A NIGHT AMONG THE STARS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 10, 11 July 1914, Page 10

A NIGHT AMONG THE STARS

(By James R. Strachan.) When ho was vn old man Thomas Carlyle is reported to have said that he had always regretted that he had never become acquainted with the various constellations which adorn the heavens on a clear night. - In our day we have better opportunities for the observation of the heavenly bodies, for on certain nights the observatory at Kelburn is open to the public, who can, for a nominal fee, obtain closer acquaintance with our neighbours in space. In the Northern Hemisphere even the man in the street is at least acquainted with one star, the North Polar star, which, owing to its position near the axis of the earth, is described by Shakespeare in " Julius Ctesar " in the following terms : — But I am constant as the Northern Star, Of whose truo-fix'd and resting quality There is no fellow in .the firmament. We in the Southern Hemisphere aro even more fortunate than the people in the Northern Hemisphere, for, with the exception "of perhaps Capella, we aro able at certain seasons of the year to see all the largest or first magnitude stars which they see, and in addition we have our Southern Cross and Pointers, and the two bright "circumpolar stars Canopus and Achernar as well. The .Most interesting part of the heavens is perhaps that belt or zone which, stretching ,for eight degrees on each side of the Ecliptic, or sun's path, is called the Zodiac. This belt or zone is divided into twelve parts of 30 degrees extent each", which are called the "Signs of the Zodiac." Their names are as fellow :— The " Ram," the " Bull," the " Heavenly Twins,' 1 And next the " Crab," the " Lion " shines, The "Virgin" and the "Scales," Thef " Scorpion," " Archer," • and " He,goat. The " Man that bears the Watering Pot," And "Fish with Gl-'ttering Tails." As the earth moves round the sun in its orbit it places the sun against a continually shifting' background of stars until itr reaches tt^ starting point again, so that if the sun is in the constellation of the " Ram," then at noon here the "Scales" six " Sitjns " further on will •be directly opposite the other side of the earth from us, and will be clearly seen, for it is midnight there. The moon and all the planets are also wanderers in this same belt, so that if we know in' which constellation a certain planet appears to be, as seen from the earth, and also in which constellation the sun is, then if the planet is in front of tho sun we will see it in *the early morning before the sun rises, but if the planet is behind the sun we shall see it it\ the even.ing after sunset, i "• The sun will be in the Heavenly Twins constellation early in July and in the Crab constellation at the end of the month. The planet Mercury is now in the Crab constellation, but at the end of the month will be in the Heavenly Twins constellation, so that it is now an evening star, but at the end of the month will be a morning star. Owing to" the nearness of its orbit to the_ sun this planet is for only a short period in sight, and e,ven Copernicus, the founder of modern astronomy, lamented before his fleath that he had never been able to catch a glimpse of it. The planet Venus is now in the Crab constellation, but at the end of the month will be in the Lion constellation., It will therefore be an evening star all Hie month. The planet Mars w'H be in the Lion constellation all the month, and there; fore will be seen in the early evening all that time. The planet Jupiter is in the He-goat constellation rind consequently will not bo seen till later on in the evpnihg. The planet Saturn is in the Taurus constellation, and consequently will be visible in the early morning before the sun rises. It is hoped that this short sketch may interest others to wander along tho paths of this entrancing subject.