El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-27
BY GARRETT p. sERVIss.

BY GARRETT T.. SERVISS.
=" HE western half Of the heavens
is now the most brilliant. -
the hours represented by the
chart Orion is seen far west of the me-
ridian with Capella over his head.
Taurus above him toward the north
west. and Sirius following him in the
south Procyon in Canis Minor, and the
! Twins in Gemini, are seen a little west
of the meridian. The Milky Way seems
to rise from the middle Of the southern
! horizon. passing through Argo' Navis,
then between Sirius and PrOcyon. be-
! tween Orion and Gemini between TAU
I rus and Capella. through Perseus and
/ Cassiopeia, the latter being now low
! down in the northwest and finally dip
3 ping behind the northern horizon al
most under the Pole star. The Great
DipDer is well up above the pole IN the
| northeast and near the horizon, in the
/ direction indicated by the dlpper S
handle is seen Arcturus IN Boo-es'
just rising. On the ecliptic in the east
ern half Of the sky shines Regulus IN
the heart of Leo. Southwest of Leo, IN
a relatively barren part OF the heavens,
is seen the lone star Alphard IN the
long constellation Hydra Between
Gemini and Leo glitters the cluster
called the Manger in the constellation
Cancer Among double stars now well
placed for observation with telescopes
may be mentioned Castor IN Gemhl
whose two stars are six seconds apart
and easily seen with Il small telescope,
and Gamma in Leo. the second star
above Regulus in the Sickle In inns
case the two stars are less than -FOUR
seconds apart, and they present CON
trasted cOiors the larger being yellow
and the smaller greenish-
The Lost BieIn Comet.
The chart for the evening SKY SHOWS
the position occupied in March, lS46, by
the strange comet Of Biela, which In the
preceding January had split IN two Inc
story OF Bielas comet is one OF the NEST
extraordinary known in astronomy. y
was first seen i'm 1926. 1t reappeaIea III
1892 its period of revolution belns
about six years and nine months IL
was due again in 1888. but, owing to us
unfavorable position IN the SKY az tHdl
tine was not observed. ITS next ap-
pearance was at the end of November
1875. 1t was observed during lhe WIlleei,
and on January Is, 1S46, It was nouceu AZ
Washington that the comet hau uegV-io
double. AT first the part that seeIheU 70
ba,s been thrown off comparatively
faint but gradually it frightened uhtii an
February fl had become as bright as tlle
original mass from which II had separated
Most wonderful OF all. there was soneuules
visible faint misty band connectlns lle
two comets, although their distance Sp1-Si
was more than 100000 miles anu inns D'Liu
or bridge occasionally osclllated. sWluelus
one way and then the other, as II the Two
comets had been attached to the ehus OF d
rigid bar which was swung slightly 10 anC
fro Each of the comets developed tan OIL
its own In 1852 back came the Twin com
cts one becoming visible nearly lhIee "eeh
before the other was seen BY TINS llIll7
they had got much farther apart their us
tauce from one another being now no less
than million and half miles
Hidden by sun.
Both passed round the sun and they Us
appeared in September Al me uI me- M
they should have been seen When cue as-ill
in 1853 and 1866 no glimpse or thenl Wa7
caught. but in 1872, when again due instead
of the comets "a brilliant shower OF meteoIs
believed to be travelling in their track ouIsl
over the earth radiating from near the star
Gamma in Andromeda. IL Is GeneIally %
lieved that the original comet OF Blela mas
been entirely disintegraded into meIeoIs
principally by the action Of the sun Ihese
Inetcors were seen again in 1872 me SAM
fate is supposed to await all comets tHsi1
travel regularly round the sun III may u1
one reason why all the periodical comets
which come back every few years are rela-
lively incOnspicuous; each time lhat ne
venture near the sun forces act upon them
tending to their disintegraton, and thus
after many returns but a remnant OF tne
original comet is left All OF the great me
teor showers are known to be traVehnB IN
the tracks Of comets. and in some cases the
comets from which they have originated
hove not entirely disc ppeared, but come
hack also at regular intervals The form
OF Hauey's comet. and the extent Of its tan
have vpried surprisingly every time II ms
Dueured- with It's long peIApuf dDou@
years il has resisted longer the FORCES Oh Z
disintegratiou that have almost dissipateG /
some of its cOmpeers which come oaeN
every six or seven years
March MeteOrs.
There are no great meteor showers in the /!
month of March. But five minor showers J
arc known two OF which may be seen in the .
evening The first of these occurs during 4
the nights from the 5th TO the 10th ran
ating from a point between the heaG OF /
Taurus and Auriga. They are described as /
ie1cy- and bright The second shower oc- /
rurs on the 10th radiatipg from a point I
above Coma Berenices. Its meteors appear i
eors is something especially suited to anna
tours requiring no instruments. All that Is .
necessary in order to give value to the Oh
is to notice carelully the appd-
rant track Of the meteors among the stars
and their peculiarties Of appearance. These
,bservatfons become very fascinating as soon
T. a.. obger,er has convinced himself that
he flight Of the meteors is governed by
avs AS fixed as those that prescribe the
notions OF the planets in their orbits.
Planetary COnfiguTatiOn.
Feb. 2S. j m.-Mercury and Mars in con-
junction Mercury north degrees IA min
March 5. p. m.-Mercury stationary.
March II, 6:24 p. MENUS and moon IN
conjunction Venus north degrees.
March II. p. m.-Mars greatest heliocen-
rio Lat south.
conjunction. Uranus north 80 min
March 49, 6:36 "a. m--Mercury and moon
n conjunction. Mercury north l6i min.
March Is 1924 D. m.--Mars and moon IN
,onfunction Mars south degree SO min.
March Il. a. m.-Mercury in descending
lode.
March a. sos p. m.-Jupiter and moon
n conjunction. Jupiter south ? degrees 20
March Il, . a. m.-saturn at quadrature
With sun.
March IS, II p. MENUS and Uranus IN
Venus north degree 10 min
March 20. s a. m.-Mercury greatest elon-
alton west-27 degrees, A min.
March u. 9;43 a. m-Sun enters Ares
prng commences.
March %. $3.50 a. m.-saturn and moon in