Half-hours with the Telescope: Being a Popular Guide to the Use of the Telescope as a Means of Amusement and Instruction.Proctor, Richard A. (Richard Anthony)
Science
Half-hours with the Telescope: Being a Popular Guide to the Use of the Telescope as a Means of Amusement and Instruction.
Proctor, Richard A. (Richard Anthony)
Astronomy; Telescopes
On October 8th, 1867, at about half-past eleven in the evening, I
noticed that Algol had reached its minimum of brilliancy. Hence the next
minimum was attained at about a quarter-past eight on the evening of
October 11th; the next at about five on the evening of October 14th,
and so on. Now, if this process be carried on, it will be found that the
next evening minimum occurred at about 10h. (_circiter_) on the evening
of October 31st, the next at about 11h. 30m. on the evening of November
20th. Thus at whatever hour any minimum occurs, another occurs _six
weeks and a day later_, at about the same hour. This would be exact
enough if the period of variation were _exactly_ 2d. 20m. 48s., but the
period is nearly a minute greater, and as there are fifteen periods in
six weeks and a day, it results that there is a difference of about 13m.
in the time at which the successive recurrences at nearly the same hour
take place. Hence we are able to draw up the two following Tables, which
will suffice to give all the minima conveniently observable during the
next two years. Starting from a minimum at about 11h. 45m. on November
20th, 1867, and noticing that the next 43-day period (with the 13m.
added) gives us an observation at midnight on January 2nd, 1868, and
that successive periods would make the hour later yet, we take the
minimum next after that of January 2nd, viz. that of January 5th, 1868,
8h. 48m., and taking 43-day periods (with 13m. added to each), we get
the series--
h. m.
Jan. 5, 1868, 8 45 P.M.
Feb. 17, ----, 8 58 ----
Mar. 31, ----, 9 11 ----
May 13, ----, 9 24 ----
June 25, ----, 9 37 ----
Aug. 7, ----, 9 50 ----
Sept. 19, ----, 10 3 ----
Nov. 1 ----, 10 16 ----
Dec. 14, ----, 10 29 ----
Jan. 26, 1869, 10 42 ----
Mar. 10, ----, 10 25 ----
Mar. 13, ----, 7 43 ----[7]
Apr. 25, ----, 7 56 ----
June 7, ----, 8 9 ----
July 20, ----, 8 22 ----
Sept. 1, ----, 8 35 ----
Oct. 14, ----, 8 48 ----
Nov. 26, ----, 9 1 ----
Jan. 8, 1870, 9 14 ----
Feb. 20, ----, 9 27 ----
From the minimum at about 10 P.M. on October 31st, 1867, we get in like
manner the series--
h. m.
Dec. 13, 1867, 10 13 P.M.
Jan. 25, 1868, 10 26 ----
Mar. 8, ----, 10 39 ----
Apr. 20, ----, 10 52 ----
June 2, ----, 11 5 ----
June 5, ----, 7 53 ----[8]
July 18, ----, 8 6 ----
Aug. 30, ----, 8 19 ----
Oct. 12, ----, 8 32 ----
Nov. 24, ----, 8 45 ----
Jan. 6, 1869, 8 58 ----
Feb. 18, ----, 9 11 ----
Apr. 2, ----, 9 24 ----
May 15, ----, 9 37 ----
June 27, ----, 9 50 ----
Aug. 9, ----, 10 3 ----
Sept. 21, ----, 10 16 ----
Nov. 3, ----, 10 29 ----
Dec. 16, ----, 10 42 ----
Jan. 28, 1870, 10 55 ----
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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