The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-04
THE DOG STAR.

The star that CLOVIS with such unparal-
leled luster in the southeastern winters
sky at O'Clock Is the Dog Star. 1t now
rises at about 5 D. m. and reaches the me-
ridian at about a quarter past o'clock.
On next Sunday night, Feb. II, 1t will Gull
inmate or cross the meridian at exactly 9
o'clock. 1t is easily founu on account of
it's splendid brilliancy. Manilius, poet of
the Augustan age, says:
"All other he excels; no fairer light
Ascends the sky, none sets so clear and
bright" -tarr
The three stars in the girdle of Orion
point southeasterly to the Dog Star. 1t is
four times as brilliant any star in our
latitude, and has received more attention
from astronomers than any other star in
the heavens. The ancient Egyptians gave
it the name of Sirius, fom the River Nile,
which was called Siris i'm their heiroglyph-
les. They observed that when Sirius first
became visible in the east, just before
dawn-called the heliacal rising-the over
flow of the Nile followed. 1t was also called
the Dog Star because like faithful watch
dog, 1t warned them of the approaching
inundation. They waited for its appear
ance with deep solicitude, for on the over
flow of the river depended agricultural
prosperity or blighting drought. They also
computed the length of the year from the
heliacal risings of Sirius, and it is still
known as the "Canicular year."
The Romans were equally solicitous, and
were accustomed to yearly sacrifice a dog
to Sirius, to render his influence benefi-
cent to agriculture. Virgil says:
"Parched was the grass, and blghted was
the corn;
Nor 'scape the beasts; for Sirius on high,
With pestilential heat infects the sky"
When the Dog Star rose with the sun and
appeared to combine its influence with the
solar heat they gave the name of dog
days" (dies Canicularis), which began
Aug 4 and lasted until Sept. a. Now dog
days begin July 3 and continue until Aug.
IL. Owing to the displacement of the con-
stellations by the procession of the equi-
noxes the time of the heliacal rising of
the Dog Star is continually accelerated.
Hence, it is evident that modern dog days
have no connection with the dog star, but
refer to the Interchangeable summer SOL
stice. 1t is now known that dogs are no
more likely to go mad during dog days
than at any other period of the year.
In the "Almagest" of Ptolemy, published
In the second century. Sirius is described
as red star; it is now brilliant blush
white, proving that there has been a de-
cided change in its color during the past
two Thousand years. Stars are divided by
stellar spectra into four classes. The first
class, called Shian stars, include those
that are blue and white, such Sirius.
Vega, Affair, Procyon, and, perhaps, half
of the stars in the sky. The mass of Sirius
is estimated to be four times that OF the
sun; its distance is fifty trillion miles.
Eight and one-half years are required for
its light to traverse this vast space 1t has
a small companion about the size OF our
sun that revolves very close to 1t, with
period of fifty-two years. This is called
binary system. While Ii had been known
for many years that Sirius was binary and
the elements of the orbit of its attendant
had been calculated, this companion star
in 1852, when Alvan Clark and his son were
bridgeport, Mass. II was an eighteen-inch
object glass that they were making for the
Chicago University, and the younger Clark
had focused ii on Sirius. why, father,
he exclaimed. "the star has a companion"
The fathers practiced eye was quickly APP
piled TO the ocular, and there, due east of
Sirius, exactly in the position predicted by
the astronomer mathematician, a faint
star could be seen. The news was flashed
around the world and the discovery con-
firmed at the great observatorieS or Eu-
rope and America.
Procyon, the Little Dog Sta, is also
binary. but no telescope has yet been made
that is powerful enough to dc ane its COM
panion. Procyon is a fine Fast magnitude
star north OF the Great 1oog Star. Sirius,
Betelguex and Procyon form an equiiaferal
triangle whose sides are about twenty-six
degrees long. Procyon rises ABOUT naiI an
hour before Sirius. hence II Is named from