POPULAR ASTRONOMY. 



401 



STARS AND CONSTELLATIONS. 



Orion, Canis Major, with the mag- 

 nificent Sirius Taurus, with the Pleia- 

 des and I [yades, Auriga made beau- 

 tiful by Capella, Gemini, with its 

 twins, and Canis Minor with Procyon 

 occupy the center of the February 

 evening sky, and the heavens do not 

 elsewhere contain a celestial spectacle 

 that can be compared with that which 

 the}- present. At this time of the year 

 the second brightest star in the sky, 

 Canopus in Argo is visible just above 

 the Southern horizon for observers 

 not farther North than Charleston, S. 

 C. Canopus is a star of extraordinary 

 brilliance and while its magnitude to 

 our eyes is less than that of Sirius its 

 real magnitude is known to be im- 

 mensely greater. In truth there is 

 reason to think that Canopus may 

 have no superior in the whole uni- 

 verse. The best estimates indicate 

 that it exceeds the sun not less than 

 10,000 times in actual brightness. Its 

 enormous distance alone causes it to 

 shine for us less brightly than Sirius. 

 Among objects of special interest, 

 which may be seen with the naked eye 

 and may be viewed with considerable 

 satisfaction with the aid of an opera or 

 field glass, are the Beehive Cluster in 

 Cancer, the Great Nebula in the Sword 

 of Orion, and in the very wonderful 

 nebula in the constellation. Anrom- 

 eda. The first of these objects looks 

 to the naked eye like a bit of star- 

 spangled cobweb floating in the sky. 

 An opera glass shows readily its com- 

 ponent stars. The first sight of these 

 stars by Galileo filled him with de- 

 light and amazement. It was one of 

 the first conquests of his telescope. 

 The great Orion nebula is faint to the 

 naked eye, but a good opera glass 

 shows what it is, and a telescope 

 makes it a wonder indeed. Its outly- 

 ing portions appear to involve the 

 whole constellation of Orion. The 

 Andromeda nebula is just visible to 

 the naked eye but quite plain with an 

 opera glass. The photographs now- 

 taken of this (object are indescribable. 

 They show it composed of vast whirls 

 of light, with apparently imbedded 

 masses of denser matter. A great 



creation seems to be going on there. 

 Two very puzzling facts are known 

 about this nebula. In the first place 

 its distance is so enormous that no 

 measures have been made of it. It 

 seems to lie outside the boundary of 

 the visible system of stars, so that 

 some have supposed that it may be 

 another universe than ours, just visi- 

 ble as a luminous speck in the abyss 

 of space. The other singular fact, 

 which has an important bearing on 

 what has just been said, is that, unlike 

 the Orion nebula, the Andromeda 

 nebula is apparently not gaseous in 

 its constitution. As far as its spectrum 

 indicates it is composed of solid con- 

 stituents, or of something in a semi- 

 solid state, like liquid or gas under 

 high compression. This v. ould indi- 

 cate that it consists of stars, which 

 are so remote that no telescope can 

 re\eal them individually. Its vast 

 whirls would then seem to be aggre- 

 gations of stars like those that com- 

 pose the Milky Way. If this be, then, an- 

 other universe external to ours it 

 would seem to be constructed on a 

 similar plan. Andromeda sets in the 

 Northwest rather early at this season 

 and the observer should look for it as 

 soon after sundown as the darkness 

 becomes great enough. The position 

 of the nebula may readily be found 

 by remembering that it is Northeast 

 of the bright star in the center of the 

 row of three stars beginning with the 

 Northwestern corner of the Square of 

 Pegasus. Two little stars above the 

 one mentioned, which is Beta or 

 Mirach, point the way to the nebula. 

 The wonderful variable Algol in 

 Perseus will be at a minimum on Feb. 

 12 at 7 o'clock P. M. Observers who 

 have a telescope of not less than three 

 inches aperture should not fail to look 

 at the companion of Rigel, which, by 

 its deep blue color and its relatively 

 minute size forms a most charming 

 object. Morehouse's comet, which is 

 passing into the Southern hemisphere, 

 continues to arouse great interest 

 among astronomers by the strange 

 forms assumed by its tail as well as 

 by its extraordinary spectrum, show- 

 ing the presence of unknown sub- 

 stances in its composition. 



