River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-08-21
rour Worlds 70 be Seen.

From the New York Sun.
-Four of the worlds, that, together
with the earth, are lighted, warmed and
governed by the sun, can now be seen
at the same time in the evening sky.
Venus appears in the west, long before
twilight ends, so bright that no one can
fail to recognize her. In line stretch
ing up the eastern slope of the heavens
are Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, Saturn
being highest and Mars bringing mp the
rear. At the same time the majority OF
the first magnitude stars visible in this
latitude are above the horizon-Sirius,
the king of the suns, placed beside
which our sun would be almost invis-
ible; Rigel concealed in whose flashing
white rays the telescope reveals little
star of the purest blue; Betelgeouse,
which CLOVIS in a good glass like fiery
topaz; Procyon, whose stag
gering motions have shown to the eye
of science the existence of a dark stal
close to the bright one, although nc
telescope has ever yet caught CLEAN
of revealing light from it; Aldebaran,
the rose hued star that marks the eye OF
Taurus; Capella, us white as diamond,
and several others less brilliant.
A praeticed eve quickly distinguishes
the planets before named from these
stars, but when telescope IS used the
similarity of appearance which some
times puzzles the observer with the
naked eye at once vanishes. The stars
remain only points of dazzling light,
even with the highest powers, while the
planets lose their resemblance TO stars
and shine in the telescope even with
low magnifying powers, like moons.
Venus now resembles the moon when
near her first quarter. Saturn appears
as round globe, surrounded by broad
fiat ring Jupiter presents his great
oval face, streaked and spotted like q
harlequin, while his four moons circle
around him, their motion being easily
perceptible during single evening
Mars shows the glittering snow fields
around his poles, and the outline OF his
continents and seas, covered sometimes
by clouds.
A few years ago there was an extraor-
binary CONFUSION of Jupiter, whose eff
fects Acre shown by the sudden appear
ance upon the planet of fiery red spot
which covered an area equal to the whole
surface of the earth. Lately this spot
has almost completely faded from view,
but other singular spots have made then
appearance, and the surface of the equai
torial regions cf the planet seem to have
undergone a similar shifting toward ITS
south pole. 1t is most interesting to
watch these gigantic commissions OF
Jupiter, for it is evident that in that
planet we behold a globe which is now
undergoing some of the vast physica
changes dimly limited at in the begin
ming of the the book of Genesis as hay-
ing preceded the qualification of the
globe upon which we dwell.
Saturn, too, has of late exhibited IN
dications of the operation of enormous
forces which show that it is in condl-
ton very different from that of the earth.
A new belt has appeared nearits equator,
which can be seen with a comparatively
small telescope, and which striklngly
recalls the appearance ofthe belts OF Its
giant brother Jupiter.
The astronomers have only begun the
conquest of these worlds.