Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-12-06

tnPr6 ID nOt u year bDht owe OF lnure ID |
not added to the list The discovery
of Neptune in the year 1916 must ever
be regarded as the greatest triumph o.
mathematician astronomy. To one un.
familiar with tho almost magical power
Of mathematical analysis 1T cannot but
appear simply miraculous that ftom O
minute Displacement of planet not
alone the existence OF another planet
could be onjectured, but its very size.
orbit and position In the heavens be |
calculated without having ever been |
seen. Even the professional mathe- |
matician cannot and will not hesitate |
for an instant TO eVinae his admiration |
for such grand achievement. Lever
rier Of Paris-thouah Adams of Cam
bridge. Eng, shares the horor with
him made this calculation in 1915
without having ever Seen tho planet.
He ann ouneed the result of his calcutta
tion u the celebrated Gale in Berlin.
who at once set 20 work, and behold
| there was the planet in almost the
exact place where Leverrier said it
| ought to be. The discovery OF the Two
satellites Of Mars and fifth of Jupiter
by two American observers is another
evidence Of the grand achievement OF
the century. Thus, then, stands this
century, whose last moments q fast
| hitting away, unparalleled in the his
tory OF science, dscoy cry and invention,
and the soul of anyone who throws o
retrospective glance at what it bias
brought forth cannot but be filled wi h
wonder and awe and veneration for the
Creator of whom all these great
achievements of science and art must
be considered Manifestations.
Looking up at about 8 O'Clock in the
/. December evenings we see due south OF
\ Gamma Andtomede ard at "A short dis
lance from it a small constellation
which would be too insi gnitcant were
il not for the fact that 1t is oae of the
famous 49 of Ptolemy. Its principal
it has received the name Triangnlum,
or Deltoton the Triangle, oommem
Grafton, probably, Of the divine keom-
ety." The tn ee stars ara Alpha, Beta
and Gamma. thu frst two befng of the
third and the third of TIE foh III mag
pitude. South OF the Tria gle and at
the sama distance from it as the latter
is from Gamma Adromeda is situated
the zudiacal constellation Aries. or the
Ram. IL occupies the gn of Taurus.
lis characteristic star group is com
posed OF Alpha, or Hamal, Beta and
Gamma, Alpha being the northern
most and OF the second magnitude.
These three stars lying clase togei her
! form small and very obtuse triangle
with Beta or Sheratan ut the rertex oil
3 the obtuse angle. Alpha Arietis is one
of the 80 called nautical stars, and or
! this account of imEo'tance to ths
] mariner. South Of Aries and Pisces il
. seen the huge constellation Cetus, OF
q the Sea Monster, the largest in tn,
0 heavens. 1t extends over space Of 81
Q degrees in length from vest to east
9 with breadth Of 20 degrees from north
I to south. The head OF the monster il
Q marked by an irregular pentagon Q
q stars, the southern edge OF which il
!, formed by the stars Alpha, or Menkar
It of the second, and Gamma, OF tn
It third magnitude. The brightest sta
1t in this constellation is Beta, or DensI
o Oati, about 40 degrees southwest o
h Alpha, and marking the tail of the SCI
!, monster. 1t is easily recognized by it
q occupying an isolated position. Draw
b ing straight line from Alpha to Bet
y and dividing it into thres equal parts
1t the point one-third from Alpha
n maj ked by very remarkable star
10 called Omirron Cell, or more fainiliarl
r Mira the Wonderful, one Of those star
'e called variable. Its variability wa
10 discovered rs early as 1886, by Fabri
1T oius During most Of the time it re
IN mains simply faint ninth magnltud
star, but once in about II months
'e runs UP to the fourth, third, and eve
Q the second magnitude, and then bac
to again, Occupying usually about 100 day
10 in tn rise and fall. 1t has not yet bee
of satisfactorily explained by what such
10 strange behavior is caused, thong
es several more or less ingenious theorit
is have been suggested. While the beat
ny tiful midwiuter consultations Tauru
o. Auriga and Orion are climbing U
a. higher and higher in the east. the col
=. st1llntions Andromede and Pegasu
ly though still high up, arc descendir
nd towards the west Hercules, Aqui
n and Capriclrnus have sunk below Il
's- horizon, while Vega and Cygnus a
lrt low down IN the west. The ascendir
he OF glorious Orion proclaims the a
nd proach ard speedy arrival of the ,wint
to season during which We shall heho
} a the by far most brilliant group Of Co
To- stellations in the heavens.