Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-12-03
THE PARKWAY STARS
Their Color Serves as an Index
to Their Age.
WHAT MAKES THEM TWINKLE?
Two Theories That Deal With This
Astronomical Enisma-The Interven-
ton of Fragments of Disrupted
Worlds or the Effect of Air Currents.

Astronomical Eniema-The Interven-
ton of Fragments of Disrupted
Worlds or the Effect of Air Currents.
This is a question that has exercised
more than one gentleman OF science.
or course it is known that only the
stars twinkle. the planets giving OUT
a steady light. That is the way we
tell star from planet with the
naked eye.
But why does the star twinkle at all?
The answer to this seems to be on ac-
count of the greater distances OF the
stars, the nearest fixed star being sew
eral thousand times farther from US
than the farthest planet. So around
this as a starting point have been built
two theories. One is that as the
visual angle, or angle subtended by
the star from the eye, is so very small
that very small bodies 10 space COM
ing between The star and the eye
would give the effect Of twinkling.
Now. as regards those small bodies
actually being in space as hypothecat-
ed there is 10 doubt, for there are mil
lions of fragments Of disrupted worlds
fying around in orbits about our sun.
The only question is whether there are
enough to cause the eternal twinkling
that is observed. Science cannot say
that enough do not exist. for she can
not perceive the existence Of the small
est fragments that actually could cause
this effect, even with her finest instru-
ments.
TO illustrate, then. my meaning as
regards this covering Of the visual
angle, suppose you take dime be-
tween your thumb and finger and hold
it between your eye and the moon un-
til 1t just covers the moon. 1t will be
found 70 be quite close to the eye. Now
take a quarter and hold it so that 1t
lust covers the moon. Its distance Is
at once seen to be about four times the
dimes from the eye. Thus 1t is seen
that the farther outward the object Is
placed the larger the object necessary.
This is In accord with what is known
as the law Of inverse squares.
But now take Il dime or even pin
head. and no matter how far you hold
it from the eye it will easily cover the
largest star in the heavens. This Is
on account of the enormous distance or
the star. the lines drawn from its sides
to the eye inclosing an angle so minute
that almost anything will bill II. so
thus we see that this theory is not in-
possible. though perhaps somewhat i'm
probable.
The other theory bases its argument
on the air currents. Air currents are
caused by light and heated air rising
and cold and heavy air taking its place.
Now. when light goes from Il heavy
to light gas. or vice versa. II Is bent
one way or the other. So this would
certainly happen to the light from all
the heavenly bodies. The reason 1t Is
not noticed in the case Of the planets
or the sun is that they send us many
more rays as compared to the stars.
Many reasons are put forward to
SHOW lut VI tllo tuCOtys "A oS@A
wrinkles more on the horizon than 1t
does in the zenith. for its light has to
come through a greater thickness OF
atmosphere; also greater twinkling Is
observed in winter than in summer.
and when rapid and brilliant twinkling
is seen 1t is very good prophecy of
rain or snow. as it shows the upper re-
gions of the air to be in a state or
rapid motion of varying air currents.
hot and cold currents meeting. CON-
mingIing and rotating probably.
This also accounts for the changes
| in the brightness of star. for at times
a part and not all of its light Is bent
away from the eye. 1t has been no.
ticed also that stars color has some.
| thing to do with it's twinkling on ac-
count of the different refractiyties Of
| the different colors. A white or blue
/ star such as the Dog star. wrinkles
most; next comes the yellow and last
| the red. If one cares to look for red
star Betelgeux is one and can be
| found in one corner of the constella-
| ton Orion.
A rather interesting thing has been
/ ascertained in astronomy MS REGARDS
| the relation between the color OF star
aud it's age. The white or blue stars
are considered young or in the prime
of life. with many more million years
| to their career. while red star, as
Betplgpux. is on the wane aud will grad
ually go out in the next few million
years. See if it doesn't. The yellow
stars of course come between the blue
and the red in point of age. 1t is en-
conraging to find that our own sun Is
| classified as white star - A. l..
Hodges in Cincinnati Commercial Trib-
! une.