The music of the spheres : $b A nature lover's astronomyGrondal, Florence Armstrong
Science
The music of the spheres : $b A nature lover's astronomy
Grondal, Florence Armstrong
Astronomy
The stars on the brows of the Twins are not exactly twin stars for one
is brighter than the other and, although they look much alike to the
unaided eye, a telescope reveals their delicate colors. The star on
Pollux is then seen to be a pale orange while that on Castor is a
greenish-white. Pollux is also a triple star, described by one
observer as "pale orange, lilac and gray." Castor is equally
interesting, for a 3-inch telescope resolves it into two brilliant
stars.
[Figure 127]
The spectroscope, making further discoveries, disclosed the fact that a
companion whirls around the fainter component, completing its orbit in 3
days, while the brighter component also has a companion which completes
its orbit in 9 days. These four stars, which form the star we call
Castor, revolve in pairs about a common center of gravity, completing
their period in about 900 years.
The Heavenly Twins claim a unique distinction--that of having a planet
found at their feet; Sir William Herschel, an English astronomer, has
the equally unique distinction of having found the planet. This planet
was surely an odd and interesting thing for a mortal to discover for it
is not only a gaseous globe 32,000 miles in diameter, but its pole
points almost at the sun at one time in its 84-year journey, causing it
to have 42 years of daylight and 42 years of night! This was the first
planet added to the five known since antiquity and its discovery was a
joyful surprise. The boundary line of the solar system was now greatly
increased for Uranus travels in an orbit which lies at an average
distance of 1,771,000,000 miles from the sun. In accordance with the
ancient custom of naming the planets after the immortals on Mount
Olympus, the planet was named Uranus, after the God of the starry sky.
A wonderful star cluster was later discovered also at the feet of the
Twins,--a little northwest of the feet of Castor. This is designated at
34M on star-maps and may be located in the sky even with a field-glass.
Castor and Pollux may be found a little south of the zenith during the
evenings of February and March. Castor, which is the higher star, passes
the meridian first, but Pollux, the brighter star, passes it 11
minutes later. They are sometimes called "Ledæan lights" in honor of
Leda, their mother. Owen Meredith in "The Wanderer" says
"The lone Ledæan lights from yon enchanted air,
Look down upon my spirit like spirit's eyes that love me."
[Figure 128]
Because of their nearness and similarity to one another, old English
people sometimes call them the "Giant's Eyes."
We have now covered the most important constellations and have seen that
a little knowledge of romance, beauty, story and fact add wonderfully to
the spectacle of a heaven filled with stars. The thrill of rediscovery
is for every individual who learns a little science; the romance and
beauty for every heart which feels a little song.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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