The Portland daily press., 1894-07-03

THE HEAVENS IN MIDSUMMER.
Arrival of the Earth at the Appleton
Point In Its Career,
On. Y. Times.)

Among the phenomena that one always
| finds at this season is the arrival of the
earth at the aphelion point in its career.
| This event takes place on the Sd, when the
| fierce heat of Summer is mercifully tenn
! pered in the north temperate zone by the
| suns 900 mile of extra distance. 1t is
| well known that, while this ditance strikes
I us as being something tremendous, it is of
| comparatively small account in celestial
computations Still, now that so much it
| said of sunspots and other outbreaks and
explosions on the disk of the sun, some of
us may have safer feeling in knowing that
| we are just at present as far away from
| them as We can get.
| Before July is over we shall be regretting
| the fact that our allowance of daylight has
begun to decrease, and, if we stop to con-
| slider, we shall find that almost three-quar-
| tiers of an hour has been taken from us.
| However, just when the Summers eyes are
| brightest it is hardly to be expected that We
should anticipate the long nights and short
days of our Winter season. The suns pace
has vislby quickened since the day of the
Summer solstice, and he succeeds in passing
| over five degrees of declination on his way
toward the equator.
The July moon comes to us in time to take
part in the Fourth of July celebration, al
though it is rather too young at that time
fully to embrace the significance of the oc-
casion, and it is not until the 1Sth that we
have it in all its fullness, journeying in
calm and silver glory throughout the night
In the monthly roll of, lunar conjunction
there is not one that is of particular mo-
ment, as the space separating the moon
from the planets is much too great to add
to the scenic effect.
The geography of the moon, so far as con-
Germs the side toward us, has been. carefully
mapped and studied, and may almost be
said to be as well known as that of our own
earth. The scenery is in a high degree
weird and rugged; it is great wilderness
of extinct volcanoes, and, seen with even
very moderate telescope, is most beauti-
full object. The mountains of great size,
some of them reaching an altitude $1,000
feet; but this reckons to the lowest depres-
sion, and it must be be remembered that
on the earth we reckon the heightof mount
aims from the sea lie rel only. Several of the
craters on the moon have a diameter of 40
OF SO miles, while one of them is said to
measure rs miles. Many also have central
cones closely resembling those in our own
volcanic regions. In some cases it looks as
craters. The volcanoes, however. in spite
of this appearance, seem to be all extinct;
and astronomers. believe, agree very well
in the statement that no evidence OF con-
elusive nature exists in relation to there
having been any change in lunar mountains.
The July heas ems disclose somwehat of
change in the consultations presented to
THE DIPPER
now has it's top nearly perpendicular Ito the
horizon, while the Camelopard is below the
pole. The constellation Perseus has nearly
passed from below the pole close by the
horizon, and a part of Auriga is taking its
place. But the bright star Capella, which
is the glory of this constellation, is beneath
the horizon for all places south of this lati-
tude.
1t is in the south that at present the heavens
present the most glorious display. The con-
trast, in fact. between the northern and
southern skies is very strange. Toward the
north the region below the pole shows not
a single star above the fourth magnitude,
while in the south we have region singu-
larly rich in large stars, chief among them,
being Antares, the Heart of the Scorpion.
and perhaps the most beautiful of all the
red stars The word Antares means, in
fact ssthe rival of Mars Antares cannot,
however, really be said to rival in ruddi-
ness or splendor the great war planet when
at his brightest.
Libra, which by rights should sway as the
southern zodiacal constellation one month
out of the twelve, has somewhat passed the
south when twilightsgives place todarkness,
and we can see the diamond points glitter
ing in the celestial vault. The constellation
of Libra has thirty degrees like the rest.
and probably the original constellation had
it's due extension. A story is told by Ser
vius to the effect that the Standardization
zodiac had only eleven signs, and that
Libra was made out of the claws of Scorpio
But there is held to be ample evidence to
show that both the sign and constellation
Libra belonged to the earliest Chaldean and
Egyptian zodiacs. The group known as
Ophiuchus, which is close to the Scorpion,
has been supposed by some to represent
Aesculapius and by others to. be another
celestial Hercules. Novidusi insists that it
prefgured the miracle of st. Paul and the
viper,in which case the Maltese viper was
considerably magnifed in anticipation.
The figure is quite absurd in its proportions,
the legs being singularly feeble. 1t must,
however, be admitted that the poor chap is
somewhat awka1dly placed. The serpent,
from which the name Ophicuchus, the ser
pent-bearer, is derived, would probably
strike anybody as being quite enough to &C.
cupy the attention of one man; yet scor-
pion is close by ready to sting one leg and
to pinch the other. The club of Hercules
may be meant for the serpent, and the ar
row of the Archer for the scorpion, but to
all appearances they seem to threaten the
serpent-bearer quite as much.
In the east the double part of
THE MILKY WAY
has now risen high above the horizon, and
in clear weather can be studied much more
advantageously than asmonth later. The
dark spaces, sometimes called the northern
coalsacks, in the constellation of the Swan,
shouldsbe noticed. The whole of this part
of the Milky Way is full of interest for the
telescopist. Even with good opera glass
the bright parts of the galaxy here will be
found to be ablaze with stars. The little
constellation Delphinus, OF Dolphin, is now
conveniently situated nearly due east
Equus, the lesser horse, is below it, Pega-