South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-25
Rich Colors Are Among the
Glones of The Winter Stars
BY GAREETT p. SERVES.

bN - AiAAAI-I
If YOU wish to forget some of the
woes and worries of these troubloua
times, turn your eyes to the slorica
of the winter heavens. There is a
resource that never fails.
1 ann reminded OF peculiarly
about the stars of which most per
sons arc unaware by am insertion
hich my friend. Mr.. Leon Barlit;
has made i'm his Evening Sky Map
for January. lie has marked the
location of the remarkable star NJ
in the constellation Ccpheus. the ia
NOUS garnet star" of ucrsche;.
which is the reddest sun visible -
the naked eye ia the northern
hemisphere. 10 varies slowly in
brightness in period OF several
years. being, when brightest, of the
fourth magnitude and whcr faint
est of not more than the sixth.
This means that il is over six
times as bright at one time as at
another. 1t would be very inconVe-
nicnt for us if our sun had "A SINH
lar Jnsteadincss. for while we
might be able 10 get along with
daylight six times less brilliant. be-
cause II would still be more than "a
hundred thousand times as bright a.
full moonlight, we could never sup
port drop of the mean temperature
around us from 60 degrees above
zero Fahrenheit, 20 $40 degrees BE-
low, our sensitiyeneSS to heat is
set upon q very different scale from
that of our sensitiveness to light.
In order to appreciate the red
Eess of AlU Cephei YOU must look
at it with d telescope. Then. in
deed, ii CLOVIS like a living ruby o"
garnet, With depth of hue that
is wonderful Its prevailing color
is probably an index of its great
age. for old stars. fast approach
ing the ioint of extinction. shine
with a rudy light. the sign of DIV
ing energy
The turn of our sun Will come.
although il Is yet far off. He now
ranks among the yellowish- whire
stars The slight tinge i'm his light
is Ominous. We are getting a sharp
reminder of what il means i'm this
severe winter weather for the
cyclical Eariations i'm the mean tenn
perature ct the seasons are unques-
tionably consequence of deep-
seated fluctuations i'm the solar
energy. The hot. and steadily hot
stars. are the bluish-white ones.
The stellar popularity of whicI
] started TO write L. just this diff
ference Of color shown 10y different
stars To the careless observer. all
stars may appear of the same color.
or of no color at all. There is no
better season than winter for an
preciatins tn" jewel-lille variety Of
the colors of the stars. The frosf
atmosphere ON a clear winter night
seems 10 act like a polishing powder
upon the celestial gems bringing
out their play OF colors as well as
brightenile their rays.
a splendid example OF rudy
star. OF very peculiar shade II
redness ss the first magnitude bril-
liant Alderbaran. which glOws n
the eve OF the zodiacaI Ball. Taurus.
and crosses the meridian about half
past To p. m. i'm the latter part Il
December. have never read or
heard satisfactory description IF
the peculiar tinge of color i'm the
light OF Aldenaran Sometimes it
So. 4
som red 10 is not strong. but :
very distinct Ev turning the eye
little aside the color may be seen
more easily
IL stands out iu contrast with tha
small white stars around il. and
vet more with the brillian; white
Rigel. the great first magnitude gem
on Orions upHfted foot. Eigel has
"a tinge Of biting blue like fine
diamond ~ is younS giant. as
Aldebaran is an old one.
At the present time the p'an3t
Juplter shines "A few degrees north
ives, of Aldcbaran. and offers az
excellent opportunity 60 compar.
the steady reflected light ot "a plant
with the restless.y animated origI-
MAJ RAYS of star. sometimes when
the atmosphere settles down tor a
moment into 0uietnes~. the star be-
comes as steady as the planet and
seems 20 shrink into an iutensel,
glowing -ed point
Looking over eastward % orion
right shoulder. YOU VIII see anothe.