Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-01
CELESTIAL PHENOMENA.

CELESTIAL PHENOMENA.
To the Editor Of the Daily Eagle.
Four planets may be seen by the naked
eye during the month. Venus and Mars
are visible in the early evening. The for
mer is, on the first of the month, an hour
west of the latter. and is by far the bright
est object in the evening sky. The tele-
scope has been tried on Venus for the pur-
pose of studying its phases, but its south
ern defamation is unfavorable to good see
ing.
During the month of November Venus
swept past majestic Jupiter with all that
feminine grace and haughtiness which a
goddess of beauty can command In the
presence of an acknowledged superior.
During December she is approaching
bloody Mars, the military hero who, once
in few years, stands out as her rival in
brightness. On the last day of the month
Venus will be three minutes west
of Mars and within a degree north
of it, both planets appealing IN the same
field of low power eye-Diece.
Jupiter is wholly lost in the suns rays.
Saturn rises on the first of the month
about 10 o'clock p. N. and By the last OF
the month will be high enough for even
ing observation. His northern declina-
ton renders his position favorable for OBJ
servation of the planet Those permitted
to observe by the telescope will be inter
ested 10 noting the change in the apparent
position of his rings since last spring.
The planet is just entering the constella-
ton Leo 1t can be easily recognized by
the naked eye. 1t will not twinkle and
may thus lie distinguished from the other
| stars about it.
Uranus is more than five hours east OF
Saturn, in Virgo. 1t requires good eye
to pick it up. unless one knows where te
| look.
Observers may be interested in noting
| the changes that take place in the variable
star Algol Most OF the time 1t shines ii
| d second magnitude star, but about every
/ "a, ooh, 49m it drops to fourth magnl
| tude star 1t remains at this degree o.
! brightness less than twenty minutes, anc
returns in about four hours to second
magnitude The star is in Perseus. 1t Il
high in the noiheast in the early morning
and by 10 O'Clock D. M, must be very
nearly on the meridian, little north o.
| the zenith. Any one having star maj
may find it by its right ascension and de
clination 1t is in K. A. 3h, ON, and Decl
| n, 40 dregrees, 80 minutes. The approx
mate times of its minima for the evening
hours are aiven in the table below. Int
! figures are taken from the Astronomical
| Journal, No. 49,
ABOUT THE sun.
! Sun spots-What are they? They art
| depresslons in the photasphere or surface
| of the sun. This is made evident when
spot is seen on the edge of the sun. Il
/ makes a notch in the circular limb OF thu
sun. The spots are suppo ed to b'
caused by cold currents ascending
| from the upper regions of the suns atmos
phere, and making depressions in tbs
semi fluid or grseous surface OF the sun
/ The spots are dark relative TO the sur
rounding light, and are not absolutel,
/ dark Being depressions the light has Il
come through a greater amount of atmos
phere, hence more of the light is absorbed
| How large is a sun spoty 1t Is hardl.
possible to conceive of the immense are;
sometimes covered by one of these spots
/ To say that the earth, nay, II whole sackfu
of earths could be dropped into sun spo
without touching its sides, is but teeoi
! illustration of the size spot may have.
The spots are seen not more than thIr'
degrees lorth or south of the suns equator
They may move from this region towar'
the equator and disappear at about ten &c
grees north or south latitude.
Spots enable us to determine the time G
the suns rotation on its axis. A spot ap
pears on the eastern limb of the su
passes across the face, in a little more thai
twelve days disappears on the western
limb, aud, in ab ut twelve and one-hai
day., reappears on the eastern limb. Thi
shows that the sun turns on its axis iron
l west to east, once IN about twenty-hy
days.
IS there always the same number of SUI
spots? Prof Langley, in his New As
tronomy says: Il may venture to say tina
the spots, 50 frequent in 1885. Will hav
probably nearly disappeared in 1888, an
will probably be very plentiful in 1894
do not know at all why this is likely t
happen; | only know that it has repeadl
happened at corresponding periods In tn
past" The period is about eleven years
Just as Prof. Langley predicted, the spot
are very scarce n 1888, none at all havln
been seen in the few attempts made at th
university In 1854 there was, l think
not a day, when the suns image wa
thrown on the screen. that spots were no
seen. In 1884 they will again be pler
tiful.
Is there any connection between .su
spots and terrestrial phenomenal Fact
are collated, showing a correspondence, a
to time, among sun spots, variation o
magnetic needle and northern light:
When there is large number of sun spot
there is profusion of northern lights an
a greater variation in the magnetic needle
Whether there is a common cause for thes
three phenomena is unknown.
A suggestive hint is contained in sue
observed facts as the following: On
clear day there have been electric storm
of such violence as to prevent the use c
telegraphic and telephone wires; at th
same time observations Of the surface c
the sun showed wonderful changes, of til
nature OF terrific storms, taking plac
there. Even during few moments tina
the telegraph ceased to work, or that t5
magnetic needle was greatly disturbed
great changes were observed to be occurin
on the surface Of the sun