The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1879-08-23
The Planets in August.

Doubtless many ofour readers have looked
with pleasure and Amusement at Venus,
which has been the evening star for the last
three months. Emincnrly does she deserve
the place of honor among the mysterious
twinklcrS which adurn our Western horizon
for she WAS arrayed in her most beautiful
and sparkling garments and far outShone
her Spafkin. peers i'll size and radiant bril-
liancy. On the 10Th, she reached her point
of greatest brlliancy and grandeur, and the
Sharp-eycd observer, who knew where to
look, and obtained a glimpse of her before
the sun set, or watched the shadow she
cast AT night, in the absence of the moon,
witnessed novel sight. There are two of
these points i'll her career. one occurring
thirty-SiX days before her inferior coniunc-
ton and the other occurring in October,
thirty-SiN days after it, Viewed through
the telescope, she now presents the phase of
Il waning crescent, but, owing to her near
ness to the earth, her apparent diameter is
nearly SIN times as great aS when in her
usual orbit. At the end of the mont she
will set about seven o'clock, 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 hc ranked with the
evening stars, although The calendar does
not give him place there until the last OF
Int mont Il. Tic comes mo OPPOSITION with
the sun on the :il>t, and j. then at his most
brilliant point 10 trrrrs rial view, being
more than one hHndyc,! ard eighiy ,nillion.
gf mites nearer To us than when i'll his most
distant course. The earth is between the
sun and Jupiter, and TIE planets posi-
ton in the heavens is the opposite to the.
sun, he is said to be in oppoStion Thus
the two largest and brightest planets of the
solar system will reach their eliminating
al, la 4,
should not fail TO enjoy, we'll rs contrast,
the s"ftened radiance OF Venus in the west
with the brighter glow Of Jupiter in the
east 1t must he remembered that our
mighty brother planet is approaching his
much dreaded prrinelion reaching it next
year, in September, and that in the inter
vcning period, and the two years succeeding,
all manner OF atmospherical disturbances
are to he expected. The vast mass of .Jupi-
ter, when approaching Eiin millions Of niles
nearer the sun, must inevitably create u
colnmotion anon. inran,i-sccnt elements
white with heat, and every disturbance i'll
the sun is reflected to tic renotest bound of
the whole solar system. The men Of sci
cnce are therefore, watchin. the dawn of
the eleven years period, and the inauSpi-
cious com bination OF the perihelion pas
ages of the four great planets, with an in
tcusity of interest proportional to its inn
portance, while Jupiter, the superb star,
challenging our admiration, is the chief
sinner among the shining qrartette.
Saturn, Mars, Mercury, and Uranus are
also to be seen during the nights Of August,
but neither have the brilliancy or attraction
of either Venus or Jupiter.
The month of August is honored by the
adventure of two full moons, one on the
md and one on the ::lst. The new one OF
the 18th WAS in conjunction with Mercury
and Uranus " hen one uay old, but thew arc