GLORY OF NIGHT SKY IN SUMMER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 300, 20 December 1945, Page 6

GLORY OF NIGHT SKY IN SUMMER

MUCH CAN BE OBSERVED WITH NAKED EYE (By “The Sky Pilot'’ of the Wanganui Observatory). If we raise our eyes toward the heavens these lovely summer evenings we stand amazed at the glory of the sky, a sight which we should really feast our eyes upon whilst these glorious summer nights abound. The panorama of the late evening sky is magnificent and should we happen to be out a few moments after midnight when most of the city lights have been switched off, what a sight we behold! And the same is true in the country where we are not troubled by lights which veil the glory of the heavens. Early in the evening the Southern Cross is lying low in the south, but rises to a fine position as the evening moves on, carrying with it the rich stream of the Milky Way and providing a glorious picture of the stars about the south Celestial Pole, visible only to southern observers. The brilliancy of the two pointers to the Cross is most noticeable. The bottommost, Alpha Centauri, we usually think of as the nearest star to us, although the nearest is really Proximo Centauri, a star not far away from it. An imaginary line carried through the Cross from head to foot and extended about eight times this length brings us to Achernar, another beautiful stellar object. Bisect this line and .we are very close to the south Celestial Pole. On either side of this imaginary line the mystic Megellanic Clouds, one smaller than the other, spread themselves. If is thought that these clouds of cosmic dust, and gas are distant universes. The larger is 112,300 fight years away from us and the smaller 101,300 light years. (Light, travels at Ihe rate of 186,000 miles a second). Diameters 14,000 and 6.500 light years respectively. Near to the smaller cloud is a faint star which when the telescope is put on it is resolved into a glorious cluster of stars, called Tucanae 47. The larger cloud is a very interesting study for the telescope. CONSTELLATION OF ORION

The constellation of Orion, the most beautiful in the sky just now, is visible eaMy in the evening rising in the east. It gradually moves across the central sky as the night progresses. It is easily recognised when we remember that most people would speak of this as The Pot, the shape being peculiarly suitable and appropriate. Actually what is called The Pot is only part of the constellation. It is necessary to include the stars about it which form a great rectangle, and some of which such as Rigel on the top left-hand corner and Betelgeuse o n the bottom right, are rather famous. Rigel is 543 light years away and its light is 17,000 times t as great as our sun. whilst Betelgeus is 272 light years away and its light is 1200 times as great as our sun.

The central fuzzy star of the socalled handle of the pot, which is really Orion's sword, is a very famous object, very beautiful and much observed by astronomers as it is a famous nebula some 650 night years distant. Its mist or gas, both fight and dark, spread out for great distances. Central in the nebula is a group of stars called the Trapezium, made up oi four stars, although six can be seen at times,-and is truly a fine sight. Tin: SEVEN SISTERS To the west of Orion are the Pleiades and Hyades clusters, the former being known as the Seven Sisters. These are a fine study for binoculars. Not far distant from Orion are the two brightest stans in the sky, Sirius to the east of the constellation and Canopus further to the south but Ingher in the sky. This latter star’s fight is 80,000 times as bright as our sun’s. Rising very late, after 11 p,m. just now, are the two planets Saturn and Mars, and they make a beautiful sky picture placed as they are near to the stars Pollux and Castor in the constellation of Germini. They are easily observed: as planets they have no twinkling effect. Saturn i s above Pollux and to the east of it, whilst Mars is a glorious ruddy colour below Saturn and further ’east. These two are of great interest to the observer through the telescope, Saturn being a particularly fine sight with its glorious rings and moons. The section of the Milky Way which stretches between Orion and the Cross is particularly rich in clusters and nebulae and coloured stars and is a grand sight in the telescope. The moon always is a great study when in the crescent, its craters and cosmic dust formations showing up most clearly.

These are only some of the glories of our sky, but the most outstanding to the naked eye observer. We have a glorious sky to behold, challenging us to visit our splendid city observatory for observation of stars, clusters, nebulae, planets, and our moon.