Purple Star Research Articles

Varietal diversity and selection of potential varieties of Petunia hybrida L. for commercial cultivation in Bangladesh

A study was conducted to compare the morpho-reproductive traits of twenty two genotype of Petunia in order to select superior and sustainable genotypes for commercial cultivation in Bangladesh during winter 2021-22. Thirteen qualitative and quantitative characters viz. stigma type, leaf shape, plant height (cm), number of branches, number of effective branches, days to flower initiation, number of flowers, duration of flowers, flowering duration, plant longevity, number of stamens, stamen length (cm) and petiole length (cm) were observed during the study period. The findings found that all morpho-reproductive traits differed significantly amongst the genotypes investigated, with the exception of the stamens, which were five in number. Highest quantitative variation was observed in days to flower initiation and longevity of the plants. Glow picotee blue showed the superior plant height (29.33 cm). Deep salmon had the shortest time to bloom initiation (52 days). Maximum number of flowers was recorded from ultra purple star (50) followed by ultra crimson star (49.67) while the duration of the flowers was maximum (6.67 days) in opera supreme white, prism pink, ultra burgundy star and ultra purple star. Opera supreme white had the longest flowering time (69.67 days). Whereas ultra purple star, ultra crimson star and ultra rose star had the longest lifespan (111 days). The genotypes deep salmon, ultra purple star, ultra red star, ultra rose star, opera supreme white, dreams midnight, and prism pink are recommended for commercial cultivation based on their overall morpho-reproductive performance. Jahangirnagar University J. Biol. Sci. 12(1 & 2): 23-33, 2023 (June & December)

Cannabis Triploids Exhibit Reduced Fertility and Similar Growth and Flower Production Compared to Diploids

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) grown for flowers containing cannabinoids requires all female plants, which are susceptible to seed set from exposure to pollen. Created triploids demonstrated reduced seed production compared with diploids in field and greenhouse studies in which plants were challenged with pollen from males. In the field, seed production as a percent of floral biomass ranged from 6.7% to 18.0% for triploids and from 52.6% to 57.1% for diploids. The photoperiod-insensitive triploid genotype ‘Purple Star’ × ‘Wilhelmina’ had 98.5% fewer filled (containing a developed embryo) seeds than the photoperiod-insensitive diploid genotype ‘Tsunami’ × ‘Wilhelmina’. In the greenhouse, triploid ‘Wife’ had 99.5% fewer filled seeds than diploid ‘Wife’. Plant growth and flower production were similar with eight triploid and seven diploid genotypes evaluated over three greenhouse studies. There were a few superior triploid and diploid genotypes; however, their performance was more likely attributable to the parental cultivar combination than ploidy level. The optimal cross direction for producing triploid seed in large quantities is tetraploid × diploid because the diploid × tetraploid cross exhibits triploid block caused by endosperm paternal excess. Colchicine-induced tetraploid parent plants should be tested over a prolonged period to eliminate cryptic chimeral mixoploids or tetraploid plants should be derived from seed produced by crossing two colchicine-induced putative tetraploid plants to ensure that seeds from tetraploid × diploid crosses will be triploid. The latter approach is necessary for photoperiod-insensitive cultivars because a prolonged period of ploidy testing is not possible for these plants. These findings indicate that triploid plants have significantly reduced fertility and are a suitable alternative to diploids in situations in which pollen exposure is possible.

Development of pH indicator smart packaging films with anthocyanins from the purple star apple shell (Chrysophyllum cainito L.)

Development of pH indicator smart packaging films with anthocyanins from the purple star apple shell (Chrysophyllum cainito L.)

Performance of Different Common Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) to Qualitative and Quantitative Traits of Growth and Propagation

Evaluation of Hyacinth cultivars including Jan Bose, Annabella ,Aqua, Blue jacket ,Purple sensation, Purple star, Yellow stone, Gipsy queen, Aladdin, Pink pearl genotypes was carried out during year 2018 at Division Of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture SKUAST- K Shalimar with an objective to assess the performance of vegetative traits and propagation ratio. Data depicts cultivar yellow stone with maximum plant height at maturity (17.97cm), Leaf length (12.98cm), Leaf width (3.64cm), Number of leaves per plant 24.58 and minimum values for Plant height at maturity (15.02cm), Leaf length (11.06cm), Leaf width (1.93cm), Number of leaves per plant 17.58 resulted with cultivar Pink pearl. Minimum to maximum values for bulb weight (28.87 to 34.53g), bulb Size (8.18 to 10.03cm), number of offsets per bulb ( 2.00 to 3.58) and weight of offsets(11.09 to 16.94g) were observed with cultivar pink pearl and yellow stone respectively. Most of the variation for growth and propagation were significant among the cultivars.

