New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-09-01
WHOLE NUMBER 40

perceived With careful watching, and the
startling phenomenon Of the sudden ex-
tinguishment of the moons as they pass
into tho great conical shadow the planet
throws ont Into space behind him Is dis
tinctly seen. When magnificd fifty times.
BY which Is meant fifty dlameters. or
$500 times specifically. Jupiter APP
pears larger than the full moon does "a
the naked eye. The fam6ns belts can DO
seen with such power, but to reveal
their details power of at least $50 Of
200 should be used Then tho 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 eolors, aud any large
spots that may be present. orc clear.
~ revealed. The most beautiful
phenomena, however, arc tho tram
sits of the moons and their shad-
ows across tho broad, yellow disk Of
tho planet. These are Of frequent 90
currcnce, and con be we'll seen with o
thrce-inch glass Of good construction.
Every time that ono Of tho moons In its
circuit about the planet CONES between
the sun aud Jupiter It's shadow can be
seen upon the disk ike round ink spot
II the telescope is fine ono and tho air
steady, the moon itself may be seen
against the hight back found of tho disk.
In certain situations the shadow of the
moon is thrown forward, so that it may
be clearly seen far advanced upon tho
disk while the moon Is yet shining against
the clear sky. Hundreds OF other inter.
esting observations may be made upon
this planet with small telescopes.
Saturn is, if possible, oven more inter.
esting as telescope object than Jupl-
ter. His vast rings arc unlike any other
known object in the heavens. When
the observer for the first time turns his
telescope upon the duh, modium-sizcd
star, for such Saturn appears to DO TO the
naked eye, and bchoft(s golden ball
suspended In the sky and circlcd by two
broad, concentric rings that, it Is easily
seen. orc completely separated both from
the planet and from each other, he cAn-
not repress an exclamation Of astonish-
mont. The pictures Of this wonderful
plapct In books Of astronomy giyo no
adequate idea Of bis marvellous beauty
when viewed through d good telescope.
A power OF fifty diametcrs viii Just show
the existence Of the rings, but powers Of
25O to 400 ore needed to bring out clear
ly all the wonderful details Of the scene.
The strange dark, or gaNze, nn1 within
the two bright ones "a not easily seen
with small telescopes. In good three
inch glass the black shadow Of the bali
Is plainly seen upon the rings back
of the planet, and close inspection re-
veals the narrow line Of shade that tho
rings cast upon the ball. There are
delicate markings on the planet that
form test both Of tho powers Of tho
telescope and OF the eye. Saturn has
eight moons, and very beautiful they
look. thronging like golden bees about
the rings. Only five can be seen with q
good three and half or four inch glass,
but Titan, their chief, which Is nearly a.
lurge as the planet Mars, can be seen
with much smaller glass. For tho next
four or five years tho 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 splendid
telescope object. The orbit of Venus,
unlike that OF Jupiter md Saturn, is
within that of the earth, and consequent
" she is never seen except In the West
after sunset, or in tho East before sun
rise. When nearly between the sun and
the earth Venus is often so bright as to
be visible at MONDAY. Then power of
twenty-five diamctcrs shows the planet
in the form of a beautiful crescent of
| dazzling Wilderness. With higher pow
crs she may be made to look many times
larger, and more brilliant than the cres-
cent moon. AS she circles through her
orbit Venus presents in succession NIL
the phases of the moon. She is, how
ever, SO dazzling that the best telescopes
are bafllcd in the attempt to study her
features. Schroter, famous German
observer, thought he had discovered
mountains in Veaus nearly thirty miles
high. Astronomers orc generally agreed
that Venus closely resembles the earth
in physical condition, enjoying the samo
change of seasons, with considerably
brighter sunshine, and that II, rs seems
highly probable, she is inhabited, the in
llabitants arc very like ourselves
Mercury, which Is yet nearer the sun
than Venus is, on TINT account, difficult
To find except Mt certain favorable periods
He shows the same phases as Venus on
smaller scale. Very high mountains.
it is believed, have also been seen in
Mercury. II he has inhabitants It has
been conjccturcd that, On account of
their proximity to the sun, they must
possess the heat-cnduring powers Of
snlamandcrs.
Mars, which IS the next planet outside
the earth, is, in some respects, the most
interesting Of all. II does not require a
very large telescope to show tho cont.
ncnts and oceans that vanegate his sur.
face and tho patches Of snow about his
poles which wax and wanc With tho sea.
cons. With the aid OF a map Of Mars tho
possessor Of good telescope may spend
lnuny hours in the delightful task Of
locating the lands and seas of this DIS
tant planet, which it does not require O
great stretch Of the imagination TO pict-
tlre dotted with cities and fleets It
should bic said that some astronomers,
arguing from Mars's planetary age, say
that his inhabitants, Il any arc left, must
be beings inferior to ourselves. Apower
Of ono hundred and fifty on q throe-inch
telescope will show Mars's polar snow
caps. With power Of two hundred
and fifty or three hundred, the principal
lands and seas may be identified in good
weather, and when the planet Is favora~
bly, situated in his orbit Vast masses
OF clouds are sometimes seen obscuring
the details Of the disk, and hiding whole
continents. as the continents of the earth
would be hidden, during long continued
and widespread rains, from an observer
on Mars The remarkable ruddy color
Of Mars has been referred by some to
the color Of his soil, as if it were like the
red sand Of northern New Jersey. Others
have thought that Martial vegetation
may be red instead Of green Still others
have supposed the color to be duo to
the density Of tho planets atmosphere.
The asteroids, or small planets. Of