Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-05-13
A Night Among Other Worlds.

tory on the top of his house in Scotland,
commanding a view of forty miles of hill
and valley scenery along the Tay, must
feel desire to follow the author in his
studies of the stars. And, indeed, the
amount of instruction and amusement a
small astronomical telescope is capable
of afording cannot be appreciated by the
man who never owned one. Some of the
most famous telescopes in existence are
owned by English amateurs, and most
charming descriptive books on astronomy
have been written by Englishmen who do
not pretend to be professional astrono-
mers. In this country we netonly have
purer skies than those of England, and .
more favorable situation in latitude, but
some of our opticians have astonished the
scientific men of Europe by their achieve
ments in, telescope making. Yet the
number of Americans who own and use
telescopes, outside of the observatories.
is comparatively small.
Among the first objects that the anna
teur who has become the possessor of an
astronomical telescope turns to are the
planets, the earth's brother and sister
worlds. Although it is beyond expecta-
ton that any telescope will ever be con-
structed powerful enough to show us the
possible inhabitants of any of the planets,
yet every increase of telescopic.power re-
veals new features, and such discovery
as that of the existence of continents,
oceans and snow fields in Mars-the cor
one who has good telescope.of three or
four inches aperture-is enough to. stir
the imagination of the most Indifferent.
The first of the planets that the young
telescOpist tries, and, with the possible
exception of Venus, the best known of
them is Jupiter, the giant of the family.
To the unassisted eye this planet, which
is 300 times as bulky as the earth, APP
pears as a very bright star of a slightly
yellowish hue, and of Il pretty steady
light. His four moons can be seen with
a first-rate spy-glass. but not to advan-
tage. To see Jupiter and his moons
well, power of not less than fifty diam
eters should be employed on athree-ineh
telescope. Such a power gives beauti-
full view of the planet and the four satel-
lites, all in one field. The. difference in
the size and color of the moons can be
perceived with careful watching, and the
startling phenomenon of the sudden ex-
tingtishment of the moons as they pass
into the great cOnical shadow the planet
throws out into space behind him is dis
tinctly seen. When magnified fifty times,
by which is meant fifty diameters, or
$500 times specifically. Jupiter APP
pears larger than the full moon does to
the naked eye. The famous belts can be
seen with such a power, but to reveal
their details power of at least $50 or
200 should be used. Then the two great
equatorial belts may be seen, stretching
with broken edges and many riffs across
the disk; and the narrower belts and
zones of shade near the poles, the re-
gions of varying colors, and any large
spots that may be present, are clear
" revealed. The most s.. beautiful
phenomena, however, are the tram
sits of the moons and their shad-
ows across the broad, yellow disk of
the planet. These are of frequent &C.
currence, and can be well seen with a
three-inch glass of good construction.
Every time that one of the moons in its
circuit about the planet comes, between
the sun and Jupiter its shadow can be
seen upon the disk like round ink spot.
If the telescope is fine one and the air
the moon itself may be seen
against the bright background of the disk. |
In certain situations the shadow of the
moon is thrown forward, SO that. it may
be clearly seen far advanced upon the
disk while the moon is vet shining against
the clear sky. Hundreds of other inter-
esting observations may be made upon !
this planet with small telescopes.
Saturn is, if possible, even more inter
esting as "a telescope object than Jupi- |
ter His vast rings are unlike any other
known object in the heavens, When |
the observer for the first time turns his |
telescope upon the dull, medium-sized !
star, for such Saturn appears to beto the /
naked eye, and beholds a golden ball
in the sky and circled by two |
broad, concentric rings that, it, is easily |
seen, are completely separated both from
the planet and from each other, he can
not repress an exclamation of astOnish- |
ment. The pictures of this wonderful |
planet in books of astronomy give no
adequate idea of his marvellous beauty |
when viewed through a good telescope. |
A power of fifty diameters will just show
the existence of the rings, bat powers of |
250 to 400 are needed to bring out clear
ly all the wonderful details of the scene. |
The strange dark, or gauze, ring within
the two bright ones is not easily seen |
with small telescopes. In good three |
inch glass the black shadow of the ball |
is plainly seen upon the rings back
of the planet, and close inspection re-
veals the narrow line of shade that the
rings cast upon the ball. There are
delicate markings on the planet that
form test both of the powers of the
telescope and of the eye. Saturn has
eight moons, and very beautiful they |
look, thronging like golden bees about
the rings. Only five4can be seen with
good three and balf or four inch glass,
but Titan, their chief, which is nearly as
large as the planet Mars, can be seen
with much smaller glass. For the next
four or five years. the rings will slowly
open wider, and their beauty will in
crease month by month.
Venus, which shines as the most bril-
liant star in the heavens, is q splendid
object. The orbit of Venus,
unlike that of Jupiter and, Saturn. is
within that of the earth, and consequent
ly she is never seen except in the West
after sunset, or in. the East before sun
rise When nearly between the sun and |