Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-09-06
The Heavens in September
DooLITrLE --
DOOLITTLE

difficulty in finding Uranus with the
help Of figures l and 2, but when found
its appearance will probably disap-
point him. It's apparent diameter Is
only four seconds, that is it only APP
pears to be about one-tenth as large IN
diameter as Jupiter and therefore in a
small telescope it Looks almost exactly
lihe rather small greenish star. Yet
if the observer will compare the
planet with the other stars near it ne
viii soon notice a difference in the
character of its light or lustre, while
if he mas access to telescope of four
or 1--WE inches aperture the little round
disc win be very distinctly visible.
rhe planet is so inconspicuous In
the telescope only because it is so
enormously far way. Actually it is a
great world $4,000 miles in diameter,
but so great is its distance from us
that its light occupies two hours and
forty-seven minutes in making its
long journey to the earth, although
light travels more than $4,000 miles'
in cue second of time The planet IS
surrounded by very dense atmos-
phere, and indeed is very probably
wholly yaporized and at high tenn
perature. Its density is still very low,
cubic foot of Uranus would only
weigh one-fourth as much as a cubic
foot of our earth, and apparently many
ages must pass away as it shrinks to-
gethar and oools off before it can sup
port any form of life which we can
conceive of.
Uranus is attended by four small
moons. the inner one of which races
around the planet in only two and one
half days, while the outer one requires
only thirteen and one-half days in
which 10 make the circuit. 1t will be
remembered that our own moon goes
around the earth in twenty-eignt days
While a month on Uranus, reckoning
by the nearest moon, is but two and
one-half days long; the year, ON the
contrary, is eighty-four times as long
as ours, for Uranus occupies eighty
four years in passing around the sun.
Only an inhabitant VINO lived to good
old age would therefore be privileged
to see the four seasons, spring, sum-
mer, autumn and winter on this planet.
On figure there are shown a few
of the interesting objects in this part
of the sky. Each round dot of this
figure represents a star, the size of the
dots showing the comparative bright
ness of the stars, while each triangu-
lar dot shows the position of star
cluster or nebula. Each double star
is marked d, each triple star T, each
red star r, and eacn variable star V.
The clusters will well repay exami-
nation. Those at l., S and 2 are
rather loose clusters but are fine OBJ
.Jects in a small telescope. Those
at W, o and @ are densely crowded
clusters of faint stars, the first being
surrounded by superb field of bright
er stars. The two dots marked P
are remarkable nebulas The lower is
an enormously extended nebulus cloud
which is divided by black lanes into
three parts and mixed up with a clus-
ter OF stars; the upper is the horse
shoe nebula whose appearance in B.
large telescope is as shown in figure 3.
In figure are several star clusters as
the appear in a small telescope; the
first Of these is the cluster at Q, figure
2.
Tae little dot marked X shows the
point at which in 1904 magnificent
new star appeared, and grew so rapid
ly in brightness that it soon far out
shcne every other star in the sky. 1t
could even be easily seen in full day
light, but 1t mas now long since entire
Iy disappeared.