Studies on Response of Common Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis L.) to Scooping Technique of Propagation on Propagule Formation


 An investigation on propagation through scooping in different cultivars of Hyacinth viz.Purple Sensation, Yellow Stone, Purple Star, Fondant, Gipsy Queen and Aladdin was carried out in the Division of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture SKUAST K, Shalimar Srinagar during 2019-20 with an objective to study response to scooping technique and propagule ratio. Results depicts minimum days for sectioning after incubation (36.00 days), visible bud formation days (46.50) ,days to bud development (84.50 ) resulted with cultivar Yellow stone. Further maximum no of bulbils per bulb(18.90), bulbil diameter(9.95mm), bud length(2.93 cm) and bud weight(0.38 g) after incubation resulted in cultivar yellow stone where as maximum days for sectioning after incubation (47.50 days), visible bud formation days (68.00 days), days to bud development (100.50days) and minimum values for no of bulbils per bulb(13.20), bulbil diameter(8.25mm), bud length(2.33 cm) and bud weight(0.21 g) after incubation resulted in cultivar Gipsy queen. Response of different cultivars to scooping for propagule ratio showed significant variation.
 

Treatment of dose nonuniformity inside star apples irradiated by 10 MeV electron beam

A treatment of dose nonuniformity inside Lo Ren and purple star apples irradiated by 10 MeV electron beam accelerator has been proposed by using medium density fiberboards (MDF). The dose uniformity ratios (DURs) inside the Lo Ren and purple star apples were estimated as 2.47–2.48 and 2.18–2.22, respectively. To reduce the DURs, the arrangement and the thickness of the MDF boards were determined by Monte Carlo simulations. Measurements of the absorbed doses have been conducted to compare with the simulations. The DURs were reduced to 1.36–1.39 and 1.44–1.46 for the Lo Ren and purple star apples, respectively.

Effects of Increased Vermicompost and Nitrogen-Phosphorus (NP) Applications on the Co, Ni, Cd, and Mo Contents of Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis L. “Purple Star”)

Bu çalışma son yıllarda kullanımı oldukça yaygınlaşan vermikompostun sümbülün Co, Ni, Mo ve Cd içeriklerine etkisini araştırmak için arazi çalışması olarak yürütülmüştür. Deneme Siirt Üniversitesi Kezer Yerleşkesi içinde yer alan Bahçe Bitkileri Bölümüne ait deneme alanında 3 tekerrürlü olarak tesadüf blokları deneme desenine göre kurulmuştur. Denemede vermikompostun 4 dozu (0, 25, 50 ve 100 g/soğan) ve azot-fosfor (NP) olarak 20-20-0 (N-P-K) gübresinden 4 doz (0, 2, 4, 8 kg da-1) uygulanmıştır. Deneme sonunda hasat edile sümbülün yaprak ve soğanında elementel analizler yapılmıştır. İstatistiksel analiz sonucunda vermikompost ve NP uygulamalarının sümbülün nikel, molibden ve kadmiyum içerikleri üzerine P<0.01 düzeyinde önemli etki yaptığı, kobalt içeriği üzerine etkisinin olmadığı belirlenmiştir. Soğan ve yaprağın element içeriklerinin birbirlerine göre önemli düzeyde farklılık gösterdiği (p<0.01) belirlenmiştir. Vermikompost uygulamaları ile kontrole göre sümbülün yaprak nikel ve kadmiyum içerikleri artarken, kobalt ve molibden içerikleri önce artmış sonra azalmıştır. Artan NP uygulamaları ile kontrole göre yaprak kobalt ve nikel içerikleri artmış, molibden ve kadmiyum içerikleri azalmıştır. Vermikompost ve NP uygulamaları ile sümbül soğanının nikel, molibden, kobalt ve kadmiyum içeriklerinde kontrole kıyasla değişimler belirlenmiş, en belirgin değişimler kobalt, kadmiyum ve molibden içeriklerinde ortaya çıkmıştır.

