Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1900-1903, 1902-09-05

bright, while at intervals are dark
spaces-"coal sacksr-w which seem to be
almost, ii not quite, free from lumin-
osity. photographs Of the Milky Way
bring out even more distinctly and
strikingly than does the unaided eye
this cloudlike appearance, and perhaps
it may now be considered as fairly well
settled that actually the Milky Way
is a cloud formation, having, appar-
emily, no great thickness in comparison
with its breadth. That is to say, the
millions of telescope stars which form
it's groundwork are all at essentially
the same distance from US. What is
this distance? Are these stars really
the small bodies that they appear to
be, or is their faintness due to their
enormous distance from us? Again,
does the Milky Way belong especially
to us-does it, together with the few
hundred of the brighter stars which
may be supposed to be encompassed
by it, constitute our universe, which
may be only one OF hundreds or thou
sands of 'universes," or is it at so
vast a distance from our solar system
that it must be regarded as something
entirely beyond our special section of
the great universe of worlds? These
questions are at present unansWeI-
able. The prevailing opinion among
astronomers now Is that these Milky
Way stars are bodies comparable in
size with our sun, and that conse-
quently they must be at distance of
hundreds, perhaps thousands of light
years. from us to shine so family as
they do. On the other hand, many
astronomers see reasons for conclud-
ing that their distance from us is not
great as star distances go, and that
they are really bodies of relatively in
significant size.
The variable star Beta Persel, better
known as Algol, the Demon, is now at
. p. m. well above the northeastern ho-
rizon and for several months to come
it will be situated favorably for obser-
walton. The popularity Of this star is
that after shining for about two and
half days as a star of the second
magnitude it begins to declinein bri ght-
ness, and in about four hours it has de-
scended nearly to the fourth magni-
tude. 1t then begins to brighten and
at the end of another four hours it is
again star of the second magnitude.
thus to remain for another period of
two and half days. The sause of
this uncanny behavious Of the star
! is now known to be the revolution
round it of dark companion or sat
elite, which passing periodically be-
tween it and us cuts off a portion of
| its light. The exact period of it's re-
volution, determined from long OBJ
servation, is days, 20 hours, 48
| minutes, Sc seconds. Two minina
of the star at hours favorable of OBJ
H. a.
the 18th it will begin to wane at
and will be at it's least brilliancy at
Ill p. M; the next minimum will oc-
cur on the Goth at 7:50 p. m.
Mercury has been an evening star
since August 10 and will continue to
| be such through this month, reaching
it's greatest elongation or apparent
distance east from the sun on the
24th 1t is now on the south side of
the equator and therefore In its least
favorable position for observation,
though for few days before and
after the Oath itIshould be visible on
clear evening. fOwoin the southwest.
Venus eontinuesato be a morning star.
but is toe close tp the sun to be. yisi-4
BILE Mars, ALSO is a morning star,
rising On the first OF the month about
three hours before the sun, north Of
east. Jupiter and Saturn are both
evening stars in the position already
indicated. Both are now favorabIy
situated for observing with tele
scope, except for their low altitude
for observers in the northern henis-
phere Uranus. near the star Theta
in the right foot of Ophiuchus may be
seen with the naked eye on a clear,
moonless night, but is not easily
found without the aid of a chart.
On the 23d. at Up. M, Washington
mean time, the sun will pass into the
southern hemisphere and autumn will
begin.--W ashington Star.