The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-10-18

well endowed with interesting ana beautiful stars and constella- lions as the entire heavens may be, there is n certain part which seems to he somewhat more favored than fhe rest. We refer to the area in- ciuding and surrounding the great consteilation of orion, the Hunter. This portion of the sky contains inc cancellations of Taurus, Auri- m. Gemini, Orion, Canis Ma1or, and Canis Minor. Taurus leads them all westward and is already well over the eastern horizon at our map-time. East of Taurus lies Gamini, and to the southeastwaro we find Orion. North of Taurus ies Auriga, the charioteer, with us first magnitude star, Capeila. NO less than seven first-magnituoe stars are included in these groups; and in addition we find most or second and third magnitude stars which add greatly to the beauty or tho spectacle and to the interest of the observations.
 Taurus is readily identified in the east by it's first magnitude star, Aldebaran, of yellowish hue. and the cluster of the Pleiades. which lies above Aldebaran. When the Belt of Orion is above the horizon, Aldebaran is easily found by ex- tending the imaginary line or the three Belt stars to the westward. This line leads one almost exactly to Aldebaran. We have here fairly large star, although not one of the very largest, for Aldebaran has a diameter about sixty times that of the sun and 1t radiates ninety times as much light as our own orb. Its distance from us is about fifty-seven light years and 1t is a double star with a small com panion of the thirteenth magni- tude. Surrounding Aldebaran Is a cluster of stars called the Hyades, representing in Greek mythology the nymphs who were daughters Of Atlas. These stars form a physical ly connected group moving through space in the same direction and with the same velocity. A better known and more beautiful cluster group is also found in this constel- iation: we refer to the Pleiades mentioned above.
 To the average eye the group seems to consist of seven stars, forming what may be termed 8 small dipper; six of the stars are easily observed but the seventh Is somewhat illusive and has given rise to the legend of the lost Pleiad. However. it can easily be seen on clear nights, in fact, peo- pie with excellent eyesight have counted as many as twelve or thir- teen individual stars. The telescope reveals the presence of many hun. dreds in the same starfield. All these form a single gravitationally connected swarm which moves through space 8 single unit. The erable luminosity, the brighter onos eaualling a hundred suns like ouSs. We know this to be true be- cause of the great distance of about 220 light-years which separates us from them. A star only as big as the sun would be truly insignificant at that enormous distance. It is very interesting to note that long exposure photographs show that tho larger stars of the Pleiades are surrounded by a bright nebulous haSe of a size and brilliancy quite unusual among the stars; though 1t is, of course, true that all stars have a surrounding nebulous en- veiope as, for example, the cor ona of the sun.
 Capella, in Auriga, is the fifth brightest star in the entire heavens and the third brightest visible from these latitudes. It is practically equal in brightness to Vega but It's color is entirely different. Vega is Q blue-white star; Capella is white or slightly yellowish in color. It is of the same color as our sun. Ca pella is a much bigger star than Vega for 1t is about twice as far away from the solar system. It would take about one hundred and fifty suns to give out as much light as Capella .radiates into space. IT the sun were as far away from us as Capella, it would be star or about the fifth magnitude and be just on the borderline of naked eye visibility. Like Aldebaran. Capella Is double star.
 This year again astronomers pro- fessional and amateur. who are in-