Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-04-28
Fascinating Facts About the Planet
and Its Family of RevoIv-
ing Moons.
It's Long Journey About the Sun, Its
Short Days and Polar
Regions.

as the most wonderful and interesting
member OF the planetary system. When
ssen at a convenient altitude above tbs
horizon, at or near opposition to the sun
the hinged planet" is the most charm
ing object, particularly when viewed with
a telescOre, that the heavens present to ou1
| observation. Second only to Jupiter in
mass and volume, Saturn far surpasses
that huge planet, both in the beauty and
| compiexIty Of its system, which forms q
spectacle as wonderful as 1T is UNIQUE.
and curious celestial combination being
without a parallel in the entire frma.
ment.
| Once every year and thirteen days Saturn
comes into opposition, at which time the
| planet vles with Jupiter and Venus In
brlll1ancy. AS the planet appears in near.
y the same position from month to month,
Its slow motion being almost impercept-
Idle, requiring two and One-half years to
pass over one sign of the zodiac, it NAV
be easily recognized among the stars, and
when once carefully located, it can not
possibly be mistaken for any other planet
visible to the naked eye. It shines with
the brllltancy of an ordinary frst-magni-
| tude star, and with a steady light of a
dull yellow color, which will alone enable
an observer to distinguish it from any
other celestial orb In its neighborhood.
But its apparent brightness varies consid-
2rably. and Just at present it is fainter
than tie average, owing to the closing
up or its ring system, which is seen nearly
edgewise, and is visible only through the
most powerful telescope.
Saturn was in opposition on March l6,
when 1t reached point $50 degrees from
| the sun, and being then nearest to the
earth 1t was the most favorabIy situate d
| for observation, either with the telescope
or by the naked eye. The planet is now
among the stars OF the constellation Leo.
or Lion, and may be seen at convenient
elevation, toward the southeast, about two
| hours after sunset. Saturn and the moon
| were IN coDjunction-that is, near togeth-
er on line extending north and south,
| both having the same ongitude-April 9,
and will be similarly situated again May
9, at which time the two orbs will be In
close proximity to each other, when the
| planet may be easily located and identi-
| fed.
Saturn is moving at present from east
to west, an appearance that is due to the
| fact that we upon the earth are moving
| and the sun. 1t will continue to retrogade
| in a westerly direction until May %, when
! it apparently becomes stationary, at which
time the earth, as seen from the planet,
| will be at its greatest western elcngatio0
| from the sun, and receding from Saturn
in nearly straight line at the rate of
| about eighteen miles per second.
During the present month the planet
will be a prominent and interesting object
| in the early evening, continuing above the
horizon until nearly daylight, and present
ing an appearance that can not fail to at
| tract the attention of those who enjoy an
occasional survey Of the heavens. 1t will
gradually appear fainter and smaller, as
| we are now receding from the planet, and
| 1t always gets farther away from US after
passing its opposition, though it will be
| quite prominent yet for many weeks TO
come.
It is interesting to note the important
lessons which modern astronomy has
| taught concerning the various members of
the planetary system, and among the re-
cent researches IN astronomical science few
| haze proved so instructive, Or been at
tended with such valuable and satisfac-
tory results as those directed to the planet
| Saturn, the glorious ''ringed world" To
| the ancients Saturn was the most distant
known planet from the sun, and was Ion
| believed to be situated at the extreme lin
| its Of the solar system. From the earliest
ages the mighty orb of Saturn was sup
posed to form the boundary of the solar
| system, and the ancient astronomers never
dreamed that other planets existed, and
would be discovered, still more remote
from the sun. The astrologerS selected
Saturn as the planet which, above all 9th
ers, worked the most mischievous effects
on the fortunes of the human race. He
was held to be not only a mean but an evil
planet, aptly named after the old god,
| whose cruelty was matched by his dizziness
and stupidity"
| To the amateur in astronomical science
| the planet Saturn can not but prove a most
charnirg and interesting object Of study
No person can observe this beautiful
planet through powerful telescope, par
ticularly for the first time, without being
inspired with an emotional love for astron
omy, as there are few revelations of the
marvellous science more interesting, start
ling, and sublime than those relating tC
this glorious orb-the most fascinating oil
the planets. and the miniature OF the solar
system. The late Professor Proctor made
these impressive remarks concerning this
wonderful planet: Il know of nothing
better calculated to lead men to choose
astronomy as their fayorite subject Of
study than the contenp lation Of the Sa
turnian system. can well remember the
sensation with which, some eight years
ago, | saw this beautiful planet for the
first time. | look on that view as my
introduction to the most fascinating of al
he sciences"
The planet Saturn is next to Jupiter
both in size and distance from the sun. Il
re quires twenty nine and one-half years
to complete single revolution around The
sun, at a mean distance of $4,000, 00(
miles, which is nearly twice the distance
of Jupiter, and owing to the eccentricity
of its immense orbit, the planet is abou
100, 600, 600 miles nearer the sun at peri
hellon than at aphelion. Its distanc,
from the earth is least at opposition ant
greatest at conjunction, but as the eartl
and Saturn occupy different positions il
their orbits, the distances between then
at different times, when nearest or farthos
from each other may vary 1O0, 600 00i
miles; and although the planet is SO i'm
mensely far away that this IS oDiy a sinai
fraction of its mean distance, the differ
ence is sufficient to produce considerable
variation in its apparent size and brillian
| cy. Though Saturn appears to travel 81
slowly over the armament, the planet i
in reality moving through space at ih
rate of 81 900 miles per hour.
: The diameter of Saturn is about 20, 50'
miles, which is nearly nine times that O
, the earth. Its volume is about $50 time
that of the earth, but the mass of tn
| nIa NOT doc pof ovoood the Garth "a mass !,