The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-08-06
OUR SISTER WORLDS.

OlR SIS1Ek NUhLDSs
Planets That May re Seen In the Heavens
-Nights-Jupiter. Mars, saturn ana
Venue.
Not often do the starry heavens show
us four strongly-shining bright planets
IN one night, but this has been for some
time past the position of Jupiter, Mars,
Saturn and Venus. First comes into
view that giant planet-that vast orb,
whose diameter is eleven times and his
volume 1900 times that of our own
globe-Jupiter, the planet of the mighty
cloud-envelopes, whose continued over
shadowing OF the planet himself has LED
astronomers to doubt if telescope vision
has ever yet really penetrated these
enormous layers of vapor to the surface
of the planet itself. Jupiter is seen
soon after dark almost directly in the re-
nith-his position at O'Clock being a
little west and south of it; and his slow
and majestic sweep around the sun,
which requires twelve of our years,
scarcely better COMFORTS with his vast
dimensions than does his apparent jour
ney every night through the skies OF
earth. He sets not far from midnight.
Proctor believes Jupiter to be still
mass of seething internal volcanic fire,
giving ont heat like sun, and having
but a very slight crust cooled as yet,
and that subject to continual fiery out
bursts and overfows; while the vast
cloud-belts, thousand miles deep, are
either partly of volcanic origin, or are
discharging upon the planet itself such
floods of sulphur. charged rain as we
cannot imagine. Mars next comes In
sight. He rises red away in the south
ern part of the eastern horizon soon at
ter dusk, and by o'clock is conspicu-
Gus object, well up in the southern heav-
ems, and easily distinguishable by his
ruddy hue. 1t is good time to scan
Mars through good telescope, for 1T
will be two years before he is again IN
so favorable position as he has been in
for the last month, and will be for little
time longer. That bright star of the
rudy hue that comes up almost in the
southeast soon after dark, is the neigh
hor world which of all the planetary sys-
tenn has presented the most interesting
field for astronomical study, and best re-
warded such studies. 1t is pretty definite
ly decided that this rudy hue is due TO
some quality or characteristic of his soil.
Mars, smaller planet than earth, presents
a number of features that seem to war
rant the conclusion that his more general
laws and features are something akin to
those of our world. He has an atmos-
| phere; he has his season of winter and
summertime region of snow and ice
around the southern pole, annually and
visibly decreasing and increasing in what
may be summer and winter. There are
on that distant world oceans and CONT
nents; this much ut least is certain. Not
such oceans as the Atlantic and Pacific,
but strange, bottle-shaped seas, of no
great extent compared with earth's
greatest. Whether they are ever frozen
or not nobody on earth yet knows; but
| it is Mr.. Proctor's belief that Mars and
other planets than ours, has gone far
past his period of greatest life, and is
fast approaching, if he be not already
entering, the cold and lifeless condition
of such bodies as our moon, whose in
ternal heat is exhausted. Later, rising
wan and far, pale but luminous ghost
of planet in the eastern sky, comes up
great Saturn-the ringed world. This,
on some accounts, is the most interest
ing study of all the planets; chiefly be-
CuuSC Va lllc anu lllCtIItlulN VI
its occasionally shifting shape, and be-
cause of its giant illuminated rings and
its eight attendant moons. It's enor-
nous distance also invests it with GER
tain interest which would be wanting in
a near object. 1t is ascertained that it's
density does not exceed that of water
and the probabilities seem TO favor the
conclusion that Saturn is still globe of
molten matter-a world of liquid fire.
Its aspect seen on a clear night through
good glass, as the great lemon -colored
planet, girdled with its vast elliptic
rings, goes sailing silently across the
field of vision, is beautiful and interest
ing beyond that of any other. Much
later-in fact, in the early dawn of the
morning Venus GENES r. plendently
into view. Most brilliant of all the
planets to us, because she is nearer to
us and to the sun, this remarkable sister
world, nearest and apparently most Ike
our own world, is never more brilliant,
never more beautiful, than when, as the
morning star, she sheds the luster of her
golden (but borrowed) beams upon the
earth III the stiffness of the clear morn
ing. Venus will probably always be a
difficult object to study, because of her
proximity to the sun, but it is found
that there are reasons for believing some
of her mountains to be equal in height
to the highest of our own world.