Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-12-01
DECEMBER HEAVENS
Consultations That Are Now Above
the Horizon.
NATURE OF TEE VARIABLE STARS
Continuing the Observations of the
PIanetoid Eros.
TO LOCATE THE PLANETS

| Written for The Evening Star
| The brilliant yellow star which may now
| be seen at about pm. in midheavens
| in the northeast is Capella, in the constel-
lation Auriga, one of the brightest three
| stars in the northern hemisphere. The
| name signifies ''she goat The star stands
| in the left shoulder of the Wagner (Au-
| riga), and also In the body of the Goat
| which he is represented upon charts as
| carrying upon that shoulder. The right
| shoulder Of the Wagner is marked by a
| star Of the second magnitude, Beta Au-
| rigae, now situated at the hour named,
directly beneath Capella. His head, marked
| by a star of the third magnitude, is to-
| ward the north. His feet are toward the
south, the right foot resting on the tip of
| the northern horn of the Bull (Taurus), the
more northerly Of the pair Of third magni-
| tude stars seen midway between Capella
and Betelgense in Orion
Near Capella is very noticeable little
| triangle of fourth magnitude stars, which
are probably the originals of the three Kids
which the Wagner is supposed to carry in
| his lap.
An Interesting Star.
Capella is for several reasons particu-
| larly interesting star. 1t belongs to the $50
| lar type of stars, it's spectrum very close
| ly resembling that of the sun. That is to
say, it is a body in about the same condi-
| ton physically as the sun, enveloped in an
| atmosphere made up of the same gases and
metal vapors the suns, the cause of
the multitudinous dark lines which cross
its spectrum 1t is probably body very
much larger than the sun. although it's
distance from US, from which its size might
be estimated, is not known with any degree
of certainty. In 1899 Prof. w. w. Camp
bell, at the Lick observatory and Mr..
Newall in England, discovered independ-
emily that Capella is spectroscopc binary
star-that it consists of two stars revolv-
| ing one about the other, but close as
| to be inseparable with telescope. The
| stars duplicity is shown by the periodic
| doubling of its spectrum line principle
| we'll understood by spectroscopists.
The period of revolution determined
| both by Prof. Campbell and Mr.. Newall,
| is 104 days. The components are found to
be of about equal mass. 1t reported
some time ago that an attempt had been
| made at the Greenwich observatory to
| separate the two components with a tele-
scope, and that while the separation could
| not be made complete, all the observers
| agreed that the star had the elongated ap-
pearance Of a close double star viewed
| through a small telescope. Beta Aurigae
also is a spectroscopic binary, the second to
be discovered, Mizar, in the handle of the
dipper, having been the first. The period
of Beta is about four days.
The Celestial Sow and Pigs.
east and at about the same altitude as Ca
| pella, is Aldebaran, popularity known the
Bulls Eye" 1t is an average star of the
first magnitude and is of decidedly red
dish color. 1t stands at about the same
distance as Capella from the star Ell Nath-
the star in the foot of Auriga-and, render
ing its identity still more certain, it is at
one corner of V-Shaped cluster of small
stars known as the Hyades. The meaning
of this name "Hyades'' has been a matter
of considerable speculation. BY some IT
was supposed anciently to be derived from
Hence these stars were sometimes called
by the Romans the 'Pluviae," the Rain
Stars and it was imagined that their
cosmical rising brought with it rainy
weather. Another derivation of the name
was from "hys," a swine" a derivation
which seems more probable than the other
when it is known that actually these stars
were known to TIE Roman rustcs the
"Suculae," or Pigs" The grrup would
seem to have been likened by hese sim
ple-minded peasants to sow AID her lit
brilliant star Capella and the three tiny
stars near it a goat and her kids. The
| same sort Of imagination enabled the Arabs
to see in Aldebaran camel, while the
small stars grouped about it were young
camels.
The Hyades form the Bulls face. The
Pleiades. now seen directly above them. are
In his shoulder. His long horns extend
westward, each tipped by a star of the
third magnitude, the position of which has
already been pointed out. The Bull con-
sists only of head, horns and shoulders.
his body being according to ancient fable.
submerged beneath the waves, for this is
said to be the identical bull-Jupiter in dis
guise-that carried Europa from Phoenicia
to the Isle of Crete.
The Mighty Orion.
Below the bull reclines on his right side
the Mighty Orion" the acknowledged
prince of the consultations, who is to be
the glorious ornament of the southern skies
all through the winter months. Orion con-
tans two stars of the first magnitude
Betelgeuse and Ribei-and four of the sec
ond, viz, the three which form the belt
the Three Kings-and Bellatr,x, in the left
shoulder. Salph. in the right knee, is of
the third magnitude.
other Brillfants.
Below Orion and barely above the hori-
ION, at o'clock, is the brilliant Dog Star,
Sirius, equal in splendor to nine average
stars of the first magnitude. At about the
same altitude, exactly In the east, is Pro-
cyon the Little Dog. Between east and
northeast, and about midway from Capella
to the horizon are the Twins (Genini). Cas-
ter and Pollux, the former a bright second
magnitude star, the latter usually regarded
as Of the first magnitude. Three other stars
Of this class are now visible, Fomalhaut
low In the southwest, Vega, just setting in
the northwest, and Deneb Cygni. In the
head OF the Northern Cross. which now
Of Vega.
The great Square Of Pegasus stands in
mid-heavens In the west. The uppermost
Of the four second-magnituds stars which