The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1882-02-11
IN PERIHELIoN.
Providence Journal, ]

ktiVNsucuSe SouiualsI
The earth reaches her perihelion o
nearest point to the sun at o'clock to
morrow afternoon, the first of January
She is then three million miles nearer tn,
sun than when in apelion, or her more
distant point from the sun, on the first o
July. As the earth moves in an ecliptica
orbit, and the sun is situated in one o.
the foci of the ellipse, she must sometime:
be nearer him than at Others. Her near,
est point is called perihelion, from two
Greek words, meaning nearest the sun.
Her most distant point is called apelion,
from two Greek words, meaning from the
sun. Though we are so much nearer the
sun than we shall be next July, the in
creased proximity will not even be per-
ceived by far the greater portion of the
myriads of human beings on whom the
sun shines. And yet the three millions
of miles that measures the earth's increas-
ed nearness is distance of which we can
form little conception.
The wise men, however, who study
the times and the seasons finds abundant
proof of the earth's increased nearness to
the sun. The sun looks larger, his appar.
emit diameter measuring about minute of
degree more than ON the LIST of July
By measuring the suns diameter from day
to day throughout the year, we have means
Of determining the relative distances of
the sun from the earth. In this way the
shape of the earth's orbit was found out.
The earth moves fastest at perihelion, for
the suns attraction is then strongest, and
the greater his attraction the faster she
moves. This is proved by measuring the
suns apparent movement through the
ecliptic. Thus, ON the LIST of January he
moves through sixty.one minutes of the
ecliptic on the LIST OF July he moves
through about tifty.seven minutes, giving
four minutes of degree in increased We
locity, which means countless miles in the
carth's actual speed.
An interesting question connected with
perihelion is the reason why we do not
have our hottest weather when we are
nearest the sun. 1t is because it occurs
in the northern winter when the suns
rays fall obliquely upon the earth and
give comparatively little heat, though it
is probable that the severity OF midwinter
is tempered by the benignant influence
The reverse takes place in the southern
hemisphere, where it is now midsummer
and doubtless where the occurrence of
perihelion increases the midsummer heat.
This theory accounts for the fact that in
Australia and Southern Africa the TEN.
perature at this season is higher than in
corresponding latitude north of the equa.
tor. The earth's perihelion is, therefore,
an interesting topic for study to those
who would understand the play of some
Of the great forces that rule the worlds in
space, for the same laws control the
movements OF the smallest planets and
the largest sun. At this season, then,
the sun looks largest to the human eyes,
the earth moves fastest, and her nearness
to the sun tempers the severity of the
winter cold.
All the other planets OF the system
have their periheha and apheha for the
same reason, and governed by the same
laws, as the earth. When the perihelion
OF planet and its opposition occur nearly
at the same time, they are as much nearer
to US as they are to the sun, and look so
much larger and brighter to the naked
eye that their increased nearness is plainly
to be seen. This was the case with Mars
at the opposition of 1877. Every observer
viii remember the superb appearance of
Jupiter at perihelion in 1850. Uranus
viii reach the goal in three months, and
Neptune and Saturn are now sluggishly
moving toward the same great epoh in
their course. Saturn's vast sweep
through space, and the great exeentricity
of the orbit, brings him one hundred mil
lion miles nearer the sun at perihelion
than at aphelion, the difference exceeding
the earth's entire distance from the sun.
We shall not have chance to see Saturn
IN his brightest phase until more than
three years have written their record with
the finger of time upon the dial.place OF
eternity.
Mr.. English has been goadei by the