Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-31
THE HEAVEN IN JUNE.
A Choice Gift Which the Month of
Roses Can Bestow.
MOVEMENTS OF The PLANETS.
Old Sol the Greatest Factor in the Support
of Terrestrial Life.
COMETS AND THEIR FIERY TAILS

The choicest gift in the power of June tc
bestow is the summer solstice, which occur:
on the Goth, at GIG in the evening, as the
sun enters the sign of the Grab and astro
nomical summer begins The elimination
of old Soils power in the Northern Hemis
phere will then be reached His height a
noon is the greatest, the sunrise and sunse
points are furthest north, and the longes
day is succeeded by the shortest night
The sun is without doubt the greatest
factor in the support of terrestrial life, bu
his intense heat is tempered and governed
bv the elements, air and water, without
which life, as at present constituted on OH
globe, would be unsupportable. The totaI
area OF earth's surface is about 200, 900, 600
square miles, and of this only about one
fourth is land. The mean elevation of the
land above the sea is less than 9, 500 feet
while the mean depth of the ocean is prob
ably about 900 feet, saws a writer in
the Neu York Timex The total volume OF
the land above the sea level, therefore, is
only about one-twentieth of the volume oi
the ocean.
The surface of the ground quickly be-
comes heated bv the direct rays of the sun,
but it also quickly radiates its heat into the
air, producing an aerial current. The sur
face of the water, on the other hand, alb
sorbing the suns heat, rapidly communi-
Gates it to the adjoining stratum, and, radia-
tion from its surface being comparatively
slow, its currents transfer the heat ac-
qUired to distant points. The temporary
influence on the climate is the wind, taking
the heat and moisture from this heated
water and transferring it to the land.
1hs Moon Is Interesting.
The moon quarters early in the morning
OF the I'd of June, and the following day is
in conf JUNCTION with Saturn. On the 9th
there is conjunction with Uranus and as
the distance between the two is little less
than two diameters of the moon, we could
form fairly close estimate of the planets
Whereabouts to the southwark of our satel-
lite could we but see the meeting.
The next conjunction is with Mars on the
14th, followed five DAYS later by Jupiter
and the waning crescent being at their
closest for the month. Neptune's turn
comes next, and there is too great distance
between the two for a pretty effect, even
were they no further removed from the sIn
On the oath Mercury and the young moon
hobnob together, and on the 25th we have
Venus In com JUNCTION, without there being
anything noteworthy in the event The
series closes on the 29th, just before the
month ends. by Saturn again exchanging
compliments with the fair Luna. This
second visit, although little closer than
the first, has nothing to particularly recon-
mend it to our consideration.
Venus graced the month by appearing in
her role of greatest brilliancy. She is still
pursuing us as we revolve about the sun,
and as she draws nearer her size increases
She is, however, yielding to the strain of
the chain that binds her to the sun, and be-
fore the month closes the beautiful queen
of the night will be lost to us. We may
still find her in daylight if we have sharp
enough eyes, as she comes to our meridian
about two hours and three-quarters after
noontime and is then about one-sixth of the
distance from the zenith to the horizon.
Mars Growing Very Fast
Mars is q morning. star, although he rises
little after IL o'flock in the evening and
gets up earlier aud earlier as the month ad-
vaEces. He is in conf junction with the moon
on the 14th, and is in the constellation of
Capricornus He is growing larger quite
perceptibly and at the close of June will be
tour times the size he was when the year
began. In August, when he is in opposi-
tion, he will be most glorious object, and
we shall have his ruddy face to gaze upon
throughout the night.
Venus and Mars have, from one point of
view, quite peculiar claims on our attention
They are our nearest planetary neighbors
on either side. We may naturally expect
to learn more OF them than of the other
planets further off In the case OF Venus,
however, this anticipation can hardly be
realized, as its dazzling brilliancy prevents
US from making a really satisfactory tele-
scOpic examination.
When We turn to our other planetary
neighbor, Mars, we are enabled to learn a
good deal with regard to his appearance.
Indeed, with the exception OF the mooI,
we are better acquainted with the details
of the surface of Mars than with those of
any other celestial body.
Saturn is evening star, and in the small
hours of the morning of the 18th he is in
quadrature, or 900 removed from the sun.
His steady light, of slightly ruddy tinge,
makes him quite easily distinguished, as he
bears south about o'clock, and is about
half way between overhead and the horizon.
He has again resumed his eastern course
among the stars, and will continue to hold
it the remainder of the year.
He performs his mighty revolution around
the sun in the period of quarter of a GEN.
turv. This gigantic orbit formed the bound
airy to the planetary system, so far as it was
known to the ancients.
Jupiter Closer Acquaintance
Jupiter is morning star, and rises about 2
o'clock He is nearly at the average dis
tance from the earth, but is gradually ap-
preaching us, and is in consequence gaining
IN brilliancy and size. He is in conjunction
with the moon on the 18th, and. although
not very close meeting, the waning cres-
cent and the beautiful star viii form a lovely
picture in the early morning skies
Mercury and Neptune have little meet
ing of their own about midnight on the 10th.
but as they will at that time be below the
horizon, we shall not be allowed the privi-
lege of seeing it. A few hours before as
Economical summer begins Mercury is in
conjunction with the sun, so that when next
we see the elusive planet he will be an
evening star. He is always so near the sun,
and is SO constantly lodging in and out of
the rays of the larger body, that We seldom
get a look at him. On the oath Mercury
and the new moon come to their nearest for
the month.
Neptune and the waning crescent are in
conjunction just before the old moon loses
itself to reappear as the new. So from this
we can conclude that the planet has ranged
himself under Jupiter's banner and now
forms one of the. morning stars. On the
9th, early In the morning, Uranus and the
moon are In conjunction, the meeting being
the closest for the month.
A line from the pole star through the end
of Cassiopeia produced as far again will
conduct the eye to the center of the Great
Square of Pegasus. Near the upper corner
star of this square is a comet that is rush
ing along at the rate of hundreds of miles
in a minute. Exactly where il came from,
just where it is bound, or when we are to
see it again are matters that are not at pres
ent satisfactorily settled.