The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-05
THE SKIES IN JANUARY.
War Has No Influence Oh Weather
Total Eclipse June s.

Our present methods do not enable
us to measure the distances of the re-
moter stars. III fact if star is more
than 80 light years away, its actual
distance can only he estimated. 4
light year, it viii be remembered, is
the distance that light travels in a
year, . distance of about $3.50 900, 600,
000 miles.
1t is possible, however, to determine
with some degree Of accuracy the dis
lance Of remote star cluster, particu-
larry one Of the globular type. Notable
work along this line is being done at
Mt. Wilson Observatory, in California;
using 60-inch rejecting telescope The
most recent measurement Is that of the
cluster known as Messier ;, bright
elobular cluster near the southern edge
of the constellation Canes Nenatiei,
about 3 degrees northwest Of Arctu-
rus. The computed distance Of this
cluster is II, 900 light years, nearly B.
0Oe .o00.G0n times the distance from the
earth to the sun
To be visible at such an immense
distance the cluster must of course he
very large It's diameter in fact. is
40 light years, about 10000, 600 times
the distance from the earth to the sun.
While the stars AT the center Of this
cluster appear to be very close togetn-
err they are really separated by dis
| tances averaging several light years.
The determination Of the distance of
the nebulae is even more difficult than
the problem of the clusters. Recent
| measurements show that the ring nebu-
| lac i'll Lyra is at least 220 light years
| from us. To seem 50 large at this dis
/ tance the nebulae must have q diameter
| 1000 times that of the earth 5 orbit
In other words, light travelling at the
rate of 10000 miles per second would
| require % days to traverse this huge
mass of gas.
The weather is always a popular sub
| ioct of conversation. - Unusual wealth
CIR occurs somewhere almost every
| year Since 1911 such weather has
been popularity attributed to the war
| Violent artillery commandments have
| caused excessive rainfall, we are some
times told. The director OF the Frencl
meteorological service has compared
the weather records Of l9l4-lGl7 Will
those Of previous years and has com,
to the conclusion, as might have beer
| expected, that there is no apparent
connection between the war and til,
! weather. Periods Of comparative quie
on the western front have frequently
been periods Of rainy weather, whil,
violent and continued bombardmcnt
have often been accompanied by una
sually dry and clear weather.
The most interesting event of III,
year 1918 in astronomical circles vii
probably be the total eclipse of thu
sun, scheduled for June s, the first o
the kind to be visible in this countr,
since 1900. The path of totalitv vii
extend diagonaIlv across the Unite
states from Washington to Florida
The largest city in the path is Denver
| Col. In New England the eclipse will
be partial, some 63 PER cent of the sul
being covered. 1t will occur here lat
IN the afternoon, beginning about IS
=. m. ana ending soon after 40 y. m
just befqle sunset,
The other ecIpses Of the year will
be partial one Of the moon ON Jun
"a, partly visible here and an annula
eclipse Of the sun on Dee. >, invisibl
here.