Stars And Storms

Mncli of tíi e beauty of the stars dependa upcm their seintillation. The multitudinorw flasliing of their tiny rays gives a wonder fu) life and brillianey to a winters night. The great 5tar Sirius excites tiie most adiniration when near the horizon he coruscates with rainbow hne3. But the astronomer would be glad if he could put a stop to the scintillating of the stars. That unsteadiness of their light is one of the j chief he has to overeóme in ïtndying them with the telescope. Scintillation bas generally been regarded as due only to slight disturb, anees in the atinosphere. Bnt as recent ' Dbservations have sbown that red stars scintillate less than white ones it has j been suggested that the causes of some of the essential ditïerences in the scintillations of different stars may be.in i the stars themselves. There is no doubt, however, that the main cause of scintillation dependsupon the condition ■ of the air. Most people suppose that when the stars appear to lose their liveliness of I light and shine without twinkling as minute bright pointe in the sky fair weather is in prospect. Studies lately made in France aud Svdtzerland seem tocontr'adíct tliis popular belief. It has been found there that when the stars : are feeble in tbeir scintillations foul weather is at hand. The night before ' a most violent storm in France, for in; stauce, the stars hung so quietly in the i sky that they seemed to have entireJy lost their sciatillating power. This ia said to be only one instance among many which show that an unusnal steadiness in the light of the stars : precedes the appearance of storms. -