions from Aries to Pisces ana FRO
yhe tropic Of Cancer to that Of Cap
=, corn supposing the suns motion
ne ecliptic were uniform, neither tn
- in right ascension nor in declnatt
. could be so, as even aul mind W
readily comprehend, and consequent
" neither the solar days can be eqt
nor the arcs which the sun max
- every month in it's northern and sout
!, ern motion.
THE DAYS.