The daily gazette., 1875-07-31
Foasr P.unets In Sight.

| Ns - 'NSssShS Wv efeUseGa
The Wonders Q Z the Heavsss-Jupl
ter, Mars. saturn, and ysnus - b,
Seen ali at Once.
Not often do the starry heavens shov
us four strongly shining, bright plan
cts in one night, but this has been fo
some time past the position Of Jupiter
Mars, Saturn, and Venus. First comei
into view that giant planet-that vas,
orb, whose diameter Is eleven timer
and his volume about !, 200 times tina,
of our own globe-Jupiter, the plane,
OF the mighty cloud envelopes, whose
continued overshadowing Of the plane,
himself has led astronomers to doubt
II telescope vision had ever vet really
penetrated these enormous layers Of
vapor to the surface Of the planet t.
self. Jupiter IL seen soon after dark
almost directly In the zenith, his posi-.
tion at 8 O'Clock being q little west and
south Of it; and his slow and majestic
sweep around the sun, which requires
twelve OF our years, scarcely better
comports with his vast Dimensions than
does his apparent journey every night
through the skies of earth. He sets
rot far from midnight. Proctor be-
lieves Jupiter to be still q mass Of
seething internal volcanic fire, giving
ous heat like a sun, and having but .
very slight crust cooled as yet, and
that subject to continual Aery out.
bursts and overf1ows; while the vast
cloud belts. thousand miles deep, are
either partly Of volcanic origin, or are
dlscharging upon the planet Itself such
uoods OF sulphur-chArged raia a. we
cannot imagine. Mars next comes in
sight. He rises red away In the south
ern part of the western horizon soon
after dusk, and by nine O'Clock is a
conspicuous object well up In the
southern heavens, and easily distin.
guishable by his ruddy hue. It 10 a
good time to scan Mars through rood
telescope, for it will be two years be.
fore he is again ia 90 favorable a posi-.
tion as he has been In for the iast
month, and will be for q little time
longer. That bright star Of the ruddy
hue that comes up almost In the south.
east soon after dark, Is the neighbor
world which, OF all the planetary sys.
tenn has presented the most interesting
held for astronomical study, and best
rewarded such studies. It ID pretty
definitely decided that this ruddy hue
Is due to come quality or characteristic
OF his soil. Mars, smaller planet than
Earth, presents number Of features
That seem to warrant the conclusion
that his more general laws and features
are something akin to those of our own
world. he has an atmosphere; he has
his season OF winter and summer--the
region OF snow and ice around the
southern pole annually and visibly de.
creasing and increasing in what may
be summer and winter,
There are on that distant world
oceans anG continents; this much at
east is certain. Not such oceans as the
Atlantic and Pacific. but strange bottled /
Ihaped seas, of no great extent compa.
ed with earth's greatest. Whether they /
re ever frozen or not, nobody on earth /
,et knows, but it is Mr.. Proctor's belief |
hat Mars, and other planets than ours
las gone far past his period Of greatest
lie, and is fast approaching. if he be not /
.lready entering the cold and lifeless
endition Of such bodies as our tmoon,
those internal heart is exhausted. Lat.
r, rising wan and far, pale but lumin.
us ghost of a planet in the eastern sky
ONES up greatSaturn-the ringedssworld.
his on some accounts. is tho most in
eresting stu ~ Of all the planets: chief
? because or the mobility and uncertain.
Y OF it's occasionally: shifting shape, and
eoause ef It's gallant illuminated rings
nd its eisary atJendant moons. Its en-.
rmous dis ,aLcs also invests it with acer.
n b ch wouldIbe wanting In a I
ear object. IL Is ascertaiued that its
ensity does not exceed that Of the wa.
sr and the probabilities seem to favor ,
be conclusion that Saturn is still Globe
molted matter-a world Of liquid fire.
Is aspect seen on clear night through I
good glass. as the great lemon colored !
lanet, girdled with. its vast elliptic I
ngs, goes sailing silently across the {
eld of vision, is beautiful and interes. {
ng beyond that Of any other. Much
.tter--in fact in the early dawn Of the {
,ming morning--Venus comes resplen. {
ant into view. Most brilliant Of All the {
lanets to US, because abe il nearer to us
nd to the sun, this remarkable sister I
orld, nearest and apparently most like :
IT own, world, y nevernaore brilliant, 9
ever more beautiful, than when, as the
corning star, she sheds q lnstrs OF her !
olden (but borrowed) beams upon the +
.rth in the stiffness Of the clear morn 7
e. Venus will probably always be- a Q
Hcult object OF study, because OF her q
'oximity to the sun, but ii is found 6
at there are reasons for believing soma il
her mountains are to be equal in '
light TO the HIGHEST Of our own world | g