Evening star., 1884-08-02
AUGUST-S STARRY SKIES.
Planets for the Month.
Prom the Providence Journal

OF the planetary list for she is the most beauti-
iui OBJECT that adorns the eastern sky before the
ali-eohquering sun commences his daily course.
lhefe Is reason why the fairest of the stars de-
serves special mention during the passage OF
the iast month OF summer. On the 18th she
reaches her period of greatest brilliancv as
morning star, when she is so transcendently
lovely that the trouble Of rising early is moro
than rewarded by the beauty OF the exhibition
of
".sarte's bedismone,i crescent
DISTINCT " lth Its duplicate horn"
Venus makes her appearance nj that time
soon after two o'clock in the morning nearly
three hours before sunrise when such Is the
briliiancy OF her shining that objects illumined
by her rays cast shadows, and even the great
sun himself has no power 10 hide her entirely
from mortal view. She may easily be seen after
sunrise, and even at MONDAY II her position in
the sky is known. Venus has two Of these
periods of greatest brllliancy. as they are called
One OF them occurs thirty-siX days before in
ferior conjunction. when she Is evening star as
was illustrated on the Sd OF June. The other
will take place on the 18th, t1irty-six DAYS after
Inferior conjunction. when she is morning star
These brilliant epochs in her course occur when
she Is 40 degs. east and west OF the sun. and
when about one-fourth OF her disk is illmined
Between the two periods she is nearer TO the
earth and larger in dimensions, but the illum-
ined portion Of her disk is less and the loss OF
light more than counterhalances the increasing
magnitude. Ii is difficult to find words to ex-
press the matchless loveliness OF this bewitching
star, as she hangs low in the heavens I'm the soft
summer mornings. She Is RAPIDLY recedlna
from our neighborhood, and many months must
wax and wane before she viii again put on her
glorious apparel.
Jupiter may almost be numbered with tbe
morning stars, for he is only evening star until
the 9TH. On that day. at o'clock in the after
noon, he reaches one OF his great epochs being
hnn .asAfs M. fsh
setting with him. and entirely hidden from view
in his eclipsing rays. The planet that beamed
so brightly in the evening sky has departed,
but he is not lost. He has fulfilled his mission
on the suns eastern side, only TO reappear on
the suns western side. where he will soon
emerge from his transient eclipse to become
the second brightest gem OF the planetary
trio made up of Saturn Venus and the
latest corner among the morning stars
1t Is pleasant to think that Jupiter Ia com.
ing toward us. that he will rise a few min
uteS earlier every morning and that he Is has
tenlng towards that part of his course when the
conditions for observation are most favorable
At conjunction, straight line drawn from the
earth through the sun would reach jupiter il
prolonged, showing that he is then beyond the
sun and at his greatest distance from the EARTH
III we were blessed with adequate visual powers
and transported to the near vicinity of this huge
sphere and his revolving moons. we should be-
hold material atoms congregated on a vast scale.
Our staid planet. the earth, rotates on her
axis once in "a hours. As her circumference ia
about $4,000 miles. her aXia velocity at the
equator is about LOCO miles an hour, or 16 miles
minute. Jupiter rotates on his axis in a few
minutes less than 10 hours. As his circumfer-
ence Is about 261.OO0 miles, his aXia velocity at
the equator is 26, 600 miles an hour or about
440 miles a minute-27 times greater than that
at the terrestrial equator sphere when In a
plastic state, rotating with such velocity would
show the effect of the rapid aXial motion by
bulgfng out at the equator and being fiattened
at the poles. Such Is the case with Jupiter,
whose polar diameter is one-seyenteenth or
5000 miles less than his equatorial diameter
the difference being more than half of the earth's
entire diameter. And yet the JOyians of the
future, when in the progress OF ages the planet
becomes the abode of animate ife will no more
feel the rapid movement of the monster planet
than those who live on the earth's equator feel
the more moderate speed that carries them
round with the earth and gives the sun COM
paratiyely slow circuit over the heavens instead
OF the rapid march that rules in the Joyian sky
Matters must be rather mixed in the domain Of
our big brother, according to terrestrial ideas,
where the sun rises. makes the circuit of the
heavens, and sits in five hours. and the years
are nearly twelve times as long a. the time that
marks the earths revolution round the sun. We
like better the more dgnifed length of the
earthly day, the more stately aXia rotation Of
our little planet, the quicker return of the re-
y0lying seasons.
The earth. as well as the other planets. are.
however products of the great nebulous mass
that once extended far beyond distant Neptune
This chaotic mass, as ages rolled on. Quickened
into life, and threw OFF concentric rings. These
In turn, condensed into the sun. planets and
satellites, and, according to laws not yet plain
in all their bearings, took varied form in the
great central orb, In the four giant spheres still
holding portions Of their primeval fires on the
outposts of the system, In the four inner planets
more advanced in development Because smaller
in size, and in a somewhat promiscuous sprink-
ling OF asteroids. moons and rings among the
larger orbs. We are prone to fancy that the
earth is special favOrte in the suns family. 1t
is well to think SO, for it is not likely that the
position will be disputed in the present attain
ments of astronomical science.
Jupiter has deigned to give US little informa-
tiOn concerning himself in his last synodic cir
cult. Even the red spot, the peep-hole into his
glowing nucleus, is but ghost of its former
self. The cloud-atmosphere has nearly closed
over ii, and there will be no more tidings until
another rift shall arise and show farther glimpses
OF the chaotic mass, cooling and condensinC into
form and shape. We must wait till 1892 for
Jupiter's next perhelion. when being 46 GOO 600
miles nearer the sun that at apheion, we may
hope that the improved telescopes of the period
VIII pick up something worth knowing. The
process OF matchmaking will be slow one on
this giant planet, and the earth may have cooled
down TO desOlation before the first suspicion OF
lnanlmate life shadows forth the surely coming
perfection of his development.
Saturn is morning star and Is growing brighter
and more conspicuous he approaches the
earth. 1t is, however, the day of small things
in his history. On the 17th, when Venus is
brightest, he may be found about 80 degrees
northwest OF Venus.
Neptune is morning star and leads the plane
tary choir in being the first to make his appear
ance above the horizon. On the 14th at IL
o'clock in the evening. he reaches the halfway
house between conjunction and opposition,
being then in quadrature or 90 degrees west Of
the sun.
Mercury is evening star during the month.
On the 25d, at o'clock In the evening, he
reaches his greatest eastern clongation when he
is "a degrees 81 minutes east Of the sun. Ii isa
moderately favorable opportunity for seeing
him, on an exceptionally clear evening after
sunset in the west. His southern declination will
make him difficult object To pick up although
his elOngation is nearly the greatest possible.
He must be looked for i'm the constellation Virgo,
20 degrees northwest OF Spica, and IL degrees
south of the sunrise point.
Uranus is evening star. His course is un-
eventful. except for the conjunction with Mer-
curry On the 23d.
Mars is evening star. and Is Of little account
as he slowly travels on his distant path his rap
idly increasing southern declination being the
only noteworthy event in his course.
THE MOON.
The August moon fulls on the 9th at min
utes after O'Clock in the evening, standard
time. She is In conjunction with Neptune on
the 18th, the day of her last quarter, and with
Saturn on the 10th. She makes a close con-