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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend October 13, 2006 What's that bright light in the West? A lot of people have been asking me what that bright light is that they see in the western sky just after sunset. Well, actually, two people have asked me, but I know they are just the tip of the iceberg. You see something bright and shiny up in the night sky and it's not the Fourth of July — you get curious. What you are seeing is the star Arcturus, the brightest star in the constellation Boötes (the Herdsman) and the fourth brightest star in the night sky. At this time of year, Arcturus sets at around 8:30 p.m. just slightly north of west. It sets a little earlier each night. By Halloween, Arcturus will be setting around 6:30 p.m. which is close to when the sun will be going down. This has prompted some people to think of Arcturus as a kind of ghost of the summer sun since it sets at the same time and the same place on the horizon as the sun does in the summer. For people who live at extremely far northern latitudes like places in Alaska and Scandinavia, Arcturus acts like the midnight sun of summer and doesn't rise or set at all. But in places like Medford, Arcturus will rise before dawn the day after Halloween, on All Saints' Day. What makes Arcturus such a spectacular sight is its closeness to the horizon. Hovering over the mountains of the Rogue Valley it shines like a heavenly sentinel. It looks as if it is pulsing with light, often appearing to change color from red to green, then back to white. It's color is actually closer to orange. Advertisement That light show is brought to us by earth's atmosphere. We look diagonally through the atmosphere in order to see the star. As the light from Arcturus passes through this thick band of air it gets broken up so that the light gets to us in pieces of color. When you realize that the light from Arcturus took 37 years to get here, it's understandable it might be a little fragmented. Back in 1933, people were really impressed with the idea of light years and that light from a star takes years to reach us. At that time the calculations put Arcturus 40 light years away, so people figured its light would get here 40 years after it left. Planners for the Chicago World's Fair held in 1933 thought it would add a nice touch to the event if they used the light from Arcturus to turn on the lights at the fair. If that light took 40 years to get to Chicago, it would have left during the Columbian Exhibition celebrating 400 years after the arrival of Columbus. That event was held in Chicago 40 years earlier in 1893. Columbus got here in 1492, but bureaucracy has a way of delaying things. The dedication ceremonies were held on Oct. 21, 1892, but the fairgrounds were not opened to the public until May 1, 1893. Anyway, by 1933, the city of Chicago had turned 100 and people had developed a whole bunch of new technologies that they wanted to show off. The Chicago World's Fair was their opportunity. It was dubbed, "A Century of Progress." One of the new technologies was the photocell. Photocells absorb light and turn it into small amount of electrical energy. It's enough power to turn on a switch. The idea was to gather light from Arcturus through a telescope, focus it on a photocell and use the electricity generated to turn the lights on for the fair. It worked. Arcturus opened the Chicago World's Fair on May 27, 1933. That night and every night after that, a photoelectric cell at the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin received the light from the star. The photocell was connected to a small switch, which was, in turn, connected to other larger switches. When enough light from Arcturus had gathered in the photocell, the electricity generated was transmitted to Chicago where it was used to throw the switch that turned on the lights. And that was a good thing, too. The Art Deco buildings in A Century of Progress were painted from a palette of 23 colors, earning the name "Rainbow City." That seems appropriate for an exposition connected with a brightly shining, color-changing star. You don't have to go to Chicago to see Arcturus. Just look for the Big Dipper, follow the curve of the handle until you come to a bright star. It's been waiting close to 40 years for you to notice it. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Texas Electric Choice Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com