Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-10-04

vantage of their great number more
thnn counterhalanoe the disadvantage
Of their distance. From o great many
recent and very careful observations
the result has been deduced that the
'apex of the solar motion ID in the
general direction Of the constellation
Lyra and probably very near the star
Vega, the brightest of that constel-
lation. I" The reader will recolleot
that the constellation Lyra is adjacent
to that OF Hercules, 30 that the diff
ference OF the results Of former in
yestieations and the most recent 10
not SO very great The fact that the
apex of the suns way Is near the star
Vega confers another distinction upon
that fine star. 1t is the eighth in the
list CT first magnitude stars and ore OF
the brightest seen in our latitude; and,
al the reader will remember, will bs
our futurs pole star, so that the time
will come when the whole armament in
its diurnal luotion will move around 9
point which Is near that point toward
which the sun will sail with all his
| noble retnue OF planets and satellites.
| As to the actual velocity of the solar
system the most recent Investigations
give it ut 10 miles per second.
In looking overhead az about o clock
In the October evenings constell ation
will at once arrest out attention by It's
striking contour. This. is Pegasus. We
see q large square with two handles.
each on the two vertioes Of a diagonal.
Three of the stars of the square and the
handle on it's southwestern corner con-
stitute the chief configuration OF the
constellation Pegasus or the winged
Horse. The remaining star In the
square. with its handle, belongs to the
constellation Andromeda and is called
Alpha Andromeda or Alpheratz, though
occasionally in older maps we see il
designated at Delta Pegasi. The other
stars of the Great Square OF Pegasus
are successfully called Beta Pegasi o.
Scheat, Alpha Pegasi or ,Markab, tt
which the Pegasus handle is attached,
and Gamma or Algenib. The handle
bends at the star Theta toward thu
northwest, and it's end is marked by
Epsilon or Emf. The square marks
, the body of the Horse and the handl,
the neck and head. 1t is worthy o
note that Algenib and Alpheratz, ii
the square, and Caph, in Cassiopeia
, fix the prime meridian, for whici
, reason they are sometimes called thu
three guides," pointing out the di
rection OF the meridian Thu oNgh TN
: pole. The reader is reminded that iron
the great circle the spherical distanc
, of ali the heavenly bodies are measured
! South Of Theta Pegasi the zodiaca
constellation Aauarius. or the Water
. bearer, stretches out in southeastern
i direction. The most notable contigura
: tion is the little \ of third and fourt
q magnitude stars marking the "wate
urn" from which Aquarius ponrs ou
a the stream that meanders down to th
southeast and, south for 80 degrees I'll
). it reaches the Southern tish, or pisoi
r Australis, made conspicuous by tn
a first magnitude star Fomalhaut. Their
a is not a single star in Aquarius tia
n exceeds the third magnitude, and Il
q this reason IL cannot fuirly be called
II bright constellation, but as the last {
!. the u consultations Of the Zodiac it
n of Importance. BESIDES being, n fri
Il magnitude star Fomaihaut, In tt
"a Southern Fish, is of Importance as or
"a of the SO called nautical stars. who:
IA true places for every day In the YET
Il are given In that book so indispensaE
"a to the mariner--the Nautical Almans
% The spherical distance OF these naut
q cal stars, Of which Fomalhaut is on
,e from the moon is given in that altman,
II for every third hour Of every day in Il
II year. The mariner, by means OF II
n sextant, measures the distances OF u
q moon from any Of the nautical star
N compares It with that laid down 10 II
n Nautical Almanac and from this ditfe
r. ence is enabled to determine how &
, be 10 east or west OF the meridian
IA Greenwich, or, in other words, dete
v. mines his longitude. This metho
3e called the lunar method, is one Of u
rs various methods of finding the Ions
~ tude at sea, andjt proves that in te
a restrial measurements We have often
n. resort to the stars, strange as this ia
~ may appear to those who are ignora
cs of the magical power of mathematics
n. Tho fine consultations Cygnus a
6, Aauila aud the smaller ones, Dolphin
Iot and Sagita. are still high up, b
ts. slightly beading toward the weste
MI horizon, while the fiery sar Anita
and tho royal planet Jupiter are nj
AZ. the horizon, soon to vanish from Q
IL. view. Lyra, with the magnificent 81
w. Vega, is midway between the meridi
IL and the western horizon, while do
IN. in the east Taurus, with the fine clus
of of the Hyades and Pleiades, is SLOW
at climbing up. the harbinger of the {
un preaching season of winter.