Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-05-05
THE MAY SKIES.
he ConsteiIations-Positi Of the
Pianets-Phases Of the Moon.

The evening skies are not as bright
as they were a month ago. Orion and
Sirius are no longer to be seen. and we
have also lost the bright planets which
were visible in April. In fact. the
present is one of the dullest seasons of
the year. The Milky Way near
which so many of the bright cOnstel-
latiOns are situated, lies low along the
northern horizon. and the region which
now lies highest i'm the sky is one
where bright stars-and faint tele-
SCOPE ones, toO-are much less numer-
Gus. Even so. it does not lack objects
of interest. and there are many things
to be seen which are worth looking
for
Let us start our search with that
landmark of the heavens, the Great
Dipper, which is almost overhead at
nine o'clock on a May evening. Every
one knows that the two stars mt the
front of the bowl are called the Point
ers. because their line leads us close
to the Pole-star. Eut this is not the
Only way in which we may make the
Dinper useful in finding other stars
Garry the line of the Pointers in the
other direction. and we pass through
the southern part of CrSa Major and
c";ich Leo. about half way between its
TWO brightest stars Rcgulus on the
right and DeuebCla on the left. The
curving line of the Dipper handle is
also IL good guide. Extending the
curve we come to Il very bright red
dish star. This is ArcturuS, the
brightest Star i'm the constellation
Foote's. and in the northern hemis-
phere of the sky. At least it is the
brightest TO most eyes.
1t is 4 very difficult matter to COM
pare the brightness of two lights of
different colors. and such a comparison
cannot be made anything like as ac-
curat ely as in the case of two lights of
the same color. Worse than this.
different people. though far from
such lights. For example. Professor
Young in his General Astronomy"
records that to his eye Vega is decided
ly brighter than Arcturus, while most
people, including the present writer
see the difference the other way. So
it is really hardly possible to say
which is the brighter of the two stars.
The comparison is further compli-
Gated by the fact that our own eyes
are not wholly consistent in this mat
ter. If we have two lights of differ
ent cOlors, say red and green one.
and match them us well as we can.
and then increase them both in bright
ness, say one hundred times. but in
exactly the same proportion. the red
light will seem to gain more in bright
ness than the green one. and it will
now appear distinctly the brighter of
the two. Conversely, if we diminish
both lights equally, the green one will
appear brighter than the red.
OF the different cOlOrS of the spec
trum, the green has the greatest
Staying power surprising red on the
one hand and violet on the other. and
also the intermediate colOrs. yellow
and blue. in smaller degree; SO that
if we had line of lights of all these
colors. apparently equally bright, and
decreased them all in the same pro-
portion. the read and violet would
vanish first. then the blue and yellow.
leaving the green alo5e. This curious
regularity Of our eyesight is known
among scientists as Purkenje's phe-
nOmenon. from the name of its dis
coverer.
II explains some familiar things. no.
tably the almost complete absence of
color in objects seen by a faint light e.
e.. a landscape in weak moonlight. All
ordinary objects reflect light of all
colors, but colored objects reflect some
Colors much better than others. so that
we get the impression of the color
which predominates in the reflected
light. But if the light is very faint,
the red and violet light reflected to us
will be too faint to see. while the green
light, though enfeebled in the same
proportion. is still visible. A red OBJ
ject. which reflects very little green
light, and, in general, almost all color
will disappear some time before the
ferns of objects are lost to sight.
But we are forgetting the stars. If
we extend the curve through the Dip
per handle and Arcturus still farther
we come upon pretty, bright white
star, which is Spica in the Zodiacal
constellation Virgo. The other promi-
nent stars of this group form a curving
line about half way between Spica and
Deuebola. Below Spica on the right is
the small group of Corvus. and low on
the horizon are some OF the stars Oh
Centaurus Below these, but only fair
~ visible within the tropics, lies the
Southern Cross.
Hydra lies along the southwestern
sky, and the principal consultations in
the west are CAMS Minor, Gemini and
Auriga. all pretty low. Perseus is in
| the far nrcthwest. and Cassiopeia lies
right below the Pole. East of this
comes Cepheus. and then Cygnus, not
vet fully risen. Lyra is higher up, with
| Vega conspicuous. The keystone" of
Hercules and the semi-circle of COrO-
ma lie between this and Arcturus.
Ophiucus and Serpens are in the
southeast, and below them Scorpio is
partly risen. but the brightest thing in
This part OF the sky is the planet Mars
| Mercury is morning star in Aries. He
is TOO near the sun to be seen at first.
but later he comes into view, being at
eionration on the goth. when he rises
about 3.45 A. NJ. and is easily visible.
| Venus is also morning star. close to
Mercury, and like him is best seen
toward the end of the month. when she
rises two hours before the sun.
| Marc is in opposition on the Sth. He