The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-08-19
THE HEAVENS IN AUGUST.
An Expert Has Much OF Interest to
Tell the Laymen.

/
Tell the Laymen.
Astronomy is one of the few sciences
which the astronomer seeks to make
palatable to the laymen, by speak.
ing and writing of it in manner
that is Ineligible to the masses OF
the people who are not scientists. II
may be that the science itself makes
of the average astronomer something
of poet and therefore writer who
seeks to express himself clearly and
! elegantly. One of these writes on
| the August skies as follows:
Directly overhead is the blue
white star Vega, among the bright
est of the stellar objects. Twenty
nine light years distant, and that
billions of miles.
Great constellation of Pegasus,
the flying horse, now clear of the
horizon. Planet Uranus, farthest
but one from the sun, in position for
observation.
Peculiarities of the Milky Way
are there worlds like ours? Watch
for the meteors of the Persid show
err.
By C. S. Brainin of the Columbia
University Observation Staff.
High up in the August sky in the
early days of the month almost ex.
actly in the zenith is the pride OF
the northern celestial hemisphere,
the blue white star Vega. Shining
with a light very much like that OF
an electric arc in color, it is, next
to the great dog star Sirius, the
brightest of all the stellar objects.
You should have no trouble in locat-
ing it exactly, as it is the very bright
star directly overhead. And we may
we'll admire it and the constellation
Lyra, to which it belongs, the Won
derful Tyre or harp of Orpheus VINO
descended into hades and there re-
gained from Pluto his lost brlde. 10
the Romans it's morning settlng
marked the beginning OF autumn.
Nor does Vegas lack scientific IN
terest. Due to the phenomenon,
which astronomers call the process
sion of the equinoes (the slow mo-
ton of the eQuinoctial points along
the equator), the north pole is grad
ually moving in the heavens. Near
the star called Alpha Ursae MINORS
now, it will gradually move away,
and in some $4,000 Vegas will be-
come the pole star again as 1t was
cnce in the dim ages of the past.
The distance of Vega from the
earth is fairly we'll determined as
twenty-nine light years, the light
wear being the distance light, which
travels $4,000 miles in a second
will 20 in a year. Again, the apex
of the solar system, that is the point
in the heavens toward which the
sun with it's satellites is speeding, is
very near to the point which Vegas
now occupies, but, luckily for US, in
the millions of years which will
elapse before the earth reaches the
of Vegas present position
that star will have obligingly moved
itself out of the way. Therefore, no
grounds for worry exist.
New Consultations.
Clear of the horizon now, we nave
in the eastern sky the great constel-
lation of Pegasus, the flying morse:
The three most brilliant stars OF
Pegasus and the brightest OF the
stars belonging to the group Aadro-
media little farther to the north
east form a square called the great
square Of Pegasus. The brightest or
the stars of the flying horse called
Alpha Pegasi or Markab Is one OF
The star most used by mariners Tor
getting so called lunar distances 1or
longitudes at sea. IN
it was supposed to denote
death from wounds or fire.
from the sea
by the hero Perseus-
lust rising over the horizon. Toward |
The southeast is the ancient constel-
|ation of Aquarius, the water bearer.
This is one of the zodiacal constel-
|ations, and the sun is in this group !
IN February. 1t was in this constel-
lation that the planet Uranus was
first seen in 1856, though not posi-
lively identified as a planet until
later by Herschel. ."
The Planets.
Jupiter, the great planet, is grad
ually improving His position in the
sky and will be much better object
later in the year. Nevertheless one
ian. observe him now as he rises at
about 9 O'Clock. The best time to !
view him or any celestial object is,
Of course when the object is one the
u ACd1 ~ tASA SAoAS
shall postpone our discussion of
Jupiter till a later date. Uranus, the
tarthest planet but one from the sun
is, in position for possible observa-
ton this month. His position can
be seen by reference to the map,
where he will be found in the south
eastern sky. He will in brightness
be equivalent to star of the sixth
magnitude-hardly an object for
the naked eye and at best an object
Of not too great interest even with
an opera glass or a telescope. Yet
Dne would like to be able to say that
he has seen this planet, as it is one
Of the two big planets of the sun
which were unknown 10 the star
wise ancient world. The other plan
ct is Neptune, discovered through
calculations.
The Milky Way.
Stretching from horizon in the
north to horizon in the south
through the highest parts of the sky
Is the conspicuous, irregularly-shap-
ed band of stars called the galaxy or