Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-07-22
-FOUR PLANETS IN PERTHELfON.
Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, and Nep-
tune approaching the sun together
for the first time in 172 years.

for the first time in 172 years.
London Telegraph.
Astronomers tell us that we are entering
upon period when an occurrence will
take place in the heavens which has not
been known for more than 1S centuries.
The four largest of the planetary bodies,
Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune are
approaching their perihelion point in
space, are sweeping in their gigantic orbits
nearer and nearer to the sun, and their
simultaneous approximation to the central
mass OF the solar system has inspired some
minds with fears as to the possible results
to that particular planet on which We
dwell There is no need for any anxiety,
however, AS such an event has happened
times before, and probably will happen
often again, without causing the smallest
Inconvenience to any human being. The
perihelion of planet being that point in
its orbit where it comes nearest to the sLn,
and all the planets being at different dis
tances from that luminary, it follows that
some of them approach the sun-or are iu
perihelion-more frequently than others.
Neptune the most distant of all, takes 164
years to complete its movement round the
sun while Jupiter, in size the king of the
planets, he whom the Greeks called
Phaethon, and the Egyptians 'the
Brilliant" sweeps round in less than a
twelfth part of that time. The last
occasion when stellar phenomenon
similar to that which is about to happen
occurred was at the beginning of last
century, when all four of
these wandering worlds neared the
sun almost simultaneously That
WI in 1Tn2 md fha fnIlnu,inp
and, if there were any ground for suppos-
ing that earthquakes and plaques attended
these unusual events, history ought to in
form US of dire oaamities al that time
affecting the globe. Yet there is no salts.
factory proof of the earth having been
disturbed about that period on the con-
trary, she seems to have adopted an atti-
tude of perfect indifference, in spite of the
proximity Of the major planets. The
Great Plague happened in the year 1865,
and can hardly, therefore, be put down
to the malignant influence of planetary
perihelia; more especially as it can be
accounted for by other causes such as
unsanitary conditions of life, and an
| absence of a sufficient amount of fruit and
fresh vegetables iu the popular diet of the
| age. II there are any who would attribute
the war of the succession to these resplen.
| dent heavenly bodies, they should, in
common fairness to Jupiter and Neptune,
remember that the peace of Utrecht,
which ended the contest, was happily
cemented in the year 1713, at a time
when, according to astrology, not only
"the dogs of war;" but the more terrible
wolves of famine, to say nothing of earth.
| quakes and tempests, ought to have been
reveling in slaughter all over the world.
Why should we ascribe baleful powers to
any conjunction of the countless hope OF
heaven? There is really no shadow OF
astronomical ground for believing that the
other planets exercise any sensible sway
over the meteorological conditions under
which we live. The perturbiug power
of these bodies is limited TO slightly alter.
ing the eiliptical orbit of the earth, and
beyond that they have assumed toward
our smaller planet an attitude of perfect
complacency.