Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-08-07
NO. 1875.
Misttllanepus.
AUGUST SKIES AT NIGHT.
From the Providence Journal

Jupiter still remains lord of the ascend
ant. the bright and peerless evening star,
rising now before sunset, and being the
most conspicuous object among the starry
throng throughout the month. No observ.
er who casts his eye up to the southeastern
sky in the early evening can fail to recog-
nlze this regal planet, for he reigns alone,
no bright star coming near his path. All
through the night he beams with starry
light, dipping his radiant disc below the
western horizon shortly before the sun ap-
pears rejoicing in the east. His track can
be easily followed by remembering that
he rises four minutes earlier every eye-
ming, and that at the end of the month he
will rise two hours earlier than at the
commencement, setting not far from two
O'Clock. The night OF the 1lth will wit
ness IA brilliant picture on his monthly
record; he is then in conjunction with the
moon the day before the full, and nearly
rounded orb and beaming star will form a
scene which, though often repeated on the
celestial background, never ceases to de-
light the eye OF the appreciative stargazer
His lustre is slowly fading, for he passed
his period of greatest brillancy at his op-
position on the 25th of July. and this giant
member of the solar brotherhood is now
speeding on his course farther and farther
away from the terrestrial domains.
Mars is still classed with the evening
star, but is too near the sun to be visible
during the month, and will be of little
consequence in the planetary world for
some months to come, reaching his con-
junction with the sun on the 18th of Sep
tember. He is near Uranus on the 7th.
Saturn, though accounted as morn
ing star until his opposition on the 22d
Of September, is fast becoming an object
of evening interest. We watched bis ris-
ihg over the eastern hills a few evenings
since shortly ait n ten o'clock. First came
u little tremulous gimmering among the
evergreen shrubs on the hill summit. and
then came the planet, scintillating gently
and quickly subsidng into the pale. dingy
color and severe dignity marking the per-
sonaliy OF the planet Saturn. There was
superb array of starry glory in the re-
gion around. Meteors were falling in all
directions amid the solemn stiffness of the
night, the northern consultations were
glitterng like gems of many hues. and in
the atmosphere the stars lit up the sky
with Il wonderful light, as if they were
shining on another sphere, TO which Jupi-
ter and Saturn played the part of young
moons. Saturn rises now about halt-past
nine, and at the end OF the month will rise
about half-past seven. He can easily be
recognized. rising farther north than Jupi-
ter, and. like his brother planet, having
no stars of note in his immediate vicinity.
Venus still remains the radiant star of
the morning, and comes gently tripping
ahnua tho aSta hill. hag . -
light is breaking. She is travelling far
away from us. and approaching her supe-
rior conjunction with the sun on the fifth
of December, after which we may hope
for her peerless light to illumine the long
winter evenings. Ii such a scene as is
presented every morning TO the eye that
now anticipates the dawn were rare ce-
lestial phenomenon, astronomers would
travel half over the world to see the sight
and then feel that the half had not been
told them for what more beautiful and
glowing picture is recorded on astronomi-
cal annals than that of the fairest stars,
heralding the breaking of the day, while
the first rosy tnts of the coming sunrise
gleam on the horizons verge in the serene
summer morning.
Mercury, during this month, presents
little worthy of record. In his swift revo-
luton round the sun he reaches his great
est eastern elongation on the 18th, but
his comings and goings are invisible to
terrestrial observers. excepting those with
bright or practised eyes, who may then
have the good fortune to catch a glimpse
of the star that loves best to hide his beams
within the eclpsing range of the all
powerful sun.
The moon plays prominent part ON
the August records. Crowned at the CON-
mencement OF her course with the honor
of giving portion of the world sight of
that grand phenomenon, & total solar
eclipse, she modestly goes on her way,
waxing from the tiny silver crescent
gracing the first evenings of the month to
her conjunction with Jupiter on the 11th.
On the next evening, at her full, she treats
the world to another scene, for she rises
partially eclipsed. and remains shorn of a
portion OF her full orbed beauty till nearly
nine O'Clock. Thus we have solar aud
a lunar eclipse within fortnight OF each
other.The waning moon is also in conjunc-
tlon with three planets, Mars. Uranus,
and Mercury, day or two before her
course Is ended.
The August meteors must not be forgot
ten among events of celestial interest.
The earth ploughs her way through the
August meteor-Zone on the 10Th, and on
that night and those before and after, my
riads OF meteors will descend through the
atmosphere in fiery tears. The constella-
ton Perseus in the northeast is the radiant
point for these meteOrs, and this is the
most favorob BILE part of the heavens for
keeping watch, though the anomalous
cosmical atoms are prone to mark their
shining way in every quarter