Astronomy with an Opera-glass: A Popular Introduction to the Study of the Starry Heavens with the Simplest of Optical InstrumentsServiss, Garrett Putman
Science
Astronomy with an Opera-glass: A Popular Introduction to the Study of the Starry Heavens with the Simplest of Optical Instruments
Serviss, Garrett Putman
Astronomy
It will be found very interesting to sweep with the glass slowly from
side to side over Andromeda, gradually approaching toward Cassiopeia or
Perseus. The increase in the richness of the stratum of faint stars that
apparently forms the background of the sky will be clearly discernible
as you approach the Milky-Way, which passes directly through Cassiopeia
and Perseus. It may be remarked that the Milky-Way itself, in that
splendidly rich region about Sagittarius (described in the "Stars of
Summer"), is not nearly so effective an object with an opera-glass as it
is above Cygnus and in the region with which we are now dealing. This
seems to be owing to the smaller magnitude of its component stars in the
southern part of the stream. There the background appears more truly
"milky," while in the northern region the little stars shine distinct,
like diamond-specks, on a black background.
The star Nu, which serves as a pointer to the Great Nebula, is itself
worth some attention with a pretty strong glass on account of a pair of
small stars near it.
The star Gamma ([gamma]) is interesting, not only as one of the most
beautiful triples in the heavens (an opera-glass is far too feeble an
instrument to reveal its companions), but because it serves to indicate
the radiant point of the Biela meteors. There was once a comet well
known to astronomers by the name of its discoverer, Biela. It repeated
its visits to the neighborhood of the sun once in every six or seven
years. In 1846 this comet astonished all observers by splitting into two
comets, which continued to run side by side, like two equal racers, in
their course around the sun. Each developed a tail of its own. In 1852,
when the twin comets were due again, the astronomical world was on the
_qui vive_, and they did not disappoint expectation, for back they came
out of the depths of space, still racing, but much farther apart than
they had been before, alternating in brightness as if the long struggle
had nearly exhausted them, and finally, like spent runners, growing
faint and disappearing. They have never been seen since.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account