Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1909-12-01
THE PARKWAY STARS
Their Color Serves as an Index
to Their Age.
WHAT MAKES THEM TWINKLE7
Two Theories That Deal With This
Astronomical Enisms-The lnterven-
ton OF Fragments Of Disrupted
Worlds or the Effect Of Air Currents.


Astronomical Enisma-The lnterven-
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
OF course IL is known that only the
stars twinkle. the planets giving out
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 fxed star being sew
eral thousand times farther from us
than the fartheSt planet. SO around
this as n starting point have been built
two theories. One is that as the
visual angle. or angle subtended 10y
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 i'm space a. hypothc-at-
cd there is no doubt for there are mil
lions Of fragments Of dis,iuted worlds
flying around In orbits -.rsii our sun
The only question is whvthc; there are
enough 20 cause the eterual twinkiing
that is observed. Science rannot 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 aud hold
it between your eye and the moon un-
ill il just covers the moon. IL will be-
found TO be quite close 10 the eye. Now
take quarter and hold il So that IL
just covers the moon. Its distance is
at once seen TO be about four times the
dimes from the eye. Thus il 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 dime or even a pin
head. and no matter how far you hold
il from the eye il will easily cover the
largest star in the heavens This is
on account OF the enormous distance of
the star. the lines drawn from its sides
10 the eye inClosing an angle so minute
that almost anything will fill IL. so
thus we see that this theory is not im-
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 heavy
to light gas. or vice versa il is bent
one way or the other. so this would
certainly happen 90 the light from all
the heavenly bodies The reason IL is
not noticed I'm the case Of the planets
or the sun is that they send us many
more rays as compared 10 the stars.
Many reasons are put forward to
show the truth Of this theory \ star
wrinkles more on the horizon than II
does in the zenith. FOR its light has to
come through n greater thickness Of
atmosphere; also greater twinkling is
observed in winter than in summer.
and when rapid and brilliant twinkllng
is seen IL is a very good prophecy OF
rain or snow. as IL shows the upper re
gions Of the air to be in state Of
rapid motion of varying air currents.
hot and cold currents meeting. com
mingling and rotating probably.
This also accounts for the changes
in the brightness OF star for at times
part and not all Of its light is bent
away from the eye. 1t has been no
ticed also that a stars color has some
thing TO do with its twinkling on ac-
count Of the different refractivities of
the different colors. \ 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 a red
star. Betelgeux is one and can be
found in one corner 81 the constella-
ton Orion.
rather interesting thing has been
ascertained in astronomy as regards
the relation between the color OF star
and its age The white or blue stars
are considered young or in the prime
or life. with many more million years
10 their career, while Il red star as
Betelgeux. is on the wane aud will grad
ually so out in the next few million
years. See IL it doesn't, The yellow
stars of course come between the blue
and the red in point of age Ii is en-
couraging to find that our own sun is
classified as a white star. A. l..
Hodges in Cincinnati Commercial Trib-
une.