The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-07-02
THE STARS.


ain summer, when the sun runs high
the full moon runs low" is being verified
these days to nearly its fullest extent. Far
toward the northeast appears the first
glimmer of daybreak, the white MONDAY
sun shines but little south of the zenith,
and the golden disc of evening sinks below
the horizon far in the northwest. In lati-
tudes north Of $50 and south of the Arctic
circle the sun runs so high that twilight
lasts until dawn, while in regions near the
pole its entire course is visible and the
beams of a midnight sun gladden. the icy
scene.
As a result, in the present season the
days are longest. being now about fourteen
hours and forty-fye minutes in length,
though ii must be admitted that to Califor-
mia, with all its manifold advantages, the
long, long summer day, so emphasized In
song and story Of northerly lati udes, is
unknown in the full beauty of its lingering
stay. With regard to the latter portion of
the aphOrism its accuracy may be ascer-
tanned by observing the full moon on the
I'd inst. as it rises about Z 10 o'clock in the
evening in the southeast, and, Ecrossing the
heavens at a distance nouceably far
south of the point overhead, sets in
the southwest at sunrise on the folio W
ing morning. As all sare aware, the
seeming movement of the armament
including the sun and moon from east to
west is the effect of the eaTth's motion on
i IS axis in the opposite direction, and their
positions, with regard 10 our horizon, de-
pend on the relation of our horizon TO the
celestial circles. But another matter rela-
tive to the aspects of the solar and lunar
discs during the first days Of the present
month is. perhaps, not so well known.
July I'd the earth is in the part OF It's path
way round the sun farthest from that
luminary; consequently, by measurement,
the solar disc is found to lie one-thirtleth
smaller than On the 1St of January, when it
is about 100000 miles less distant. 1t
happens this year that the moon Will be In
perigee, or the point of its pathway nearest
to the earth, on the Sd inst, and seeming
about one-s1Xth larger than when in the
faTthest point. There will be noticeable
difference between the sizes OF the rising
sun and the setting moon on that morning.
An hour previous, early risers may also
have an opportunity of observing The planet
Mercury, which is now morning star,
and is pretty close to the horizon in the
northeast at dawn. 1t is the lowest point
of a large triangle formed by Capella, Aide
baran and the planet.
Venus, the evening star. is visible in the
northwest until o'clock in the evening
and needs no description IN order TO be DIS
tinguished, except that 1t is the brightest
and most siyeTy of all stellar lights.
Higher and moro to the south is Saturn In
the constellation of the sickle" easily dis
cerned on clear night.
TO most persons, and even to some star
gaZers, the planet Uranus is still an un-
known CLEAN, its immense distance and
slow pace protecting il from general Obser-
walton as securely as in the past ages, when
it eluded the searching gaze of many as
trOnomers until Herschel in 1871 detected
its faint disc among the starry myriads.
In vain HipDarchus, Pt0lemy and even
Calico scanned the planetary pathway on
the cleaTest and darkest of nights; the faint
orb wendell its long way round the heavens
almost ON the ecliptic, unknown If not IN
seen, and is thus. comparatively speaking,
a recently discovered member of the solar
system.
Dim and undiScerDible though 1t be, its
disc is probably four times the diameter of
the evening star, but being about one thou
sand eight hundred millions of miles from
the sun it is far outside the earth's path
way and takes eighty-fOur years to COM
plete its wide circuit The following dia-
gram will enable many to recognize in the
western heavens the faint CLEAN that is
such gem in the crown of human genius,
and moreover that has been link of light.
revealing unsupported planetary orbs be-
yond.
No l in the diagram is Uranus. The
Obique line is the earth's path ii it were eX-
tended out to the remote fixed stars that
streH the celestial vault in line with its
course, and rather strangely the path of
Uranus would coincide with it more than
that of any other orb not excepting the
moon. No 3, Spica, a fixed star Of the first