The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-07-28
-Dietz on Science
SIGN
OF SUMMER, is
RULER OF SKY
Brilliant Constellation Each
Night Climbs Higher
Above Horizon.
BY DAVID DIETZ
Scripps- Howard Science Editor

Scripps-Howard Science Editor
Across the southern sky shines
Scorpio, the celestial scorpion, the
sign Of summer Each night. he
climbs little higher into the south
ern sky
While mother earth slept beneath
her blanket Of winter snow. the
magnificent constellation of Orion,
the most conspicuous and easily
identified constellation with the ex-
ception Of the Big Dipper. ruled the
sky. But as winter waned Orion
sank lower and lower upon the west
ern horizon.
All through the spring. Orion. the
mighty hunter of mythology, became
less and less conspicuous in the sky.
Then with the advent of summer, he
disappeared all together.
But with the first days of sum-
mer. Scorpio climbed into the sky
Now he CLEANS in his full glory In
the southern sky. Thus he will
rule until the days of autumn. Then.
as the leaves turn red and gold. he
will creep toward the southwestern
horizon. AS the leaves turn brown
and fall from the trees. he will sink
still further upon the horizon. AS
the trees shiver in the wind and the
first early SHOWS fall, he will dis
appear from sight entirely
Thus Scorpio, sinking beneath the
horizon, will signal that the old year
is coming to an end. But when that
happens. Orion. like a beacon of
hope, will begin to poke his head up
over the eastern horizon to proclaim
that Christmas cheer and a New
Year are not far off.
Subject of Legends
The ancients. who knew far less
about the stars than we moderns
Go, but who felt their charm and
beauty far more. noticed that Orion
and Scorpio were never IN the sky
together. They observed that the
two. in their endless circhng of the
celestial sphere, always kept far
apart, one disappearing over the
western horizon as tn- other
emerged upon the eastern horizon.
And so they wove legends to ex-
plain this
They made up tales to explain
the enmity between the mighty
hunter and the scorpion. According
to one. Orion was a great hunter
who boosted that he feared no ami
NAL. But even as he u asted. a
scorpion sprang out of the ground
and stung him upon the f,0t, caus-
ing him TO die. The scorpion was
sent by the gods to punisn his van
ity. The gods then placed 10th |
hunter and SCORPION in the heavens.
perhaps as warning to mankind I
against the evils of vanity.
Enmity Symbolized
1t is interesting to note how the |
ancientS symbolized the enmity be- |
tween mankind and creeping things
by their designation of constella-
tons. AT midnight upon the first
day Of spring in ancient times. the |
constellation of Scorpio was just at |
the southern horizon. AT the same |
time the constellation of Draco. or
the dragon, was upon the nnrthern |
horizon.
In the stars, above these two con-
stellations, the ancients imagined
two mighty men, their heads formed |
by stars high in the sky and near
the zenith. One was Ophiuchus. |
the serpent bearer. who is depicted
as trampling upon the head of
Scorpio. The other was Hercules
pictured as trampling upon the
dragon.
The constellation of Scorpio is
easily found because it dominates |
the southern sky. A group of fairly
bright stars mark the scorpions
head and claws. A longer, irregu-
larry curving line of stars, set al
most at right angles to the first
line. marks the twisting body and
tail of the scorpion.
Red Star Forms Heart
Near the front of this second line,
is a beautiful red star of piercing
brilliance 1t is Antares. the heart
of the scorpion. The star is of |
special interest to astronomers for |
it is the largest known star in the
heavens.
Many years ago. astronomers sus-
pected that it was among the
largest of the stars. This opinion
was confirmed when the inter
ferometer. designed by the late DR.. |
A. A. Nicholson. the high priest of
light was attached to the great
l00-inch telescope at Mt. Wilson
and turned upon Antares.
The interferometer revealed that |
Antares had diameter of 4l5.000,-
900 miles Think for a moment |
what that meansi
Our own sun has a diameter of |
864 900 miles. If the SUN were |
hollow. you could place our earth |
at its center and the moon could |
continue to revolve around the |
earth at its customary distance of
100000 miles.
If Antares were hollow. you could |
place our sun at its center. and the |
earth could still revolve around the
sun at its customary distance of
90 900 900 miles.