The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-08-12
THE HEAVENS IN AUGUST

Directly overhead is the blue :
white star Vega, among the
brightest of the stellar objects.
Twenty-nine light-years distant.
and that means 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 there like ours?
Watch for the meteors Of the
Perseid shower.
lBy C. s. Brainin. of the Columbia
University Observatory Staff.]
High up in the August sky. In the
early days OF the month almost exact
ly in the zenith, is the pride OF the
northern celestial hemisphere, the
blue-white star Vega. Shining with
light very much like that of an cleo
trio 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 locating it exactly.
as It Is the very bright star directly
overhead. And We may we'll admire 1t,
as the ancients did, who saw In 1t and
the constellation Lyra, to which 1t be-
longs, the wonderful Tyre or harp OF
Orpheus, who descended into Hades
and there regained from Pluto his
lost bride. To the Romans its morn
ing setting marked the beginning of
autumn.
Nor does Vega lack scientific inter-
est. Due to the phenomenon which
astronomers call the procession Of the
equinoxes (the slow motion OF the
equinoctial points along the equator),
the north pole Is gradually moving IN
the heavens. Near the star called
Alpha Ursae MINORS now, 1t will grad
ually move away, and in some 10000
years Vega will become the pole star
again as it was once in the dim ages
past.
The distance Of Vega from the
earth is fairly we'll determined as
twenty-nine Hght-years, the light-year
being the distance light, which trav-
els about $4,000 miles In a second,
will go in year. Again, the apex OF
the solar system, that Is the point In
the heavens toward which the sun
with its satellites is speeding, IL very
near to the point which Vega now oc-
cupies; but, luckily for US. in the
many millions Of years which will
elapse before the earth reaches the
proximity 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 have
in the eastern sky the great constel-
lation Of Pegasus, the flying horse.
The three most brilliant stars Of Pc
gasus and the brightest of the stars
belonging to the group Andromeda a
little farther to the northeast form a
square called "the great square Of
Pegasus" The brightest of the stars
of the flying horse, called Alpha PEI
gasi or Markab is one of the stars
most used by mariners for getting So
called lunar distances for determining
llongitudes at sea- In astrology it was
supposed to denote death from wounds
or fire.
Acknowledgement from the sea
monster by the hero Perseus-is Just
rising over the horizon Toward the
southeast is the ancient constellation
Of Aquarius, the water-bearer. This
is one of the zodiacal consultations.
and the sun is in this group in Feb
ruary. It was in this constellation
that the planet Uranus was first seen
in 1856, though not positively identi-
fed as a planet till later by Herschel.
The Planets.
Jupiter, the great planet. Is gradu-
ally improving his position in the sky
and will be much better object later
in the year Nevertheless one can
observe him now as he rises at about
9 o'clock. The best time to view him
or any other celestial object Is, Of
course, when the object Is on the
meridian or near It: therefore, we
shall postpone our discussion OF Jup-
ter till a later date. Uranus, the
is in position for possible observation
by reference to the map. where he
will be found in the southeastern 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 inter-
ect even with an opera glass or
telescope. Yet one would like to be
able to say that he has seen this
planet, as 1t is one Of the two big
planets Of the sun which were I'M
known to the star-wfse ancient world
The other planet Is Neptune, discover
ed through mathematical calculations.
The Milky Way.
Stretching from horizon in the north
to horizon In the south through the
highest parts Of the sky is the con-
spicuous. irregularly-shaped band of
stars called the galaxy or milky way.