Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-29

system is but a point in comparison with
them? OF what kind of matter are they
history? viii they some time be con-
densed into stars or have they been elected
from the great suns during the throes OF
their formation Or have they ever been
as they now, extending through the
unreasonable vastnesses of space? As yet
1t can only be said that they constitute one
of the many unsolved problems of astron-
Below the Pleiades at B. Fig. /. there
Will be seen the magnificent reddish star
Aldebaran, while higher up in the north
east at shines out the even brighter star
Capella. The name Aldebaran means the
Follower. so called because the star fol-
lows the Pleiades. Capella means the Lit
tie She Goat.
Aldebaran is an enormous sun. so bright
that 1t emits $50 times as much light as
our own sun, and so distant that its light
requires twenty-eight years to make the
Journey to us. Yet Capella is even
brighter. Could we be placed midway be
receive from Capella ESQ times as much
light as from our little solar star. 1t has
been discovered that Capella is composed
of two suns SO very close together that
they cannot be seen separately even In the
largest telescopes. The nearby star at d.
Fig. 1, is similar double. being composed
of two great suns, which revolve about one
another in the astonishingly short period
of four days.
Harvest and Hunters Noon.
Usually the moon when nearly full rises
about one hour later on each successive
evening. 1t will, for example, rise at about
o'clock in the evening on the night OF
full moon; on the next night 1t will rise
about Z, or the next night at g. and so on.
But when full moon occurs, near the
beginning Of autumn, 1t rises on several
successive evenings at nearly the same
hour, thus giving rise to an unusually long
series Of moonlight nights. The farmers
in earlier times did not doubt that this was
ia11H nrda a n
moonlight after sunset they might con-
veniently reap the fruits of the earth.
Autumn begins this year on the 23d OF
September and the mo is fun S ON me s 10
nearest the beginning of autumn. in the
Harvest moon; the full moon following
this one, and which occurs this year on
the 31st of October, is called the Hunters
moon. According to some authorities the
full moon preceding the beginning OF au-
tumn is the Harvest moon. The full moon
moon; that of October the Hunters
moon. This is the more reasonable defini-
ton, because the month of October is not
associated with harvest The effect OF the
Harvest moon is far more marked In Eng
land and Canada than 1T Is In the United
States.
The Planets.
The brilliant evening star Venus shines
out after sunset in the southwest. 1t Is
rapidly approaching the earth and assum-
ing the form of narrow crescent.
The positions of Uranus and Saturn are
shown in Fig. 1. The latter planet is now
In excellent position for observation. al
though the rings are now so nearly edge
wise to us that very satisfactory view
of them cannot be obtained.
Toward midnight the planet Jupiter Is
high up in the east. This, with its mark.
ings and it's four bright moons Is the most
Interesting of all the planets now visible
in a small telescope.