Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-02-04
STARS IN FEBRUARY.
Mars 0vershoue by Jupiter, With
Which It is Moving Eastward.
Consultations on View-venus the
Morning Star.

Those who would see the red planet
Mars must look early in the evening.
As soon as the sun has gone far
enough below the horizon to permit
the lanterns Of the sky to show their
Lesser lights one looks. to the western
sky and sees, well toward the south
western horizon, blazing star, whose
brightness attracts immediate atten-
ton. Between this conspicuous object
and the horizon can be seen another
star, much less bright, but still Of con-
siderable magnitude. This latter OBJ
feet is Mars and the bigger and
brighter is the giant Jupiter. Both are
being slowly overtaken by the sun,
and will soon be lost in his overmas-
tering rays. Both are moving east
ward. but Mars. being the nearer.
moves faster and along a narrower cir
cult The distance between the two
planets will, accordingly, be perceptibly
Iessened each evening until Feb. Is,
when they will be but a moon breadth
apart. It will be particularly
fascinating diversion to watch the
motion OF these two interesting and
beautiful planets during the present
month.
The consultations Of the evening are
also interesting and beautiful in sur
passing degree. Looking to the cas-:
we see a star only less bright than
Jupiter, and by far the brightest Of all
Of the fixed stars. This is Sirius. the
Dog Star, whose extraordinary bright
ness has been noted since the earliest
times. The dog days" are those days
OF the summer when the Dog Star
rises coincidently with the sun, and
were so named by the ancients because
OF their belief that the oppressive
weather then prevailing must be due
to the powerful assistance OF the rays
CT the great star. The Dog was it
self so named because it's appearance
betokenc1 the rising OF the Nile and SO
served as q faithful watchdog for the
Egyptians.
Sirius is one Of the nearest Of the
stars. only two being known to be
nearer. .: these one is never seen
from this latitude. and the other is 50
small as to be barely visible to the
naked eye. The light which reaches us
from Sirius tonight has been about
eight years on its way. 1t is known
that the mass of Sirius is several times
greater than our own sun, and it fol-
lows that the generality Of bright
stars. situated at varying but usually
unreasonable distances. must have,
without exception. relatively enormous
mass.
Theoretically vast must be the bright
stars OF Orion. the constellation which
precedes the Dog Star in the evening sky
This constellation is marked by the we'll
known row of three stars. and by the two
brilliant frst-ma gnitude stars. Befel-
Scuse and Rigel. which is respectively
north and south of the Three Kings. as
those in the row are sometimes called.
BetelSeuSc is OF a deep red color which
Indicates. as presumed. an aged or dying
star let 1t is rated eleventh in bright
ness among all the countless host Of the
sky. Furthermore. this star is situated
at distance so remote that the mos. per-
Sistcnt efforts of the astronomers have
not yielded any pcrceptible parallax. 1t
Is. therefore. certainly more than twenty
times as far distant as Sirius: and If alike
IN other respects should Yield not more
than one four-htndredth as much light
Yet so tremendous Is this distant star that
the nearer body has a relative brightness
only as three to one. The other stars Of
this smhf n1 constellation are at like inn
from now will be shining with unaltered
form in earth's evening sky.
The row of stars in Orion points down
ward to Sirius and upward to Aldebaran.
the red irst-magnitudc star in the con-
stellation Taurus. The -four stars Aide
haran. BatelEeusc. Rigcl. and Sirius form
vast damondshaped figure. with the
three stars forming the belt of Orion in
the centre
North of Sirius is Procyon. the first
magnitude star in the constellation CAMS
~ beautiful star. Northwest still. and
higher in the sky. are Castor and PolluX.
the Heavenly Twins. This interesting
pair of stars are only ten moonbreadths
apart. and are Of almost exactly the same
magnitude: hence. they form a remark
able spectacle. Castor Is the higher while
they are rising in the eastern sky. The
brilliant star Capella Is we'll UP toward
the zenith. forming triangle with Aldeb
atan and the Twins.
The fine figure which form its shape is
called the Sickle. and which Is in the con-
Stcilation Leo, rises somewhat later in the
evening. The bright star in the handle of
the Sickle is Regulus. interesting because
it attracted the particular attention of
1lipparChuS. who was thus led to the dis
covcry of the profession of the euuinoNes
This figure is we'll up a little after
o'clock.
Venus is still morning star. rising about
; o'clock. Her great briliancy Is her own
sufficient Identification. Saturn is now
on the other side of the sun. and will not
he seen for some time to come Mercury
may be seen for 4 few days before and
after Feb. 10 by those who rise before the
sun. Look at the sky near the eastern
horizon. between bright Venus and the
PORT where the sun may be expected to
rise If YOU pick up Il bright star it is
the seldom seen planet Mercury.
The sun Is now climbing rapidly north
warl. and at the end of the month Will
stand twenty times his own diameter
higher than ut the beginning. The days
ind 'ase during the same time will
amount to almost an entire hour.
Proorano of ron;nht'e Per;t.i VI