Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-03-29

ton, toward the southwest by an amount
equal to the apparent diameter OF the
moon In about 500 years, and Sirius I'm the
iast i.3o years, has moved about the same
distance. also toward the southwest
The star 1880 Groombridge is remarkable
Tor Its large proper motion of seven sec
onds per annum-more than twice that of
Arcturus' and until recently the largest
stellar proper motion known. 1t travels in
the direction Indicated by the arrow a DIS
lance of one degree in about 500 years The
actual rate Of the movement. as calculated
from the probable distance of the star from
US. can hardly be less than 1000 900 miles
a day, or more than ten times the rate at
which the earth travels in fits orbit Prof
Newcomb has calculated that the combined
attraction of all the celest ial bodies upon
the most reasonable assumption of their
number and mass. would be insufficient TO
give the star this enormous velocity. nor
VIII their combined pull ever he able TO
stop entirely the stars movement
Whence came this star-the runaway
star. as Newcomb calls it-and whittier Is
1t going? Apparently 1t is destined even
tualiy to pass entirely beyond the limits
OF the universe of stars that Is known to
US. Too little is known about the condi-
lions of the case, however, to render a cal
culation Of this sort OF much value. Some
four or five years ago Prof. J. e. Kapteyn
of Groenigen discovered. from an examIna-
tion OF stellar photographs taken at the
Cape of Good Hope. another runaway" a
star OF the eighth magnitude in the con-
record with proper motion OF nearly nine
seconds per annum.
Slow as is the operation Of proper mo-
ton, its effect must be eventually to break
up the existing consultations Attached to
each of the seven stars Of the Great Dipper
on our chart will be seen an arrow shaft,
indicating the direction in which the star Is
moving and the distance II moves in abou.
$4,000 years. The heads of these arrows
show the positions the stars will have at
the end of that time. AS will be seen, the
constellation will no longer be a dipper.
Place the arrow lead on the opposite side
OF each of these stars. and We get the con-
fguration of this star group 10000 years
ago. The number of stars of which the
amount Of the proper motion has been de-
ter mined Is now somewhat under 5000.
The Planets.
The six planets, Mars Mercury Venus
Jupiter. Saturn and Uranus. all now stand
west Of the sun, in the order here given,
and are, therefore. all morning stars. Mars
Is. however. too close 10 the sun to be
visible, its conjunction with the sun having
occurred March %. Uranus is so faint an
object as barely to be visible to the naked
eye. The remaining four now form. an
hour or less before sunsre, planetary
constellation of rare beauty string OF re-
lestial brilliants set at about the same dis
lance apart. the brightest two at the CEN
ter Mercury is drawing in toward the sun,
to pass behind il On the 2Sth of the month,
after which date IL will be an evening star.
Neptune. near the western border of GEM
I'M, is an evening star. but being of little
more than the eighth magnitude Il is away
below the limit Of naked-eye vision.