The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-04-07
-Dietz on Science
CIRCUMP OLAR
STARS ALWAYS
ABOVE HORIZON
Five Consultations Go in
Endless Path in
Sky'S Bowl
BY DAVID DIETZ
seripps- Howard Science Editor

Five consultations wheel around
the north star in an eternal dance.
They are always to be found in the
night sky whether the season be
spring, summer, fall or winter.
They always are close to the
north star. In fact, it is their close
ness which keeps them always in
the night sky
Because the earth rotates upon
its axis, the bowl of the sky seems
to turn with the north star as a
pivot.
Stars at distance from the north
star come over the eastern horizon,
more across the sky and set in the
west, Just as the sun rises in the
east and sets in the west.
But the stars which are close 20
the north star never dip below the
horizon. They merely 90 in a cir
Gle around the north star
The five consultations which be-
have in this way arc known as the
circumpolar consultations. They
are easy to learn, and once you
know them, they form guide-posts
with which the other consultations
can be located
Name Is From Greek
If you do not know these five,
devote a few Of the cloudless nights
of April to learning them. AS a
matter Of fact, they are learned
quickly in one evening, but you
want more observations to APP
preciate their beauty and to gain
confidence in your new knowledge.
One of the five is a constellation
you already know, the Big Dipper.
Everyone recognizes the seven
bright stars which form the familiar
dippcr.
The Big Dipper, with the smaller
and fainter stars in its immediate
vicinity, forms a constellation known
TO astronomers as Ursa Ma jor, or
the Great Bear.
It's name comes down to us from
the Romans, who like the Greeks
before them, imagined the figure
of a bear in this part of the sky
The ancicnts drew the figure of
the bear in such a way that tie
stars which form the handle Of the
dipper, composed the tail of the
bear.
In Second Magnitude
With the aid of the Big Dipper,
it is a simple matter to find the
north star, and as soon as you have
found it, YOU have also found the
Little Dipper, the second Of the
circumpOlar consultations.
The two stars which form the
outside of the bowl of the Big Dip
per are known as the pointers, be-
cause a line drawn through them
leads directly to the north star.
Polaris, as astronomers call the
north star, is about as bright as the
stars of the Big Dlpper. These are
not among the very brightest in
the heavens and are known as sec
ond magnitude stars.
Polaris is also a second magni-
tude star. In addition to being the
north star, PolariS is the tip of the
handle of the Little Dipper
The stars which form the Little
Dippcr all are fainter thar Polaris.
Seven stars form the Little Dip
per. 1t is shaped like the big one.
but, as the name indicates, is much
smaller. 1t is turned the other way
with respect to the Big Dipper, the
bowl of the Little Dipper sweeping
in the direction Of the handle Of
the Big Dipper.
Imagination Is Stretched
You already know how to trace a
line from the pointers in the Big
Dlpper to POlariS in the Little Dip
per. Now continue this same line
across the sky beyond the north
star for about an equal distance.
The line will end every near five
fairly bright stars which form a
sort of letter w"
These five stars are the principal
ones in the constellation of Cassie
peia, which the ancientS named af-
ter the beautiful Queen CaSsiopeia
of legendary fame.
The ancients imagined lIer seated
in the sky upon her throne. Now
on stretch of the imagination will
enable you to form a throne and
q queen out of the stars in this
constellation and so you might just
as we'll give the ancientS credit for
great imaginations and let it go at
that.
Now you know the five circum-
polar consultations.