Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-07
a TELESCOPE VIEW OF SATURN.

The moonless nights that are passing
are grand gala season for the planets
Saturn and Jupiter. They are now superb
objects to the naked eye, and they rise
serenely to the zenith in the early evening
hours, and are superb beyond the power of
adequate description when viewed through
the telescope. We had a magnificent view
of Saturn through the fine instrument OF
the Seagrave Observatory. The night was
one of exceptional beauty, the atmosphere
clear and serene, the sky cloudless, the
moon safely out of the way, and the def
milton almost perfect From the dome of
the Observatory, the planets looked with
friendly eyes upon the observers who sought
to draw them nearer and increase their d.
mansions in the space annihilating glass.
The Observatory, excepting for the click
of the clockwork, was as silent as the stars,
when the telescope was turned to a pale
gold star beaming from the celestial
depths, and, in second of time, what
seemed a grand transformation took
place. The star expanded into sphere
nearly as large as the full moon, and shone
with an exceeding brilliancy that the eye
could scarcely endure without protection.
Encircling the glowing orb were the be-
witching rings, and dotted around in the
field of vision were six of the eight moons.
Two of them were close together on the
left of the planet, one was far below, and
the others SO near the rings that they
looked like the tiniest golden points, barely
perceptible and that was all. The view
was one of surprising loneliness, the i'm
preston was combined feeling of awe,
amazement and admiration, and the con-
clusion was that we were looking upon a
system vastly more complex and exalted
in the scale of worlds than our little planet,
but one-seven hundredth of its size with
out shadow of a ring, and owning but
one moon. After having admired the dis
play as whole, we made a study of the
details. The golden sphere seemed al.
most to stand upright within the en-.
circling rings, only a small portion of
the orb being seen beneath them. The
coloring was the shade of liquid gold
that sometimes suffuses the west in the
glow of twilight the belts of creamy hue
crossed the disc with the lightness and
grace of scudaing cloud bands. The glo-
rious rings stood out in bold relief, Grad.
ling the planet in kind OF protecting
embrace. Every detail was perfect The
outer ring with its slight marking, the
division between the rings, the second
ring, the dark ring, the black space be-
tween the rings and the planet, and the
six moons, were distinctly visible. How
much we wished that passing star might
chance to wander into that bit of azure
space, and add new wonder to
the charming picture! The view we
have described was one seen with
power of 700-that is, one magnifying
700 times. We tried next low power,
increasing the light and lessening the size.
Then we used medium power, end then
ended the observation with the same power
used at first, the most satisfactory OF all.
No one can study the Saturnian system
without deep impression of the wisdom
and power of the fashioning Hand that
brought into being vast world like
this with its girdling rings and
It's wealth of moons. No one who
can study the Saturnian system as re.
vealed in the telescope without the feel.
ing that astronomy is the most fascinat-
ing of all the sciences. No one who sees
the surprising picture for the first time
will ever forget the sensation aroused by
the sight. These are golden opportunities
for observing Saturn under favorable con-
ditions. For four years to come the rings
will open more widely and the planet ap.
proach nearer to perihelion. For four years
TO come Saturn will therefore be an object
of exceeding interest when near opposition.
After 1855 his rings will slowly close, and
he will travel slowly away from the sun.
! until he subsidies into the dull, murky star
that astronomers have made ominous of
evil to the human race. Before he returns
to his present beaming aspect after his peri
helion passage, nearly thirty years will
pass, and nearly all who now rejoice in his
bright appearance will have passed beyond
| the gates that separate the mortal from the
| immortal II Providence Journal.