Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-01

nous disc, or lenticular figure the sun
being located somewhere near it's center
Upon this view, which, though il was sub
seCuently abandoned by Herschel himself
mas been given place in most of our text
DOCKS OF astronomy, the Milky Way is an
optical effect due to the circumstance that
IN TINS direction we look into more pro-
found depth OF Stars-upon worlds succeed
ing worlds in inexhaustible professionalism
when we face in directions perpendicular
to its plane.
The Herschelian View.
Ihis Herschelian view of the makeup OF
the starry heavens is not supported by
photography On the contrary the impress
sion which one cannot avoid receiving from
Photographic presentations of the Milky
way, particularly from the excellent pho
tographs of it taken by Professor Barnard
with short focus lens, for the purpose of
covering wide areas and bringing out gem
eral features, is that it is cloud-like in its
character, and that, moreover, it is cloud
formation of no great thickness relatively
TO its breadth. In other words the Milky
way presents in its photographs the same
appearance as TO the naked eye, but
brought out with greater distinctness. par
ticularly when the photographs are looked
at from a little distance and in a proper
light These pictures have a curious faxed
or curdled appearance. Here and there in
tfem are areas of more than the average
brightness, suggestive of a gathering and
condensation Of the star dust in these
places. and here and there are dark patch
es, some of them nearly destitute of stars
spots strongly suggestive of openings in
the cloud-mass, which permit our vision
to penetrate through the Milky Way to a
starless region beyond.
AS to the distance from us of the Milky
Way. or the size of its fundamental stars,
which is really the same question, there is
stu room for wide diversity of opinion.
Prof Barnard has given reasons for think
ing that these stars are comparatively
small bodies. hundreds, perhaps thousands,
Of times smaller than the sum- and that
they are no farther away than many
of the stars which visible to the naked
eye. This is a question which can hardly
remain much longer in doubt. There is a
possibility, too, that these Milky Way
stars, many of which give spectra of a
peculiar type, Will prove to be bodies of a
quite differen; order from those stars which
are shown by the spectroscope to have a
close resemblance to the sun.
Comet BorreIli-BroOks.
The comet discovered by Dr. Brooks at
GerAva, N. Y, July "a In the constellation
Aries, Travelled in a nearly straight line in a
direction slightly west of north until Au-
gust q it was about five degrees distant
from the Pole Star. Its course was nearly
on line drawn from the head of Perseus
to the star Alpha Draconis. midway be-
tween the ''Guardians of the Pole and
MiZar, in the handle Of the Dipper. Mr.
Perrin, at the Lick observatory has COM
puted that the comet is moving in q para
bolic orbit, being, therefore, only a visitor
to the solar system, and that it was its
nearest to the sun on August 3. When dis
covered 1t was described as having a bright
stellar nucleus and a broad tail. 1t is less
than half as bright now as it was then
but is still visible through small tele-
scope.
The Planets.
Mercury will be a morning star but not
visible until the 18th, and after that cate
an evening star. Near the close of the
month 1t may be looked for after sunset a
little south of West
Venus is a splendid morning star. On the
18th of last month she shone with her
greatest brilliancy. On the 18th of this
month she will be at her greatest ''elonga-
ton" west from the sun-46 degrees l min
ute-and will then rise nearly four hours
before the sun.
Mars is a morning star in Gemini, rising
at about l am.
Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus are all even
ing stars, and are above the horizon at
p. m, in the positions shown on the chart
given herewith. Neptune, near the west
ern border of the Gemini, rises at about
On the 23d at I am, Washington time,
the sun enters Libra and autumn begins.