The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-11-13


Captain Smithers, don't you know old
friends? Won't you 60 to Dora? She
looks as if she were going to faint
And Captain Smithers went.-Har-
per's Bazaar.
Studies Of Mars and Saturn.
BELOW the Pleiades in the evening
sky blazes the red planet Mars. He is
growing more brilliant day by day as
he approaches opposition in November.
The writer has watched him since he
first became a morning star, shining
just above the tail of the Scorpion in
the east in the early morning. The
planet then appeared like red star OF
the first magnitude, and his disc, under
a power of one hundred and fifty Iii
ameters, seemed about the size of a
twenty-five cent piece. This was in
January. Since that date the planet
has moved eastward among the con:
stellations until he is now stationary
near the Pleiades, rising little after
sunset. AS Mars has neared the earth
his telescope appearance has rapidly
improved. With a three-inch tele-
scope the writer has been able to make
very gratifying observations of the
planets disc. The first satisfactory
observation was made by means of a
periscopic eye-piece magnifying four
hundred diameters. Such high magni-
flying power applied to a three-inch
objective utterly overthrows the old
rules in reference to the use of the
telescope, but the peculiar construc-
tion of the eye-piece permits its advan-
tageOus use. The experiment was made
to ascertain if satisfactory view of
Mars could be obtained with a small
telescope during the present opposi-
ton. The experiment was very sue
cessful, the first revelations on the
disc of Mars being marvellous. Upon
turning the telescope on the planet in
the evening of October 6, the equato-
rial regions showed broad belt
streaked with bright green, while the
north pole was of blush tinge shading
into white toward the equator. The
high magnifying power deprived the
disc of the reddish tinge, showing in
stead light orange. At the next OBJ
servation some days later, the green
belt seemed narrower and not exactly
equatorial, the northern edge having
been apparently encroached upon, pos
sibly by snow. This equatorial stripe
of green is undoubtedly a foliage belt,
while the other regions of Mars are
covered with snow. The great dis
lance of Mars from the sun, his inclin-
alton of about twenty-eight degrees to
his orbit, and his year of about twenty
two of our months, leach of the four
seasons being five and half of our
months), render it probable that the
zones corresponding to our northern
and southern temperate are uninhabita-
BILE on account Of cold. If the green
we saw was really the foliage belt, we
are led to believe that the snow line
encroaches upon the equatorial regions
from the north when the north pole is
turned away from the sun, while the
same encroachment occurs from the
south, when the south pole is turned
from the sun and heavily loaded with
ice. Thus there is really no perpetual
summer in the planet. The equatorial
regions probably have climate some
what resembling that Of Virginia. Man
can undoubtedly exist on the planet.
Mars will be carefully studied during
opposition to ascertain more fully his
actual condition.
The beautiful planet Saturn is now
studied by means of the telescope with
the greatest satisfaction. 1t will bear
very high magnifying powers, showing
best in a three-inch telescope with a
power of four hundred diameters. With
this high magnifying power the full
grandeur of the ringed planet is appar.
ent to the observer. The rings shine
with a pure white light, making 6
strong contrast with the body of the
planet, which is ashen gray in color
and much darker where the great belts
encircle it. The appearance of the
planet itself goes to show that it reflects
much less light than the rings. Al
speculations as to the actual condition
of Saturn are vain. 1t is quite certain
however, that the planet is not self
luminous. Undoubtedly he once gave
light and heat to his eight moons which
form a system by themselves. Under
favorable circumstances, five of these
moons can be seen with a three-incf
telescope and power of two hundred
and fifty diameters. All but two are
but minute points of light. The ring.
of Saturn are now opening, so quite {
broad field is visible, although consid
erably foreshortened. With a STEADY
eye, and high magnifying power, thu
main division in the rings can be dis
cerned. The giant shadow which tn,
planet throws upon the rings, and tn,
shadow which the rings throw upon tn
planet, are not now so apparent as whel
the planet is in quadrature, or ninety
degrees from the sun. Saturn has bu
just passed opposition, and is about ont
hundred and eighty degrees from tn
sun. No conception of this marvellous
object can be formed by one who ha!
not seen it in the telescope. Rocheste,
IN y Democrat.
HERE is the statement of one iron
firm of Pittsburgh, as showing what The
revival in that business really is. Ii
one mail it received thirty letters, TWEEN
ty-two of which contained orders fol
the immediate delivery of steel work a
good cash prices. But this firm couldn'
fill the orders until after January 1, s,
great had been the previous demant
upon them. The kind of goods de
manded is what they call Pittsburgh
specialties, such as hoops, wire, horse
shoe iron, cotton ties, ETC., on whicl