Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-02-13
STUDYING THE STARS.
Illinois Professor Finds Out Some
thing About Their Light.


Some wonderful things are being
accomplished in the field of astronomy
In our day. Each astronomer has his
awn speciality and is engaged in the
study OF some particular subject, as
the field is so immense. Prof. Steb-
bins of Illinois university is devoting
himself TO accurately measuring the
light Of some of the more distant
stars. You would not think that
much could be found out about a star.
for example. like Beta Aurigae,
which is so far off in the abysmal
depths of cosmic space that it takes
ray of light 100 years To come from it
10 us-traveling at the inconeeiVable
velocity of $4,000 miles second.
Yet Prof Stebbins has discovered
some very interesting things about
this star-which appears as a small
star near the bright star Capella, now
moderately high in the northeast in
the early evening. This star, like all
of what we call the fixed stars, is
=un--like our sun only much larger.
II is SO far off that even in the most
powerful telescope it still appears
only as a edle-point Of light, and it
would be impossible to find out any
of its secrets by merely looking at 1t
through a telescope. \ roundabout
method has to be resorted to; the
quantity and variation of the light 1t
gives off has to be studied. You
would not think that much could be
told by that. but wait and see.
In the first place, the exact meas
el4 rod
regular variations in it over a period
Of about four days. The light would
increase gradually about per cent,
and then decrease while about half
way between the extremes there
would be a secondary increase This
sequence is regularly repeated once in
about every four days. Now what
was the conclusion from this? 1t was
that the star was not a single sun.
but a "double-as many of the stars
are that we see. That is, they are
twin suns which go swinging around
and round in each others arms. in an
eternal celestial german waltz. They
swing round once in about four days
and the decreased light is caused by
.one being partially eclipsed by the
secondary increase of light is caused
by the two suns being elongated l per
cent. in diameter by their mutual at
traction as we see them pass side by
side. In other words. each sun
causes a tide to rise $4,000 miles high
on the other as they go round.
From the data secured Prof. Steb-
bins is also able to give other facts
about these suns. He has figured
their exact time of revolution down to
days % hours minutes and 80 Sec
onds. and their orbits lie at an angle
of , degrees 40 minutes Each sun
is ., 100000 miles in diameter and they
are about 100000 miles apart. Their
period of revolution is increasing about
seven-e ighths of a second a year.
owing to the brake effect of the tides
They are at a distance from us of
about 100000 times the distance
from here to the sun--Which is about
92,090.0o0 miles. Each Of the pair
gives out about 1870 times as much
heat and light as our little sun. and
as they are about 20 times as hot as
creations. They are identified also
as belonging to the great group OF
stars which are moving in concert
through space toward a common goal
ITO which group most of the stars OF
the Big Dipper" belong. Thus Prof.
Stebhtns has found out about this
doubie-sun more than is known about
any other fixac.otar And x,.l,au 80