Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-03-02

~ The following description of the planet
Mars, at the present time, will be found in
teresting to every lover of the sublime science
of astronomy. We had no idea, though, as
intimated in the last paragraph, that Mars
was at the bottom or top Of the getting up of
the great row that is coming off in Europe.
We copy from the Boston Post =
The Planet Mars.
five look towards the eastern part of the
heavens, about eight o'clock in the evening,
bright and ruddy orb will be easily observed,
at considerable height above the horizon. Ii
is the planet Mars, now rapidly approaching
| its full phase, or opposition to the sun, when
its whole disc is brilliantly displayed. The
eccentricity of its orbit is such that its distance
at the aphelion, or greatest remoteness from
the sun differs more than twenty-seven million
miles from its perihelion distance, or nearest
approach to the sun. On the 10Th inst it will
be at its aphelion, or l58, 754, 900 miles from
the solar CENTRE Its opposition will occur on
the 26th inst, when its lustre will be at its
height.
| On the 18th inst. it was near the moon ; on
April 10th it will be near Regulus (star of
first magnitude) on August 18th near Spica
Virginus LIST mag.) on Oct. Goth near An
tares, brightest star in Scorpio LIST mag } !;
besides nearly grazing Beta Virginus June
3Oth I'D mag. J, and Alpha Libra )2d mag.)
Sept. 10. Its course is now retrOgrade, or
westward among the stars, until April Is,
when 1t will resume the easterly or progress
slve direction for the rest of the year. Seven
hundred seventy-nine days and twenty-three
hours, or over two years, must elapse before
another opposition occurs.
Mars now appears perfectly round but, as
as he recedes from this relative position, his
visible or illuminated disc dimnishes SO as to
appear like our moon just before her last
quarter but he never presents to us less than
semi-circle. Calico detected his phases
soon after the invention of the telescope.
Through good optical instrument outlines
of dull, dingy red continents and greenish seas
are perceptible on its surface and near the
poles are seen white spots, which constantly
vary in size. Its seasons are probably not
very dissimilar to ours, if we consider its OBJ
liquity (23 dogs. AZ min. J., the family resem-
blance of its land and water and snowy tracts,
and the period of its diurnal rotation (23 hrs.
3S min.) The earth's obliquity is % dogs.
% min., and her diurnal period of rotation is
90 h. Sc m. l8s. The real diameter Of Mars
is about $500 miles, though It's apparent d.
ameter varies from four to thirty seconds
Orbitual velocity is about SO, 900 miles an
hour.
No atmosphere of any density and no satel-
lite have yet been discovered by the telescope
of the astronomer, however many may have
been delineated by his imagination. The ra-
ito of its equatorial to its polar diameter is as
81 to so. The Almagest of Ptolemy contains
an account of the earliest recorded observation
on this planet, 272 years before our era, Jan.
II. 1t occulted Jupiter Jan. 9, 1851.
Were we to enter upon the domain Of as
trology, we might find indications of general
European war depicted upon the blazing coun-
tenance of this brilliant and conspicuous plan
ct: but we desist, as they are quite distinct
enough upon the face of our own globe, with
out endeavoring to extort disagreeable confess
sOns from a peaceable, non-interventive and
orderly member Of our planetary system-re-
mote from us by distance, but neighbor by
relation. Mars actually bushes at our bellig-
| erent conduct.