Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-04
JULY IN THE SKY.

JULY is exceptional for the surprising
beauty of its moonlit and starlit sky, and
this happens most fortunately at the season
of tho year when outdoor life Is most at
tractive, and those who take pleasure in the
study Of the starry heavens are best enabled
to pursue their investigations. Beneath the
grand sky reach that arches over the sea-
shore, the mountains, or the rural resorts.
the planets are found playing their allotted
parts amid the glory OF the stars.
Our satellite is no insignificant member Of
the planetary community during the month.
She passes through five phases, two of them
being that of first quarter, on the 1st and on
the 31st Twice she heads her shining path
low down in the south. where she seems so
much nearer than when, on winter nights,
she scars high up in the north. She is lovely
as, in crescent form, says the New York
Times, she meets and passes the planets and
the brightest stars which make the July
nights beautiful as dream.
The earth has also her mission to perform
on the monthly calendar, for she was in
aphelion on the 1st at 3 o'clock in the morn
ing. She was then 100000 miles further
from the sun than in January. The inhab-
itants of oar north temperate zone have
reason to be grateful that the heat of the
sun is mercifully tempered by his greater
distance.
The Sun Il an Early Riser Now.
The sun now rises about 4:15 o'clock and
sets about 7.2O o'clock, making the days
somewhat over is hours in length. Before
the month closes we shall find that our day
light has been reduced by an hour from
what it was at the time Of the summer
solstice. There is difference in declination
of 30 as the sun moves toward the equator,
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the month, his motion then being three
times as rapid as it is to-day.
The brightness of the sun is among the
most wonderful things in nature, and in con-
which we are particularly told to keep in
mind. First, the beauty and brilliancy OF
the lovely days of this early summer season;
Then we must remember that all this Hood
of light comes from single lamp
at q most tremendous distance. Fin
ally we are to recolect that the sun is not
like a bulrs-eye lantern, concentrating all
his light specially for our benefit. but tnat
he ditfuses it equally around, and that we
do not get on this earth the two-thousand-
mlllionth part of What he gives out SO plen-
teousiy. When we think of the brightness
of day, which we love so much, and of the
distance from which that light has come,
Notwithstanding that the sun d1spenses
with all assistance from condensing appil,
ances, we can begin partly to comprehend
the suns true magnif1cence.
Venus, once so conspicuous an object IN
the evening skies, shining as she did with
unparalleled splendor. is: alas! now conspic,
western sky as night closes in it 1s.w1th a
feeling of disappointment thar we turn
away without being rewarded with
glimpse OF heavens fairest twinkler On
the 9Th Venus ceases to be grouped among
the evening stars, as she is on that day in
inferior conf junction with the sun, and, hav-
ing passed that luminary, she joins the
morning stars, and once more challenges
Jupiter to a contest for supremacy. In
another month, then, the early riser Will
see her fair face shining in the East the har-
binger OF approaching day.
Saturn Shows Up Pale and Dull.
The pale, dull star in the western skies
throughout the evening is the planet Saturn
which does not possess quite the same
amount of interest to US at present as he does
when his wonderful rings are showing and
he is nearer the earth. We shall not have
him much nearer US this year, although we
shall be enabled to have a somewhat better
view of his rings as they gradually come
into more favorable position for our obser-
vation Saturn and the fourdays-old cres-
cent OF the growing moon are in onjunction
on the 29th, and we shall have a fair picture
to gaze upon, if the night prove clear, as
Regulus and Spica, both first-magn1tude
stars and others of the brighter stars of less
magnitude are in that locality ready to form
q brilliant setting to the piece.
On account of the great distance Of Saturn,
its movements are much slower than those
of the other planets known to the ancients.
Twenty-nine years and q half are required
for this distant obje to complete it! circuit
of the heavens, and though this movement
is slow compared to the fncessant changes
of Venus, vet it is rapid enough to attract
the attention Of any careful observer. Even
in month the planet traverses an are of
the sky, which can be detected by anyone
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with regard to the stars in its vicinity.
Have you seen Mars yet? Ii not, try to
have look at him and keep him in view for
a month. 1t will repay the effort. if such it
be. and will add to the interest of all that
We shall have to read about him during the
next few weeks. Besides which it will be
number of years before he Will again be SO
favorably placed for our observation. He
rises about 9:45 o'clock in the evening. and
gets up still earlier as the month advances,
until he manages to bob up just as the sun
light will be perceptible as the time comes
for the phenomenon called opposition. and we
can quite readily convince ourselves that he
is about to become an object OF all-absorb-
full telescopes will be directed in the ardent
hope of settling some of the old problems
and of discovering things Of which we have
now but the slightest idea.
Mars but Few Steps Away.
It is known to-day that there are many
points OF similarity between the earth ana
Mars. The Marsian axis inciines to the
plane of the ecliptie at exactly the angle OF
the axis of this earth, and therefore the
Marsian seasons will correspond to our own.
He has day and night almost as we have;
rain, dew, sunshine-but has he vegetation
and life? Although he will be IS, 1000, 900 miles
away, the powerful magnifying lenses will
make him appear as though he were some
q 900 times his present size. Mars but 1880
miles away! What wonder, then, that as
tronomers are feverish with anxiety for the
earlv August days.
Mercury is evening star, and is drawing
away to his furthest eastward from the sun,
which position he reaches on the 29tb, and
will then begin to retrace his steps. If we
look about 100 to the left of the sunset point
soon after the sun sinks to rest, we shall find
g. twinkler brighter than those about him
and shining with clear white light. This
will be Mercury on one of his periodical
visits to a position where he enables us to
have a look at his face. The planet, when
furthest from the sun, will be In the con-
stellation of the Lion, and about half way
between Mercury and the sun Is Regulus,
bright frst-magnitude star.
Uranus begins the series OF conJunct1ons
with the moon, being within three-quarters
of a degree of that luminary to-day. On the
last day of the month the growing crescent
and the distant planet are again together,
q closer meeting than the first, only space
equal to the diameter of the moon separ-
ating the two. Uranus is an evening star, Is
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