Karakterisasi Kromosom Spesies Anggota Familia Solanaceae

Indonesia is known as a country rich in various agricultural and plantation products, including vegetables. One effort to improve quality of the production by identifying and characterizing chromosomes. The purpose study to characterize number, shape and size of the chromosomes in Solanaceae family. The study using modified Squash method. Chromosome preparation including fixation, maceration, staining, and analyzed using Image Raster 3 application, then Corel Draw X6. The results showed study to characterize the number, shape and size in the Capsicum annum L. Tm 999 (2n=20m+4sm and 2,41 s/d 9,99 µm) then Capsicum frutescens L. Kencana (2n=16m+8sm and 3,12 s/d 10,49 µm). In Solanum lycopersicum Or Diana and Marta (2n=16m+8sm and 3,12 s/d 10,49 µm) then (2n=22m+2sm and 2,65 s/d 7,28 μm). In Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. Juliet and Tropical Ruby (2n=18m+6sm and 0,77 s/d 1,81 μm) then (2n=20m+4sm and 0,39 s/d 0,94 μm). Solanum melongena L. Or Valerie and Mustang (2n=24m and 0.29 s/d 0.87 μm) then (2n=22m+2sm and 0,5 s/d 1.28 μm). In Solanum melongena L. Kania and Pulus (2n=20m+4sm and 0.64 s/d 3.43 μm) then (2n=16m+8sm and 0.84 s/d 2.51 μm). In Solanum melongena L. Jeno and Planet Hijau (2n=18m+6sm and 0.65 s/d 2.423 μm) then (2n=14m+10sm and 0.46 s/d 1.73 μm). In Capsicum annum var. Grossum L. Red Star and Purple Star (2n=22m+2sm and 3.19 s/d 8.49 μm) then (2n=24m and 5.5 s/d 11.92 μm).

Oreocharis curvituba, a new species of Gesneriaceae from northeastern Guangxi, China

Oreocharis curvituba, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. It resembles O. stenosiphon and O. magnidens in the leaf characters, but it differs from the latter by its corolla with tube slightly curved, marked with purple star and a ring of glandular hairs at mouth.

Susceptibility of Greenhouse Ornamentals to Phytophthora capsici and P. tropicalis

The susceptibility of fabaceous (Lupinus and Lathyrus spp.) and solanaceous (Calibrachoa, Browallia, Nicotiana, Nierembergia, and Petunia spp.) ornamental plants compared with straightneck squash (Cucurbita pepo) inoculated with Phytophthora capsici and P. tropicalis was investigated in greenhouse studies. Four P. capsici isolates and one P. tropicalis isolate were evaluated. Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana × sanderae), sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius), lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus), squash, and million bells (Calibrachoa × hybrida) were susceptible to P. capsici and P. tropicalis. Bush violet (Browallia speciosa) and cup flower (Nierembergia scoparia) were not susceptible to either pathogen. Petunia (Petunia × hybrida) was susceptible to P. capsici but not P. tropicalis. Area under the plant growth curve (AUPGC) was also affected in some susceptible plants. AUPGC was significantly different in inoculated plants compared with the untreated controls of Nicotiana and Calibrachoa. In addition, six Calibrachoa cultivars were evaluated for susceptibility to P. capsici and P. tropicalis in a separate experiment. Although all Calibrachoa cultivars were susceptible to P. capsici and P. tropicalis, 'Celebration Purple Star' displayed limited disease following inoculation with either pathogen. Calibrachoa 'Cabaret' and 'Can-Can' inoculated with P. capsici or P. tropicalis displayed significant differences in AUPGC compared with the uninoculated controls. 'Callie', 'Million Bells Cherry Pink', and 'Superbells' had significantly reduced AUPGC compared with the controls when inoculated with P. tropicalis but not P. capsici. These results expand the host range of P. capsici to include Calibrachoa spp., L. polyphyllus, and Lathyrus latifolius, and P. tropicalis to include L. latifolius, Nicotiana spp., and straightneck squash.

Molecular determinants of transport stimulation of EAAT2 are located at interface between the trimerization and substrate transport domains.

Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) regulate glutamatergic signal transmission by clearing extracellular glutamate. Dysfunction of these transporters has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various neurological disorders. Previous studies have shown that venom from the spider Parawixia bistriata and a purified compound (Parawixin1) stimulate EAAT2 activity and protect retinal tissue from ischemic damage. In the present study, the EAAT2 subtype specificity of this compound was explored, employing chimeric proteins between EAAT2 and EAAT3 transporter subtypes and mutants to characterize the structural region targeted by the compound. This identified a critical residue (Histidine-71 in EAAT2 and Serine-45 in EAAT3) in transmembrane domain 2 (TM2) to be important for the selectivity between EAAT2 and EAAT3 and for the activity of the venom. Using the identified residue in TM2 as a structural anchor, several neighboring amino acids within TM5 and TM8 were identified to also be important for the activity of the venom. This structural domain of the transporter lies at the interface of the rigid trimerization domain and the central substrate-binding transport domain. Our studies suggest that the mechanism of glutamate transport enhancement involves an interaction with the transporter that facilitates the movement of the transport domain. We identified a domain (purple star) in the glutamate transporter EAAT2 that is important for transport stimulation through a spider venom, and suggest a mechanism for enhanced transporter function through facilitated substrate translocation (arrow). Because the dysfunction of glutamate transporters is implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, understanding the mechanisms of enhanced transport could have therapeutic implications.

Spectral effects of LEDs on chlorophyll fluorescence and pigmentation in Phalaenopsis 'Vivien' and 'Purple Star'.

We examined the effect of light emitting diode (LED) lighting in greenhouse facilities on growth, chlorophyll fluorescence and pigmentation in Phalaenopsis 'Vivien' and 'Purple Star' under purpose-built LED arrays yielding c. 200 µmol m(-2) s(-1) at plant height for 14 h per day and 24/18°C day/night temperature, respectively, from January to April 2013. The light treatments were (1) 40% blue in 60% red (40% B/R), (2) 0% blue in 100% red (0% B/R) and (3) white LEDs with 32% blue in white (32% B/W, control), with background daylight under shade screens. The plants were harvested twice for leaf growth and pigmentation. There was no clear pattern in the spectral effect on growth since the order of leaf size differed between harvests in March and April. Fv /Fm was in the range of 0.52-0.72, but overall slightly higher in the control, which indicated a permanent downregulation of PSII in the colored treatments. The fluorescence quenching showed no acclimation to color in 'Purple Star', while 'Vivien' had lower ETR and higher NPQ in the 40% B/R, resembling low light acclimation. The pigmentation showed corresponding spectral response with increasing concentration of lutein while increasing the fraction of blue light, which increased the light absorption in the green/yellow part of the spectrum. The permanent downregulation of PSII moved a substantial part of the thermal dissipation from the light regulated NPQ to non-regulated energy losses estimated by ΦNPQ and ΦNO and the difference found in the balance between ΦPSII and ΦNPQ in 'Vivien' disappeared when ΦNO was included in the thermal dissipation.

Antioxidant compounds, antioxidant activity and phenolic content in peel from three tropical fruits from Yucatan, Mexico

The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant compounds, antioxidant activity and content of individual phenolic compounds of freeze-dried peel from three tropical fruits grown in Yucatan, México: purple star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito L.), yellow cashew and red cashew (Anacardium occidentale). The freeze-dried peels were good source of antioxidant compounds. ABTS and DPPH values in the peel from each fruit were 3050.95–3322.31μM Trolox/100g dry weight (DW) or 890.19–970.01mg of vitamin C/100gDW, and 1579.04–1680.90μM Trolox/100gDW or 340.18–362.18mg of vitamin C/100gDW, respectively. Six phenolic compounds were identified in the peel from the tropical fruits studied: ferulic, caffeic, sinapic, gallic, ellagic and myricetin. This study demonstrated that freeze-dried peels from purple star apple, yellow cashew and red cashew, could serve as potential sources of antioxidants for use in food and pharmaceutical industries.

Quality and equality.

The Purple Star quality kite mark was developed by Hertfordshire County Council's Health Liaison Nursing Team for services committed to providing equal care for people with a learning disability.

