Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-07-09

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The Planets in July.
Jupiter is ranked on the astronomical cal
endar as morning star, though he will soon
be visible in the evening. He still remains
the most interesting member of the shining
brotherhood, and the kind of see-saw play
going on between the sun and the most fa-
nous of his sons continues to be an object of
intense interest to terrestrial observers. If
| Jupiter is pulling upon the sun with his
mighty strength and stirring up black spots
on his photosphere, the sun is pulling upon
Jupiter with vastly more efectual power, and
the huge rift in his cloud atmosphere may be
| due to the solar attraction increased by prox.
| unity. The sun is thronged with spots. and
the great red spot on Jupiter still affords ma
| terial for wondering observation. Those who
| have observed the times and the seasons dur
! ing the last month will not fail to perceive
| evidences Of solar disturbance reflected in
the elemental warfare recorded on its annals
| The forces of electricity and magnetism have
| escaped from confinement like the winds of
old Bolus and the earth gives signs of the
disturbed oquipose as surely as the mercury
rises in the thermometer when the dog star
| RACES. second wave of heat, more intense
! than the first though not so marked, because
more seasonaOle, has rolled over this portion
of the earth's territory. A long continued
drouth has thrown its pitiless grasp over veg
citation, aud desolaton far and wide marks
its track. The aurora has hung out its ban
ners in the northern sky, and faint displays
of auroral light on two or three nights are
the advance guard of the coming army gor-
geous with banners and gittering arms. Tor
nadoes, whirlwinds, thunder storms and
floods have been reported from all quarters,
and though not equallng the devastation of
the previous month, have sweled beyond the
average destruction of life and property.
Even the cold AS well Ms the heat has been in
tense, and frost is recorded that made the
grass white in the southeastern part of New
York, and snow fell in the billy regions on
the banks of the Hudson.
But nature has her light as well as her
shade, and there is bright side to the pic
turc even when the sun shows his angry face
at the maximum of a spot-cycle. Nothing
can be imagined more serenely beautiful
than many of the June days, with their COM
Portable temperature, exhilaratng breeZes.
and sunny skies We have had heat and
drouth, but storm and tempest have thus far
passed us by. 1t is Unwiso philosophy to
borrow trouble, though we are far from be-
ing out of the woods. Jupiter is still rolling
on towards his perihelion at the rate of eight
miles a second for the planets move slower
the farther they are from the sun. 1t will
be nearly three months before he reaches the
dreaded goal on the 2jth of September. It
will then be time to study the influence of
the other giant planets in combination with
their chief, and rs the peculiar conditions do
not end till 1850, there is no need of hurry
in the calculations Observers must remem-
Der that never in their lives will such an
epoch as the present recur, and that between
eleven and twelve years must pass before an
ptl,ar ,,arilalio,, ,f 81
spot cycle viii afford a renewed study of the
interesting problem. Meantime this appar-
emily serene and golden-tinted star, fifty nam
cd for the father of gods and men, is coming
toward us, aud at the end of the month will
be the brightest of ihe starry host in the late
evening hours He now rises about midnight;
at the end of the month, soon after 10.
Saturn is morning star, follows closely in
the track of Jupiter, and must be looked for
a short distance to the northwest The two
planets will be in fine position for observa-
tion during August and September, though
Saturn is not an interesting object to the
raked-eye observer. Every one who can
should see this superb planet with telescope,
for he is coming toward us and his rings are
opening to their widest extent. Saturn rises
now at half-past II at the end of the month
about half-past 10.
Venus will be evening star after the 18th.
She is then in superior con- junction with the
SUM- the planet the sun and the earth being
in straight line, with the sun in the centre.
She passes then to the eastern side of the
sun and commences her role of evening star
for the succeeding two hundred and ninety
two days She will not be visible during the
month, on account of her nearness to the
sun, but sometime in August the Queen of
the Stars will emerge from her temporary
eclipse and be found shining with peerless
lustre amid the glowing gold of early twilight.
No one of her phases is more fascinating
than when, after her long absence in fulfill
ment of her role as Iucifer, the Light bearer,
she shines again as Hcsperus, the most radi-
ant gem in the starry crown of night. On
the first of the month Venus rises a few min
utes before the sun; OH the 18th she rises and
sets with the sun ; on the last of the month
she sets about quarter of an hour after the
sun.
Mercury is evening star. reaching his great.
est elongation or most distant point from the
sun on the 9th. This is the second of the
three most favorable times during the year
for view of Mercury. He is visible now
and will continue to be so until the middle of
the month. He sets about nine, nearly an
hour and half after the sun, and must be
looked for few degrees south of the point
of sunset 1t will take close observation to
pick him up, and it is useless TO try unless
the sky is cloudless and the atmosphere Sc
rene and clear But sight of our bright
eyed brother is worth a great deal of trouble
and is a memorable experience in Rstronom-
cal observation. On the 3lst, at midnight
Mercury and Venus Hre in conjunction, when
it is safe to say there will be no terrestrial
witnesses of the celestial interview
Mars is evening star, travelling rapidly to-
ward conjunction with the sun. He snow
in the constellation Leo, and about the mid
die of the month passes very near the bright
star Regulus. Ho sets now a little later than
half-past .; at the end of the month at half
past s.
Uranus is evening star, too far away to be
visible, and only of Importance to those who
wish to follow the track of the planets from
month 10 month. He is still moving slowly
among the small stars of Leo, setting now
about 10 at the close of the month about
half-past &.
The July moon fulls on the 2lst. On the
9th the moon is near MsEeury On the 10th
the moon passes near and on the l1th
near Uranus, On the 9Th the waning moon
viii be near Jupiter, and on the 2Sth near
Saturn.
The influence of sun spots, as manifested
in elemental disturbances of the earths at
mospherei the influence of Jupiter's ap-
preaching perihelion on these manifestations
and the disturbances in Jupiter's cloud'atmo-