The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-03

as the best month for meteoric showers,
August comes in for its share, and is by
no means bad second. There will
pro badly be an exhibition of these fiery
little stars that have been prettily named
Tears of St. Lawrence" in memory OF
the martyred saint whose birth occurred
on August 10, 258 years after the begin
ming of the present era. They are to be
looked for from the 8th to the 18th OF
the month.
The Perseids, or August meteors, are
old inhabitants of the solar system, and
the particles are widely scattered
throughout the immense meteor zone,
whose perihelion or nearest point to this
star rests on the earth's orbit and whose
ophelion or furthest boundary lies far
beyond the path of the distant Neptune.
They get the name of Perseids because
the point from which they start is sit
uated in the constellation of Perseus. The
earth every year about August 10 plunges
into the meteor zone, and its citizens are
sure of fair display of young comets, as
the small boy called them.
The speed with which the sun is has
tening toward the equator warns inhabi-
tants of the earth that the longer days
are far too rapidly equaliZing themselves
with the shorter nights, and that it will
not be many weeks before people will be
talking about the Autumn happenings.
The SUMS motion to the southwark in
creases almost SO per cent. over it's pres
ent movement, and the close of August
will find it with less than nine degrees
of declination to go before the autumnal
equinox is reached. Mercury is. in infe-
rior conjunction and Jupiter inquadra-
ture with the sun, which two events are
the only ones of particular moment in
which the sun and planets are concerned
at the same time.
Tho, ny,fr a1,c1 fh0 nh of los
quarter on the 4th, and two days later is
in conjunction with Jupiter, followed on
the next day by conjunction with Nep-.
tune. On the 18th, when the new moon
is due, there will be conjunction with
Mercury, followed on the 18th with a
similar meeting with Mars. On the 18th
Luna's white arms are extended toward
Venus; but while this is the nearest APP
proach toward an attractive picture that
observers are to be favored with for the
month, it misses being equal to many
that have already been seen. Later in
the year, however, there are to be others
whose brilliancy and picturesqueness
are well worth waiting for. On the 18th
Uranus receives visit, but the distance
of degree and half prevents there be
ing nything worthy of special comment.
Uranus and the quartering moon are at
their nearest on the 18th, with which
event the monthly record closes. 1t will
be observed that while there are seven of
these coniun ctions for the month, all,
with the last named excepted, occur in
the first half of the month, leaving an
unusually long time to elapse before
those for September begin.
The Milky Way toward the south at
this season is well worth studying. 1t
is strange when those complex branches,
loops. and curdling masses are looked
at to find number of the books of gas
tronomy still asserting that the Milky
WAY is a faint stream OF misty light Cir
cling the celestial sphere. Remembering,
too, that it is entirely made up of clus-
tering stars, as sands on the seashore for
multitude, each star in all probability
being a sun glowing with its own inner
emit light and heat, startling thoughts are
suggested respecting the immensely of
the universe.
Venus continues drawing further and
further from the sun, giving the while
longer look at her fair face until early in
December, when, at o distance of AZ de-
grees 90 minutes from the center of the
solar system, she will have reached the
position known as greatest eastern elon-
CATION On the 18th at about o'clock in
the morning Venus is in conjunction
with the moon, which passes about one
degree and three-quarters to the north
ward.
ming star, but on the Sth is in inferior
conjunction with the sun, and, passing
to the westward, is for the remainder of
the month classed with the morning
planets. Though Mercury is really much
larger than the moon,, it is so very far
off that its telescope appearance is in
significant. Through the glass it is seen,
not usually as circular object, but more
OF less crescent-shaped, like miniature
moon. The planet is a globe composed,
like the earth, of materials possessing in
themselves no source OF illumination,
but one-half of Mercury must always
be turned toward the sun, and this half
is accordingly lighted. up brilliantly.
Nothing OF sthe non-liluminated side is
shortened view obtained of the illumin-
ated half. Mercury is such small OBJ
iect that, in the glitter of the naked eye
view. the shape of the luminous body
cannot be defined. Indeed, even in the
much larger crescent of Venus, the aid of
the telescope has to be invoked before
the crescent form can be observed.
their closest on the 18th, which tells
the observer that the planet is morning
star. Neptune is drawing away from
the sun, and next month will be in quad
nature, or so degrees from the sun, on its
way to the position of opposition, which
it will reach early in December. The
planet is in the constellation of Taurus,
in declination 20 degrees SO minutes north
and 4 hours and Al minutes right ascen-
sion.
Jupiter readily catches the eye of those
who rise before the sun filings its fires to
highest Heaven and dims the brightness
10 ali other celestial wonders The morn
fng star is, indeed, well worth the exertion
of early rising, as it is large and brill
liant, and being about six hours ahead of
sunrise, has fine chance to pose as the
most conspicuous object in the eastern
pIeted quarter Of it's distance around
the SUI, as upon that day it reaches the
posifion of auadrature. On the siYtb r.
IS in opposition with the moon, but AT far
too great distance to prove an attrae-
ton.
Mars, the warrior, has now sunk into