Endowed Chair Series

John Bent was president of the board of trustees of the old St. Luke’s Hospital in the 1950s, having first been elected trustee in 1948. He negotiated the merger of St. Luke’s with Presbyterian, becoming the new institution’s first president (1956–1960). He served as vice chair then chair of the board, and became a life trustee in 1976. He is quoted as saying, “It is a question of teamwork—of combining strength with strength” about the merger of the two hospitals. Bent was known as “Pleasure” to his closest friends and was the moving force behind founding the Anchor Cross Society at Rush University. A World War II veteran who received a Purple Heart and Bronze Star as a Navy air intelligence officer, Bent returned from the war and formed a venture capital investment partnership called Bent, McBride and Thorne. He was active there until 1963, when he became chairman of the Hartford Plaza Bank. He was a Pennsylvania native and graduate of Yale University but raised his family in Lake Forest after marrying a Lake Forest native, Mary, a member of the Shedd family. He served as a Lake Forest alderman in the 1950s and played on the 1932 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team (which lost to Canada in the finals) but was modest about having achieved this silver medal. Bent was a friend of Dr. Hassan Najafi, chairman emeritus of the cardiovascular–thoracic surgery (CVTS) department at Rush. As part of the campaign for Rush, Bent “finished off” an endowed chair in CVTS in 1992. He did not want his name on the chair and offered Najafi’s name instead. Najafi asked Bent’s wife, Mary, to persuade him and, thus, the chair came to be titled the Mary and John Bent Chair of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. There were other donors to the chair as well, which helped fulfill the goal of raising $2 million. The chair now serves to support Robert Higgins, MD, MSHA, FACS, and the mission of the department of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Rush.

Avaliação de cultivares do gênero <em>Cynodon</em> com e sem nitrogênio

Chemical composition, in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVDDM), organic matter (IVDOM) and cell wall (IVDCW), green dry matter production (GDMP), plant re-growth (PR) and stem/leaf ratio (S/L) of five cultivars of the genus Cynodon at two levels of N fertilization (0 and 400 kg/ha) in the summer and spring are provided. CP did not differ (P > 0.05) from other grasses in chemical composition. However differences (P ≤ 0.05) occurred due to nitrogen level and cut intervals. Values for ADF and NDF were affected (P ≤ 0,05) by grass, nitrogen level and cut intervals. Grasses showed statistical differences (P ≤ 0.05) for IVDDM, IVDOM and IVDCW. Tifton 44 showed the highest digestibility for all parameters, while Estrela Porto Rico the lowest digestibility for IVDCW. Other grasses did not differ from each other. There were no differences (P > 0.05) among the fertilized cultivars for GDMP. Under no fertilization GDMP of Tifton 85 cultivar was higher than that of Tifton 44 and coast cross cultivars. Under N application PR of Tifton 85 was higher than that of Estrela Porto Rico and purple star grasses. S/L ratio of the Tifton 85 cultivar was different (P < 0.05) from Estrela Porto Rico e purple star grasses ratios. Application of N increased GDMP, PR and S/L of the cultivars.

Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams (review)

Reviewed by: Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams Bill Suphan Gary W. Moore. Playing with the Enemy: A Baseball Prodigy, a World at War, and a Field of Broken Dreams. New York: Savas Beatie, 2006. 299 pp. Cloth, $29.95. In Playing with the Enemy, first-time author Gary Moore fondly tells the story of his father's life. The biography opens in 1940 with fifteen-year-old catcher Gene Moore playing for the semi-pro Sesser (Illinois) Egyptians. Gene was locally famous both as a batter and a defensive whiz who could throw runners out from his knees. It was said that a ball never got past him. His exploits on the diamond provided something for locals to talk about in the small, depression-ravaged coal-mining town. Early on, readers may get the impression that this story is a pure adulation piece, but instead they are treated to an honest, interesting account of a life full of shortcomings and second chances. As though it were a final confession, much of the story was related to the author by his father on the day before his death. Playing with men twice his age, Gene attracted attention from the Brooklyn Dodgers. Dodgers scout Frank Boudreau's shiny blue 1938 Buick drew the town's attention as it rolled through the streets of Sesser to the Moore house. In a memorable scene, Boudreau asks the kid catcher to step out of the family pig pen because it is tough to talk seriously about a Major League future to someone standing knee deep. [End Page 137] Moore also explores the sibling rivalry between Gene and his older brother, Ward, who is left to slop the pigs in Sesser after Gene signs with the Dodgers. Then came Pearl Harbor, and fortunes change when the Dodgers place Gene on a Navy baseball team playing exhibitions during World War II while Ward becomes a decorated war hero and receives the Purple Heart and Bronze Star after saving the life of a local Sesser friend in fierce combat. The book's title is inspired by Gene's being reassigned from the baseball team to guarding captured German sailors from a U-505 submarine carrying top secret codes. (The Germans thought the codes safe as they wrongly assumed the sub had been sunk. It is presently on display at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.) Gene approached the brass with an idea to have the guards play baseball against the prisoners to relieve boredom. Special rules bordering on the ludicrous were adopted for the sake of making play competitive. The guards were allowed to score only three runs in an inning while the prisoners could score as many as they could. The one-sided rules and how they were negotiated are fun to read. A present-day Guantanamo guard read Playing with the Enemy and has asked his superiors if the same could be done at Guantanamo. Reportedly the query has been passed up as high as the White House. Author Gary Moore has asked to throw out the first ball if a decision comes to pass. At war's end Gene returned to Sesser, where locals now spoke of Ward's heroism instead of Gene's baseball exploits. Gene was also seriously injured in the war and struggled to deal with his inability to play ball upon his return. He began spending his nights at Bruno's Mine Shaft Inn and "had become little more than the barstool he sat on, a lifeless fixture. . . . an ordinary drunk" (208–10). The author pulls no punches. The story takes an inspirational turn when Frank Boudreau walks into Bruno's and Gene is given a second chance to reclaim the life that he had seemed to have lost in the bottom of a bottle. Some memorable images of anxiety and self-doubt are painted by Moore as Gene returns to baseball in the Minor Leagues. He tells of Gene's attempts to hide alcohol on his breath by eating a Mississippi white onion and of a disgusted manager flinging a stogie against the clubhouse wall and becoming...

