El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-02-23
BY c. :. BRAININ.

- northerIy winds that March marks
what We can call the beginning of
spring. Yet at 4:3s on the morning
OF the 21st the astronomer will tell you
! that the sun is on the vernal equinox
and is rapidly moving north in the
sky, attaining higher attitudes in the
sky each day and sending more and
more warmth to us Of the northern
latitudes. The vernal equinox is one
Of the two intersection points of the
equator and the ecliptic circls which
marks the apparent path of the sun in
the sky. Equinox means equal night"
and on the day that the sun is at this
point the periods of daylight and dark
ness viii be equal except for the eff
1ects Of refraction. twilight and other
minor causes The two equinoctiaI
points, spring and autumnaI are of
course, situated exactly $50 degrees
apart on the equator and ecliptic The
location of the former point is not
now visible because Of the proximity of
the sun, but the latter is in the con-
steilation Virgo, now partly above the
horizon at the time Of the map, and
Is marked by the number $50 on the
dotted circle representing the ecIiptic
Centuries ago the vernal equinox was
IN the constellation Aries instead OF in
Pisces, where il is today and from
that fact received its classic name of
the First Of Aries. The motion of the
equinoxes along the eciiptic. called by
astronomers procession, caused the
change OF location.
The New March Consultations.
The many wonderful consultations
which retain their place on the month
" map for March, having been dis
cussed in detail in the previous issues
II remains only necessary for us TO
describe those which our map shows
as newcomers On the northeastern
Il h
Driver, holding IN leash the Hunting
Dogs, Canes Venaticl. The main SPLEEN
dor Of this group is Arcturus, easily
found by prolonging the curve Of the
handle OF the Big Dipper. This is a
star Of orange-red color and Of nearly
zero magnitude. Parallax measures
show its distance to be so great that
the light with which we see 1t shining
today really left the star one hundred
years ago, and so great that this tiny
speck of light is all We can see of a
sun over five hundred times as great
as our sun itself Some years ago
Prof E. F. Nichols measured the actual
heat energy which we receive by radia- |
ton from Arcturus with the sensitive !
heat measuring instrument called radio
meter, and found II to be about equal 1
TO that received from a single candle |
five miles away.
Star Changes Position.
II Is interesting to note also that /
Arcturus is one Of the very few stars I
heavens, since scientific astronomy be- |
gan, enough to make the change in /
location visible to the naked eye; for
the position ascribed to this star by |
the old Greek astronomers is certainly
different from what It is today.
Between Bootes and Virgo is a faint
cloud-like patch Of light. the star clus-
ter in the constellation Coma Bere-
Berenice was wife Of the Ptolemy
Softer, King Of Egypt, and was known
Tor her beauty and for her wonderful
hair When her husband made an ex-
petition AGAINST his enemies, the As
syrians, this lady vowed her hair to
Venus, If he returned in safety AS
soon as this happened she promptly
ut off her locks and desopisted them
n the temple from which they were
ioCl stolen To soften the kings anger !
md grief at this disappearance, and.
perhaps, also 10 cover his inability to |
ind them and thus save his neck. the
oval astronomer reported that Jupiter
himself had removed the hair from the !
emple and placed it in the sky for
YER
The Planets For March.
Mercury will be a morning star the
-rst Of this month, rising about an
our before the sun; but it is so far
0uth of the equator at this time that
Mess one has clear, low horizon II
lnnOt be well seen
Venus is still in the morning sky,
sing about a half hour before the sun
the 1st. It is, like Mercury, too near
e sun to be well seen, and by the
st of the month viii have disappeared !
the suns rays.
Mars will disappear behind the sun
ring March also.
Jupiter is now finely and conven-
ltly placed for observation in the
stern evening sky in Aries
saturn shines resplendent in the zenith IN
early evening sky this month and offers
exceptional opportunity for those haV-
telescopes to observe its wonderful ring
TEN. which is still more interestingly in
-ranus is also a planetary victim TO the
s absorbing rays the first few days Of
-ch. but will come into view in the morn
sky the latter part of the month It is
way between Capricornus and AQuarius-
eptune is still in Cancer a short dis
se east Of Saturn Neptune's rate Of prog
eastward along the ecliptic is approx
ely only two degrees a year the slowest
ny Of the planets
Planetary COnfiguration-
ar ?. a m--MercuTy and Uranus IN
junction Mercury south l deg. II min.
ar 3. ! p m.-Venus in aphelion-
ar 4 24e a m.-Saturn and moon in
junction Saturn north ~ min.
ar 3. $40 a Neptune and moon in
Junction Neptune north 1 deg min
ar II. D. In--Mercury greatest hello
ric lat south
AZ IS. . D m--Mercury and Venus in
1nction- Venus south 45 min
~ 20 ga a. m--Uranuns and moon in
JUNCTION. Uranus south deg 90 min
ar. 20. s-sS D. m--sun enters Aries
lg commences
II. % 2-27 y. m-Afercury and moon in
motion Mercury south deg Is min
r. % 81 p m--Mars and moon IN
JUNCTION Mars south 8 deg. Il min