Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-07-05

to the south and cast. The presence
OF the magnificent planet Jupiter, not
far from Beta, renders this beautiful
star picture still more imposing.
Northeast Of Sourpio we see the ex.
tensive constellation Ophiuchus, or the
Serpent .holder grasping with both
hands the Serpent, along constellation,
forming large semi circular arc. The
head Of Ophiuohus ia marked by q
rather large triangle, the northernmost
vertes of which 10 Alpha Ophiuohus,
or Ras Alaghus, the other two being
Beta AND Kappa Alpha forms, with
Vega and Affair, an equilRteral
triangle. The highest star in the
Serpent is Alpha Serpentis, or Unuk,
Of The second magnitude. The straight
lins drawn from Alpha Serpentis to
Zeta Ophiuchus contains five stars
which In combination with two other
stars on each side of II form charao.
teristio confguration resembling q
hanging lamr" so very much as to
observe the honor of being separate
and particular constellation Of its own,
called by that rAme 1t is certainly
one Of the most striking confgurations
OF stars In the summer sky.
North of Ophiuchus, between 1t and
the zodiacaI constellation Draco, is the
fine and large constellation Hercules,
whose most characteristic CONFORMATION
IL a large triangle, and north of 1t a
somewhat smaller quadrilateral. The
southernmost yertex In the triangle IL
marked by Alpha Herculis, or Ras
Algethi, in the head of the demi god,
triangle Is marked by Allha Merculis,
or Ras Algethi, In the head OF the demi-
god. The two others are Beta and Delta.
Alpha is fine double. star of tho
second magnitude, colors orange and
blue. The four stars of the quadri-
lateral are Epsilon, Zeta, Eta and ri,
with the faint star Rho near the last.
A third OF the why on the diagonal of
the quadrilateral, between Eta and
Zeta, the former Ia the north western
and the latter in the southwestern
corner, is situated the cluster, Messier
ID, perhaps the finest star cluster In
the heavens, though scarcely visible to
tho unaided eye. The constellation
Hercules is OF special interest for us
terrestrial inhabitants, since 1t has
oonolusively been proved that the sun
with all his splendid eofteRo Of planets
and their satellites moves toward a
certain point In that constellation,
known by the name Of the ''npeS OF the
suns way Erecting an eauilateral
triangle on the line joining ri with
Delta as base toward the east, the
eas.ernmost vertex very nearly COIN
cioes with this remarkable point toward
which we are sailing with velocity
OF more than million miles year.
Some have maintained that this swift
mr. nf al luf u q
motion Of eun and planets. This, how
ever, plausible as it might appear at
first, is altogether an erroneous notion,
for they leave out Of account that the
real motion of the planets in space has
just as little to do with the relative
motion OF sun and planets as the
on deck OF a ship to the different parts
Of the ship with her motion.
A little way south Of Beta Ophiuchi
there are five small stars In the Milky
Way, forming V-like shape, like the
Hyades, which in the latter part Of the
past century were proposed as new
installations oniatowski's Bull. /"
Although still found In many maps. 1t
is now diaoredited by most urano-
graphers.
very n6dr tne merluiaD We see tne
constellation Lyra with the splendid
star Vega, Aquila, with the first mag
nitude star Affair, is RISING higher and
higher in the east, and east Of it the
constellation Cygnus Is rising up.
Bootes, with the magnificent star
Arcturus, and Corona Borealis, that
beautiful serni4circle of stars. are
slowly bending toward the west Virgo
is halfway between the meridian and
the western horizon and Leo is low
down IN the southwest. The spring
consultations are making room for
those that characterize the skies Of the
summer season.