Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-08-02
THE AUGUST SKIES.
New York Mail and Express.


August is a good month for star-ga
ing-not because the most brilliant stars
are on parade, for they are not, but be-
cause the terrestrial conditions are IA
vorable This is the month of all 9TH
ers when people are out in the evening,
when couples wander in woodland paths
and parties make the night melodiouS
on the mOonlit surfaces of mountain
lakes. The August nights are longer
than those of July. The sun, which on
the first of July did not set until 7:35,
now goes below the western horizon
nearly twenty minutes earlier. The
twilight fingers until after s, and this
is perhaps the most delightful time of
day. when the rosy glow is paling in the
west, and the stars are coming out one
by one from behind their invisible cur
tains, and growing brighter minute by
minute.
The best time for observing the stars
will be in the first half of the month,
while the moon is new. After the middle
of August she will be regnant in the sky,
and all lesser lights will pale before her.
She is just entering her last quarter now,
and is new on the 9TH, little after noon.
Her silver horn will be first family dis
cerned in the west two or three days af-
| ter that, and on the Goth she will shine
in full-orbed glory.
OF the planets, Venus is so close to
the sun that she is not yet visible. To-
ward the end of the month she may per
/ L L. ho OF
sunset; but the planets that are on show
at present are Mars and Jupiter. Mars
is not nearly so bright now as he was a
wear or two ago, for he is receding from
the earth; but he still shines with more
than the luster of first magnitude star,
as may be seen by comparing him with
his late companion, Spica, from whom
he is now so fast vanishing away. He
is apparently bent on catching Jupiter,
but he will not do it this month, al
though he is getting closer to his giant
brother every day.
Jupiter is in the constellation ScOrpio,
quite close to Beta, its second brightest
star, and not very far away from red
Antares, whose ruddy glow rivals that
of Mars. These are all almost directly
south early in the evening, and most IA
vorably situated for observation. The
other planets are now invisible.
OF the fixed stars, the brightest now
visible is Arcturus, who is a little west
of the zenith at 8 o'clock and declines
toward the horizon as the night grows.
Vega is visible in the northeast, and
climbs to top-heaven by midnight. Be
tween these two lies the beautiful semi
circle called Corona Borealis, OF the
Northern Crown. Antares has already
been mentioned. Affair will be found
the middle one of three stars in row,
like Orion's belt, but nearer together
right in the Milky Way; and further
north Cygnus, the Swan, spreads his gi-
ant wings The Great Bear is iii the
northwest, and CaSsiopeia's chair rises
above the northwestern horizon about y
o'clock. Polaris we have always with
us. The consultations of the Zodiac
that are now visible are Leo, which sets
very soon after sundown, Virgo, con-
tanning the bright star Spica, a little
west of Mars, Libra, which has no large
stars, Scorpio, which is the most easi-
ly distinguished and one of the brightest
of the summer consultations, and Sag
ittarius and Capricornus, which are not
easily made out by lay observers.