The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1921-12-21
THE MORNING SKY

cooler and we got up to see If n
l. Riddles had sufficient cover on the
$. beds. Il so happened that we CLAN,
h Cd toward the east, and through II
s. rain-cleared air beheld some beaut
i full stars in the heavens.
Five planets, the only ones know
.. to the anclents because they are III
only planets visible to the naked eyt
y are now ranged in line above IN
a eastern horizon for an hour befor
sunrise each morning. 1t is a rar
G spectacle and especially so whe
"swift-footed Mercury" IS included i
!. the grouping.
! Recurring again to the aneionts
they regarded the so-callod fixed star
; as mysterious points of light set il
a armament of adamant, always hay
ing the same fixed and invariabl
relation TO each other.
But this hollow adamantine sphert
rcvoNed round the earth, which wa.
regarded as the center Of the universe
every twenty-four hours. yet Their,
We're seven heavenly Bodies whicl
moved across this starry sphere il
stated periods. Two of these bodie,
were the sun, which makes diurna
revolution. and the moon, which oc
cupies a month in passing through
the stars of the celestial sphere
hence the divisions of time into days
and months.
But the other five objects which
changed their positions among Tho
stars were simply wandering stars
moving at irregular intervals along
a narrow zone, never swerving 10
the right or the left of that zone,
which they called the Zodiac.
\ These five planets were Mercury.
I Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
They were scattered along the 10
dlac at irregular intervals, their per-
iods never coinciding. Yet some
times one Of these planets would
seem to ovcrtako another in their
hight across the skies, and when such
an event occurred it was called a con
junction Of the two planets.
y
planets could be seen at one time,
and very seldom indeed when they
were so massed together as to be
seen near each other in one quarter
Of the heavens.
But such a spectacle is now visible
in the early morning hours and il is
we'll worth while to rise an hour or
two before dawn and witness a sight
so rare and beautiful Put on your
overcoal or warm wraps and find some
place where you will not be subject
TO the glare Of a neighboring street
lamp Look towards the point in the
eastern horizon where the sun will
rise and just above it You will see
Mercury and Venus almost in onnnc-
ton. Now itaiE not, often that that
little fugitive planet Mercury is vis-
ible 1t never rises very far above
the horizon, and very few people have
seen it. and scarcely one
person in a hundred can toll you that T.
they have seen this bright but trans.
tory planet ,l,u
Above that pair of plarets are
Mars. rather dim, and bright Jupiter,
this pair also almost in conjunction,
md then a little farther along il the
yellow planet Saturn. The thin rings
If Saturn have been almost invisible
mring the past two years, as they
we're presented edgewise TO the earth
But at present they are beginning to
how to pretty good advantage.
But there are other fine objects in
he morning sky. prominent among
which is the Great Dipper, nearly |
but bottom side up, it's
pointers, as always. indicating the
POSITION Of the uuchanging North
tar, while its curved handle points :
n the opposite direction towards the :
cry bright, yellowish star Arcturus, :
Mentioned by job 5000 years ago.
A little east Of the meridian is the
lagnitcent constellation Orion, It's !
lmous belt of three stars pointing
)wards the red star Aldebaran in
ne west, while in the east they point
,wards the brightest star IN the
eavens. respondent Sirius.
In the shoulder Of Orion is the rec
1tly far-famed star Betelgouze,
tely discovered to be one Of the
liant suns Of the universe Note
nat Betelgeuze, Sirius and Procyon
nm a splendid triangle Of first mag
tude stars, the most perfect geo
etrical figure in the heavens.
Above Orion are two bright stars
Capella and Beta Auriga, each
Town by spectrum analysis 20 con-
st Of two magnificent suns reyolv-
2 round common center Of
'avity in short periods Of few day !
ID each sun Of each pair from :
,onty to thirty times larger than :
m own sun.
What are the distances Of these
.illiants Of the morning sky? ST.
Us is eight and one-half light years
slant: Procyon. twelve light years;
,laris, forty-six light years; Cap
ia. six-four light years, and Betel-
.uze is estimated b BE- $50 light
ans distant A light year il the
ne consumed by a ray Of light in
lvcling through space when il is
ecdiup at the rate Of 10000 miles /