Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1879-08-12


October, thirty-six days after it. View
ed through the telescope, sLe now pre-
sents the phase of warning crescent.
but, owing 10 her nearncss to the earth,
her apparent diameter Is nearly six
times a. great Us when she il farthest
Off Venus sets now about 0 O'clock.
! Her rapid approach to the Gun night
after night viii b evident to the most
casual observer. as will he her rapid
increase in brilliancy until the 10Th,
after which she will he so near the sun
as TO be quickly hidden 10y his bright
rays. A. the end Of the mouth she
will set about 7, only half an hour az
ter the sun. aud then for nearly year
the Quot Of the Stars will be missed
from the western sky.
Jupiter deserves to be ranked with
/ the evening stars, although the calen-
dar does not give him II pace there
until the last day Of the month. lie
comes into opposition with the sun ON
the 3lst, and Is then at his most bril-
liant point TO terrestrial view, being
more than one hundred aud eli hty
millions Of miles nearer TO us than
" hen larthest off. The earth is he
tween the sun and Jupiter, and AZ the
planets position in the heavens is then
opposite tie sun, lie ia said TO he in
opposition. Thus the two largest and
brightest planets Of the system will
reach their eliminating points during
the month, and observers will lot fail
to enjoy rs well as contrast the soften
ed radieLce of Venus in the west with
the brighter glow Of Jupiter in the
east He rises now at u quarter before
0 o'clock ; on the last day of the
moth, just as the sun Gets, about half
past 6,
Saturn is morning star. He has de-
parted from his close companionship
with Mars, and may he easily recog-
nized in the southeast by his pee liar
dun yellow tint and the absence Of
any other bright stars from his vicini-
ty. He rises now about ten o'clock,
nearly an hour and n half after Jupi-
ter; at the end of the month he rises
not long after s.
Mars is morning star, and notlcea-
bic for his increasing size aud more
ruddy light as lie approaches opposi-
ton, 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 II at the end of the month
about halfpast 9.
Mercury is evening star until the 23d,
when he comes into inferior c0njunc-
ton with the sun, and commences his
short ro'e as morning star. He Is of
little account to observers. as he keeps
too near the sun TO be visible, unless
it may he for week in the early part
of the month, when he may possibly
be picked up soon after sunset If the
sky lie cloudless and the atmosphere
clear.
Uranus is evening star until the
2Sth, when he comes into conjunction
with the sun, after which he shines
among the morning stars. He sets
now about 8, but is too far away to tie
seen by the naked eye. After his con-
junction he rises before the sun.
The month of August is honored by
the advent of two full m0ons-One on
the "a and one on the 3lst. The wan
ing moon is near Jupiter OH the 4th,
Saturn on the 9TH, and Mars on the
9th. The new moon Of the 18th is in
conjunction with Mercury and Uranus
when one day old, but they are all too
near the sun TO be visible to observers
on this planet. The moon is near We
nus on the Goth, and If the clouds are
kind our lovely celestial nelghbors will
present an additional attraction, for II
il positively their last appearance To-
gether for many months. The moon
and Jupiter are in conjunction on the
30lh, one day before the full.
Thus the skies of the soft summer
nights will be full Of interest for hui
man observation. Two full moons
will shed their rounded radiance over
the sleeping earth and flood the laud-
scape and seaScape with silvery light.
Jupiter will reign supreme in the ear.
ly 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 hoHors with Ju.
piter, tho celestial trio gaining in size
aud brightness as they approach their
opposition. The earth will plough
her way through tie August meteor
zone, aud myriad meieors dissolvlng
In fiery tears will give evidence Of the
annual passage. Besides all this, there
will be oonjunctlons and orposiIlons
visible and invisible Of the great celes.
tal forces, as well as n rarely beautl-
ful phenomenon In the occultatlon of
the red star Antares, the leading bril-
liant in Scorplo, by tho moon on the