Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-08-01
DOG DAYS.
Soma of the Peculiar Points OF
August.
History Of the Honth-How Dog Days
We're So Called Sirius, the
Dog Star, on the Zenith.

TOday ushers In the elsntn mVntu Va
the year. August In the old Roman cal
endar II was Sextilius, or the sixth month.
when the Emperor Augustus. flushed
with victory, returned in triumph to Rome'
the name of the month was changed 10 Au-
eust. in his honor. 1t had then only ~
dsys, but as July, named in honor Oh
Julius Caesar. had 81, one was added to Au-
gust, to equslize the honors, and taken
rom Door little February. With August
he dog days" are popularity supposed
10 come IN, and the origin of this BELIEF
is unite interesting. During this month,
Sirius, the Dog star, reaches the zenith at
noon. Sirins is in the constellation OF the
Grta Dog, and his influence is supposed to
be felt by all the canine race, driving them
into the rabies and otherwise making them
fierce and dangerous. This belief oriFi'
mated long ago, when Sirius did not cul-
inmate until August, but the great star
now reaches the zenith in July and in the
course of msny years will eliminate IN the
winter. OF course the real cause Ct the Ell
feet on dogs is found in the extremely
warm weather which characteriz.s thus
per;oi. The small boy about wheeling
mas a superstition that it is perilous 10 go
swimming during dog days when also
originated from the fact that much sick
ness results from an incorporate indul-
gence in cool baths during the excessively
Yesterday fmrorAIus, 40 49, -:.c- 20
turned home alter the REGISTER had gone
10 press. Sirius was just peeping over the
Eastern hills. Orion was quite clear OF the
hills, and the bright constellation, the most
brilliant of the northern hemisphere,
showed like a cluster OF diamonds against
the dark velvet sky. Sirius is the largest
and most brilliant OF the fixed stars, and IN
point Of brightness even rivals the planets.
For many years Sirius was supposed to be
the nearest OF the fixed stars, but this
honor is now awarded a small star in
Cyguus. Sirius is only q comparatively
short distance from us; il was once
estimated at twenty million times twenty
million of miles. or $50 quadrilllon OF
miles; but it is o fixed at a million
times as far as the sun. or 81 ,OOJGOO N.Oo
miles. How far this Is may best be illus
trated. Suppose an electric flash, travelling
at the rate OF go, 600 miles a second, were
started from Sirius, it would require a
wear for it to reach the earth. II the light
of the sun were suddenly TO give ont, II
would be eight seconds before We knew II,
II the light of Sirius were to give out, 1t
would be nearly 100 days before It's light
would stop reaching us. II a cannon ball
were to be fired at the earth, from
Sirius ana travelled 5000 feet q sec
oud. il would be 1000, COO years before 1t
reached US, The report OF that cannon
would not reach the world for seven mil.
ion years. while its flash, ii it could be
seen. would reach here in about 100 days,
or a little over four months. Yet other
stars are so distant, that their light, travel.
rpg al nearly 800, 600 miles a second, has
rot vet reached the earth, liza telephone
subscriber were to ell up the Contra on
Sirius and shout Hello it would be six
months before he would get the answering
'HpllO,'
Sirius is moving away from the earth at
the rate OF 80 miles q second. This is only
a log trot for a star and for the past six
hundred years has not altered his bright
ness and has only changed his color from a
ruddy red to a clear white. With his
change Of color, he has lost most OF his
baleful aspect and influence, and the small
dog pays little attention to him. Though
he has been following the sun for the past
week very closely, he has broughtnO torrid
weather and yesterday bore July oil in an
atmosphere truly delightful.
The August moon fulls on the 18th, at
= ~ " NlONhs II ehlH AAA'' - SO
junction with Jupiter aud Venus on the
list, snd with Jupiter for the second time
on the ooh. She is at her nearest point to
Mercury on the 81, aud to Uranus on the
9Th. On the 9th she is very near Nup.
tune. On the 25th she is in close conjunc-
ton with Saturn at 1'36 o'clock in the
afternoon, passing ! deg. 3 min. south. In
some portions Of the globe, between 32 deg.
and 20 deg. south dcClina'iOn, and where
the dark side Of the earth is turned toward
the lesser luminaTy, the moon will be seen
10 occult Saturn. This will be the fifth oC.
Cultation of Saturn that has occurred dur
ing the year. Tie moon completes the
planetary circuit by her conjunction with
Mars on the 9th.
The planetary kaleidoscope is not bril-
liant in cOlOring, nor abundant in variety,
as the August days rolls on. But there is
always interesting material TO reward
planetary study, even when the record is
Comparatively uneventful.T Those whoari'ein
the small hours TO behold he mOrning
stars, note their devious steps among the
hosts of heaven, and observe their near ap.
prnach to the stars lying in their pathway,
will bear testimony to the loneliness OF
the starry picture, admiring the many
phases taken on by our brother and sister
planets. and be impressed with the lower
and wisdom OF the Great Architect OF
Worlds, who holds in place the planets
and swarming myriads OF shining suns by
the same universal law that rules the iall-
ing rain drops and the mist OF the water
fall.