Wichita eagle., 1888-08-01
PHENOMENA FOX AUGUST.

There is partial eclipse of the sun on
the eth, but il is visible only around the
north pole.
Jupiter is the only one OF the plane Is
that has interest for small glasses. and
even this planet is rapidly on the wane 50
that by the end of the month there Will
not be major planet in position favora-
BILE for study except Neptune, which may
be seen in the morning hours by large tel
Escapes.
To take the place of planets are nebule,
double stars and the rich region OF the
galaxy that is now ntar our vertical me-
ridian in the early evening.
During July interesting observations OF
the transit of Jupiter's satellites were
made with the o. inch reflector.
One striking feature attending transit
of satellite is the passage of the satel-
lites shadow across the disc of the planet.
Interest in viewing it is hei ghtened when
one knows that he is looking at a shadow
which is 400, 00O, 900 miles from him, and
feels that he sees it as surely as he may see
his own shadow on the earth at monday.
During the sum mer school inexperienced
but patient and interested Observers
much satisfaction. Several transits occur
every month.
Jupiter is now in Libra, but by the end
of the month will enter Scorpio, constel-
lation easily traced, beginning just below
ard east of the divide in the milky way,
curving by string of stars around the
southern point of tn divide and then
bearing north and west until 1t is ter
minated by transverse row OF stars IN
the broad arms of the scorpion.
Just west of Jupiter, in direct line be
tween two stars, the east one in Libra and
the west one in Virgo, is Mars. II is recog-
nized by it's rudy hue and by its not
twinkling.
Venus may be glimpsed at the last Of the
month as an evening star.
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE SUN.
1t NAV not be Improbable, in these
monthly articles, to give, in addition to the
phenomena for the month, some facts and
theories regarding the solar system, and
later, regarding the materials and structure
of the universe.
The size of the sun is not realized by
simply learning that it is $4,000 miles in
diameter. The following Illustrations
may help the mind in al effort to conceive
the size of the sun. The moon, in round
numbers, go, 600 miles from the earth. If
the earth accompanied by its moon, were
placad at the center Of the sun, not only
would the moon have room enough to re
volve inside the sphere of the sun, but the
sun would extend more than 10000 miles
beyond the moons orbit.
Again it may be said that II the sun
were worked up into balls the size of the
earth there would be 1,2i5,000 such balls.
Yet these figures give no conception Of the
size of the sun, because in the first place
we cannot think of 81 ,245, 900 earths, and in
the second place the size OF the earth,
which is a mere speck in space, is beyond
the comprehension of and finite mind We
can easily determine that there are 2J9
billion cubic miles in the earth, but we
know not the meaning of the figures. Per
haps one may think of block each of
whose dimensions is one mile but he can
not think OF $50 billion such
blocks If at the birth OF
Christ work had been begun
of fashioning the material of earth into
cubic-mile blocks, and if in every minute
since that time one such block had been
fashioned, there would not yet in A. D.,
1855. be one million such blocks finished,
and to work up the whole earth into cubic
mile blocks, at the rate OF one per minnie,
would require more than 2J9 times 1888
years Yet the sun is ! .245,0oO times as
large as the earth. The illustrations of
the size Of the size of the sun VIII not
illustrate. because We can not grasp them,
and we may as well content ourselves by
saying with the Frenchman, it is pretty
big The suns distance, its motions, how
its heat is kept up. how long it has been
giving out heat, how long il will continue
TO give out heat, must be reserved for the
future