The independent-reporter., 1913-04-10
THE HEAVENS As THEY.
ARE IN APRIL
Partial Eclipse of the Sun Sunday,
Not Visible Here. Written by
Eric DOOllttle

Not Visible Here. Written by
Eric DOOllttIe
The most prominent position In the
evening sky is now occupied by the
bright Leo, which this month reaches
its elimination and shines out high
up from the ground, exactly in the
south. The six stars at the western
end of this group form very per-
feet figure of Sickle. the brightest
star of all being the great Reguius,
a yellowish- white sun which has a
companion of a remarkably deep blue
color that Is itself double sun. Reg
illus is so very near the yearly path
traced out by our sun in its annual
journey among the stars that when
our sun reaches this point in it's path,
were the star not rendered invisible
to us by the oyerpowering brilliance
we would see IL almost Craze the up
per edge of the round suns disc.
/ This passage will occur this year on
next August %; when the sun in
passing through the Sickle the har-
vest days will begin. 1t is said that
the whole constellation was called
the Lion because while the sun was
in this part of the heavens the lions
left the desert for the banks of the
Nile, where they could find relief
| from the summers heat.
Above Leo we now see the Great
/ Dipper, shining down on us from al
most the highest part of the heavens.
Below this is the great Bootes, who
with upstretched arms is driving the
Bear before him, and just below this
very large and striking constellation
we can now for the first time clearly
see the beautiful and delicate little
Crown bestowed by Theseus upon
| Ariadne. The faint stars in the rath-
er vacant part of the heavens below
the hollow of the Dippers handle
make up the constellation of the
Hunting Dogs, held by Bootes in his
Leash of sidereal fire." is a beauti-
full double star in small telescope.
Below these is the dehcate filnly
cluster known as the Maidens Hair,
nearly midway between these stars
is beautiful though rather faint
cluster of many thous inds of stars
packed closely together, ana it is
very remarkable that no less than
one in every ten of these distant suns
is a variable star.
Below Corona, the large group
Hercules has now emerged who'll,
from the ground. There is the most
magnificent star cluster which can be
seen in the northern heavens. This
is even visible to the naked eye as
faint, light spot on the heavens, while
on photographs of it recently taken
with the largest instruments. no less
than sixty thousand stars have been
counted.
The distinctively summer group of
the Serpent is now just entering the
heavens in the east, while the very
large Virgo has entirely emerged
from the ground. The most conspi-
cuous star of this great constellation
is the blush Spica, or Ear of Wheat
| This is actually a double sun. the
companion being so near the bright
star and so obscure that ii cannot be
seen in any telescope but its presence
is made evident by the fact that
| Spica is forever moving about and its
unseen common center of gravity of
itself and its unseen companion in an
orbit of three millions of miles radius
with velocity of more than fifty
|
pletes revolution in a period of
about four days.
Below Virgo are the two brightest
stars of the Balances. Below Libra
will be seen the Water Snake, which
| has now almost wholly entered our
evening sky, and which stretches its
great length from the horizon in the
southeast, almost all the way to the
/ bright Procyon in the west. All of
| these consultations are most inter-
esting and will we'll repay study,
though the most conspicuous of the
mid summer groups, including the
striking Scorpion and the beautiful
| Northern Cross, will not enter our
evening sky until another month mas
passed away.
During tne first two weeks of the
mouth. the most brilliant Venus viii
continue to shine out in the west, Out
very little watching will make II
evident, even in few nights, that
this world is now running rapidly to-
ward the sun. For many weeks 1t
has been moving ever northwatd
among the stars and thus setting
ever farther toward the northW est
point of the horizon and at later
hour each evening but both its east
ward motion among the stars and its
northward motion over the sphere
will continue for but few days alter
! the first of the present month. II
will thus be seen to set in the north
west nearly three hours after sunset
on April l. but this interval will
diminish with great rapidity, until on
| April "a it will pass to the east of the
sun and become Il morning star. No
observer who possesses a small tele-
scope should fail to examine this
beautiful object during these few re-
naming weeks in which it is leaving
the evening sky. Its very rapidly
narrowing crescent and its increase
in size as it draws near to our earth
/ furnish most interesting object for
observation. Venus will remain i'll
+ the morning sky throughout the re-
mainder of the present year.
Saturn still shines in the west,
nearly midway the Hyades and the
i Pleiades, and may be well observed,
especially during the first part of the
month 1t also will soon be lost to
view in the suns rays, although it
will finally enter the morning sky un-