The Portland daily press., 1879-08-07
THURSDAY MORNING, AUGUST q.
The Planets in August.

The Planets IN August.
Venus is evening star, and eminently de-
serves the place of honor among the mysteri-
Gus twinklers throughout the month, for she
dcns her most beautiful garments, and far out
shines her sparkling peers in size and radiant
light. On the 18th she reaches her point OF
greatest brilliancy, and sharp-eyed observers
who know where to look may then obtain
glimpse of her before the sun sets, or watch the
shadow she casts at night i'll the absence of the
MOON There are two of these points in her
career. this one occurring thirty-six days before
her inferior conjunction, and the other occur
ring in October, thirty-six days after it,
Viewed through the telescope, she now pre-
sents the phase of a waning crescent, but,
owing to her nearness to the earth, her appar-
ent diameter is nearly six times as great as
when she is farthest off Venus sets now
about nine o'clock. Her rapid approach to the
sun night after night will be evident to the
most casual observer, as will be her rapid in
crease in brilliancy until the 10Th, after which
she will be so near the sun as to be quickly
hidden by his bright rays. At the end of the
month she will set about seven, only half an
hour after the sun, and then for nearly year
the queen of stars will be missed from the
western sky.
Jupiter deserves to be ranked with the even
ing stars, although the calendar does not give
him a place there until the last day of the
month. He mes into opposition with the
sun on the 31st, and is then at his most bril-
liant point to terrestrial view, being more than
one hundred and eighty millions of miles near
er to us than when farthest off. The earth is
between the sun and Jupiter, and as the plan
cts position in the heaven is then opposite the
sun, he is said to be i'll opposition. Thus the
two largest and brightest planets of the system
will reach their eliminating points during the
month, and observers will not fail to enjoy as
well as contrast the Softened radiance of Venus
in the west with the brighter glow of Jupiter
in the east. 1t must also be remembered that
our mighty brother planet is approaching his
mueh-dreaded perihelion, reaching it next year
in September, and that in the intervening
period and the two or more years succeeding,
all manner of atmospherical disturbances are
to be expected. The vast mass of Jupiter,
when approaching fifty millions of miles near
er to the great central luminary, must newt
ably create connection among his incandes-
cent elements, and every disturbance in the
sun is reflected to the remotest bound of the
solar system. The men of science are there
fore watching the dawn of the eleven-year
period, and the inauspicious combination of
the perihelion passage OF the four great
planets, with an intensity OF inter
est proportional to its Importance, while
Jupiter, the superb star challenging our adj
miration throughout the month, is the chief
sinner among the shining quartette.. He rises
now at quarter before nine o'clock; ON the
last day of the month, just as the sun sets,
about half past six.
Saturn is morning STAR He has departed
from his close companionship with Mars, and
may be easily recognized in the southeast by
his peculiar dull yellow tint and the absence
of any other bright stars from his vicinity.
He rises now about ten O'clock nearly an hour
and half after Jupiter; at the end of the
month he rises not long after eight.
Mars is morning star, and noticeable for his
increasing size and more ruddy light as he ap-
proaches opposition, and the possible discovery
of more moons to add to the laurels that crown
the browS of the astronomers OF the nineteenth
century He rises now about eleven; at the
end of the month about half-past nine.
Mercury is evening star until the 23d, when
he comes into inferior conjunction with
the sun, and commences his short role as morn
ing star. He is of little account to observers,
as he keeps too near the sun to be visible, I'M
less it may be for week in the early part of
the month, when he may possibly be picked
up soon after sunset, if the sky is cloudless and
the atmosphere clear
Uranus is evening star until the 18th, when
he comes into conjunction with the sun, after
which he shines among the morning stars. He
sets now about eight, but is too far away to be
seen by the naked eye. After his conjunction
he rises before the sun.
The month of August is honored by the adj
vent of two full moons, one on the I'd, and one
ON the 31st. The waning moon is near Jupiter
on the 4th, Saturn on the It'll, and Mars ON the
9Th. The new moon of the 18th is in conjunc-
ton with Mercury und Uranus when one day
old, but they are all too near the sun to be Wis
ible to observers on this planet. The moon is
near Venus on the Goth, and if the clouds are
an additional attraction, for it is positively
their last appearance together for many
months. The moon and Jupiter are in con-
junction ON the 3Oth, one day before the full.
Thus the skies of the soft summer nights
will be full of interest for human observation.
Two full moons will shed their rounded ra-
dance over the sleeping earth, and flood the
landscape and seascape with silvery light.
Jupiter will reign supreme in the early eastern
sky, and Venus in the height of her renown
will hang in pensile beauty amid the glowing
west. Later in the night Mars and Saturn
will divide the starry honors with Jupiter,
the celestial trio gaining in size and bright
ness as they approach their opposition. The
meteor zone, and myriad meteors, dissolving
IN fiery tears will give evidence OF the
annual passage. Besides all this, there
will be coniunctions and oppositions
visible and invisible of the great celestial forces
as well as rarely beautiful phenomenon in the
occultation of the red star Antares, the leading
brilliant in Scorpio, by the moon on the even
ing of the oath, not far from half past ten. OBJ
servers will have busy work in tracing out the
movements here indicated on the glowing map
which every starlit night lies open above our
heads. If the pleasure seekers among the
mountains, in rural retreats, and on the sea-
shore would cultivate taste for astronomy,
how grand and uninterrupted would be their
field for nightly observation, and how enrolling
and eXalting the study of the star-spangled fir
mament that nightly renews its miracles of
beauty to earnest and appreciative eyes?-Prov-
idence journal.