The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-09-12
The September Skies.

rise and a multitude of stars spring
from the recesses of space, filling ur
the gaps between the brighter stars
where before there were spaces OF
blank sky. The Milky Waiy is thickly
set with glittering stars, while back of
those separately visible to the naked
eye the uncounted millions seen collect
lively shine with glow which makes
Of the galaxy veritable river of light.
Its borders are sharply defined from
the northern to the southern horizon.
This is the case on evenings when
| there is no moon to pale the stars by
its greater outpouring of light. On
! moonlight evenings we must be content
with stars of the first three magni-
tudes, together with a few classed of
the fourth. We shall have moonlit
evenings until after the full on the
10th.
Were we at the North Pole of the
earth we would see, apparently, direct
| ly oerhead, a bright star of the sec
ond magnitude at the end of the handle
of the Little Dipper, a figure fairly well
described by the familiar appellation.
This star would keep its unvarying po
sition While we. turned by the motion
Of the earth. would see all the stars ap-
parently circling around the Pole Star
above our heads. But we are not at the
/ -NBI III L Olts BtlllS neatly lldll way OC-
tween that point and the equator Con-
! sequently we see the North Star not
directly overhead. but about midway
between the zenith and horizon and in
the direction Of the North Pole; that is,
due north of the observer, wherever
placed. We see the nearby stars NOV
ing about in fixed circles, while the
more distant stars, moving with a
wider sweep, dip below the northern
horizon in a part of their circuit. Still
farther south-that IS. farther from the
North Star-the circles are so wide
that the stars spend the greater part
of their time below the horizon, and
the most southerly stars that we see
appear for only a short time when near
the meridian.
To the west of the North Star, down
toward the horizon, during the early
eN enings in September. we see the Big
Dipper, the most noted of the north
ern and indeed of all asterisms. 1t is
in the shape of dipper with four stars
for the bowl and three for the handle
The two outer stars in the bowl are
called the Pointers" because they al
ways point toward the North Star. In
the Milky Way, opposite the Big Dip
per and at about the same distance
from the North Star, is the contellation
y
shaped figure Of bright stars often |
likened to broken backed chair This |
constellation is very rich with minor |
stars visible tG -le naked eye, while an |
opera glass brings out host addition |
al Further down toward the horizon |
in the Wilky Way we come to the |
bending row Of three bright stars which |
marks the contellation PerserS. About |
half way between Cassiopeia and Per
seus is a whitish spot which seen with |
the opera glass shows itself as the |
great cluster in the Sword Handle of |
'erseus. Each increase of power |
brings out a greater number of stars.
The middle and brightest in this row
of three stars is named Mirfac, and it |
is also the beginning of a vastly longer
row Of four bright stars stretching
away to the east and south, and end
ing in the Great Square of Pegasus |
This is composed Of four bright stars
forming an almost exact mathematical |
square.
The stars are so widely separated.
forming 50 vast a square. that the be-
ginner sometimes fails at first to iGen-
tify the figure. Once recognized 1t IS
never forgotten. A pair of stars form
an easily noticeable triangle with the
upper star of the square The next star
W MI IoC III lllt lOllB JON Is HdIleu Al
and this star, with Sirfac.
forms a triangle with a bright star
which lies below the line of stars This
star is Algol, the Demon Star of the
so called because of its fluc-
tuations in brightness. Those who do
not care to bother with a table Of these
fluctuations should make a practice of
this star each evening and
the brightness with that of
the surrounding stars.
Passing from Almaack toward the
Great Square the next star is named
Merach. being with Almaack in the
of Andromeda From Me-
zach we may find, in its present posi-
ion, two successfully fainter stars
which lead upward to point near
which we may find that wonderful OBJ
ect, the Great Nebula of Andromeda.
This is The only nebula readily seen by
he naked eye. 1t Ian be seen any
lear and moonless evening during the
month. Seen by the unaided vision i
ooks like a witish patch of light. With
he opera glass 1t greatly expands and
IS elliptical shape becomes more clear
Y defined. The telescope shows 1t to
over a portion of the sky FIVE times as
broad as the full moon. When we re-
member that at the distance of the
nearest fixed star a disc 5000, 600, 900
niles in diameter would be reduced to
IN unappreciable point; when we re-
iect that the nebula is at an unknown
,ut certainly vastly greater distance.
md then observe the wide expanse of
ky that 1t covers, we may form a bet
er idea of the stupendous object that
$ presented to our gaze. Not only may
We safely say that light, travelling
nearly 1000, 600 miles a second, re- :
luires many hundred years to come to
Is from the Great Nebule, but that
hundreds of years are required for it
o pass from one end of the nebula to
he other
Photography shows the nebula to be
ormed of concentric rings which, in
conjunction with peculiarities Of the
spectrum. seem to indicate that 1t is !
proceeding with the work of separat-
ng into systems of suns, planets and
'atellites which will require many hun
ireds of thousands of millions of years
n the making. An intellectually vast
period must have been required to !