Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-10-07

| groups nave dominated tHt southSii S''s ,
| the beautiful scorpion being the only
really bright constellation in this part
of the heavens. But this interesting
| group has now entirely disappeared
| while the Serpent the Archer, the very
/ large Serpent Holder, and the Hunter
with its fiery Areturus, are all half with
| drawn from the evening sky.
Meanwhile, just beginning to mount
the heavens in the east, we see the great
winter group of Taurus, with its two
beautiful little figures known as the Plei-
| AIDES and the Hyades, of which the for
| mer is the most celebrated star group
| of all. AS the days of the month go by
i we may notice that these eastern stars
are continually climbing upward; by the
| end of the month we will find the Plei-
| AIDES half way to the zenith in the early
i evening, while, below them the magni-
| ficent groups of Orion and the Twins
| will be seen just entering the evening
| sky.
| Not only are there innumerable legends
| Connected with the stars of the Pleiades
| and not only have their appearance and
! withdrawal served for many centuries
| as q guide to the agriculturist, but in
| many nations the construction of an ex-
| act calendar and the fixing of the sea-
sons has been based upon their changing
position with reference to the sun.
In the telescope, or even to the naked
| eye, they are beautiful and striking
| little group. With the eye alone it will
| at once be seen that the little dipper is
outlined by six blush stars, While If the
| observer possesses unusual eyesight,
and If the air is unusually still and
clear, from two to five additional stars
may be detected. With an opera glass
nearly 10 may be seen, while on sensi-
tive Photographic plate the number is
increasing to more than 2090. 1t is GER
tain that this remarkable aggregation
of stars is quite a compact cluster OF
suns, far out in the depths of space;
from a spectroscopic study of the light
of these suns it is found that they are
strikingly alike in constitution and ply
steal condition.
The stars of the Pleiades are so far
away from us that their distance can not
be measured directly. From a study of
their drift over the face of the sky, how
ever, ii is estimated that they are prob.
ably so far away that their light occu-
pies about $50 years in making the jour
ney from them to us. If this is approx
imately correct their brightest star,
Alcyone, shines on its sister stars with
a brightness about 81 times as great as
that with which the Dog Star shines on
us, and it follows also that this distant
object is nearly 100 times brighter than
our own sun.
Toward the end of the month Mercury
approaches its greatest distance east
he hnt this time If Will he
so far, south in the sky that it will al
ways set less than one hour after sun
set, and so can scarcely be detected in
the twilight glow.
Venus remains the bright morning
star, and though it is now rapidly reced-
ing from the earth and therefore growing
fainter it is still most brilliant object
shining with no less than 81 times the
brightness of standard first magnitude
star The planet will at once attract the
attention of the observer if he will face
due east on any October morning not
earlier than two hours before sunrise.
On the morning of October % Venus will
pass north of the bright star Regulas;
the two objects will then be separated
by distance not greater than one-haH
the apparent distance across the face of
the moon, and they will form striking
and Interesting figure in the morning
sky.
Mars is rapidly drawing nearer our
evening heavens; on October ] it will rise
in the east at about 1890 o'clock +. M,
but by the end of the month 1t will APP
pear one hour earlier. This planet and
the earth are steadily drawing nearer
together. their distance apart diminish
ing from 106, 100000 to 100000 of miles
during the month. The brightness will
increase during this interval one and
one-half times. But the planet will not
be in its most favorable position for OBJ
servation until a few months have
elapsed.
Jupiter may still be we'll observed in
the very early evening, but this is the
last month of the present year when 1t
can be seen. 1t is now low in the south
west in the constellation Sagittarius,
just above the inverted bowl OF the lit
tie Milk Dipper.
Saturn has now entered our evening
sky, to remain with throughout the
autumn and winter, not finally with
drawing in the west until next May
This will be found most beautiful OBJ
ject in the telescope. The wonderful ring
system is widely opened out; as both the
earth and the sun are now far below the
plane of the rings these can be seen to
excellent advantage.
If the observer will turn to the Plei-
AIDES at about an hour after midnight
of October II he will see that the moon
is drawing very near this little group OF
stars. Unfortunately none of the SIX
brightest stars of the group will be MD
den as viewed from the vicinity of WASH
ington, but our satellite will be seen to
pass very near them, and with small
telescope the occultation of many of the
outlying fainter stars may be observed
The moon is so very near the earth that
it's apparent path among the stars
changes its position greatly as the OBJ
server changes his position on the earth
1t is therefore not possible to indicate the
course of the moons center on Figure
2 for observers in all different parts OF
our country. But by noticing the posi-
ton of the moon with reference to the
group of stars soon after Midnight
eastern standard time), and remember
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