Reliability and validity of a combat exposure index for vietnam era verterans

The reliability and validity of a self-report measure of combat exposure are examined in a cohort of male-male twin pairs who served in the military during the Vietnam era. Test-retest reliability for a five-level ordinal index of combat exposure is assessed by use of 192 duplicate sets of responses. The chance-corrected proportion in agreement (as measured by the kappa coefficient) is .84. As a measure of criterion-related validity, the combat index is correlated with the award of combat-related military medals ascertained from the military records. The probability of receiving a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Commendation Medal and Combat Infantry Badge is associated strongly with the combat exposure index. These results show that this simple index is a reliable and valid measure of combat exposure.

Isolation and characterization of 5-lipoxygenase from tulip bulbs

An unique membrane bound lipoxygenase was isolated and purified from purple star tulip bulbs with a specific activity of 5.2 mu moles O2 consumed.min-1.mg-1 protein. The purified tulip enzyme exhibits regiospecificity for O2 insertion at C-5 of the arachidonic acid molecule. Identification of the reaction product was confirmed as 5-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid by analytical criteria which included: cochromatography with the authentic compound, as well as mass spectral and 1H-NMR analysis. Thus, the enzyme from tulip bulbs appears to be different from the cytosolic lipoxygenase from potato tubers, which exhibits non-regiospecificity in terms of O2 incorporation. However, the purified tulip lipoxygenase showed a strong immunological crossreactivity with antiserum raised against the purified potato lipoxygenase, indicating close immunological relationship with the other plant lipoxygenases.

The Night Sky in June

THE summer solstice on June 22 brings the shortest night lasting, inthe northern latitude of Greenwich, less than 7½ hours, according to the sun's setting and rising, and a little more than 3 hours if twilight (nautical) be taken into account. The moon is full on June 12d 23·8h and new on June 27d 21·2h U.T. A lunar conjunction takes place with Jupiter on June 19d 3h: with Saturn on June 22d 15h and with Venus on June 30d 14h. Venus, a bright star in the evening western sky, sets at about 22½h, preceded by Mars. Jupiter rises before Oh after June 10 ; its present stellar magnitude is about –2·1, as compared with –3·4 for Venus. Saturn is reappearing in the skies as a morning star, and in the middle of the month rises after lh. About 21h in mid-June, Arcturus stands out conspicuously on the southern meridian. Lower in the south at this time will be found Spica just west of the meridian and Antares on the east. Antares, with a radius 450 times that of the sun's, has an averagemean density of only 1/3,000 that of air at N.T.P. From a radiant not far from Antares come the slow-moving fireballs known as Scorpiids. Two interesting double stars in Bootes may be noted—ɛ Bootis, having the euphonious name of Pulcherrima, is a beautiful double the components of which, separated by 2½", are a 3rd magnitude yellow star and a blue star of magnitude 6½ξ Bootis, with a period of about 160 years and an orbit of great eccentricity, comprises a yellow star (mag. 4·7) and a purple star (mag. 6·6) separated by about 4½". α Herculis provides another finely coloured pair-a mag. 3-0 orange star and a blue green mag. 6·1also separated by 4½". Between η and ζ Herculis may be seen a nebulousspot of light which is the well-known globular cluster in Hercules. Thestellar population of this spherical system is not less than 50,000 stars ; these occupy a volume of space (500 light years across) which would be able to contain the greater number of our naked-eye stars.