Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-06-13
THE HEAVENS IN JUNE.

less attractive than they were in May.
Mercury will not only be visible after
sunset during the first half of the
month, but that shy planet will per-
form an exceedingly interesting evolu-
ton with Jupiter. On the first of
June Mercury will be seen about six
degrees west, or on the sunward side,
of Jupiter. But in consequence of its
more rapid motion eastward, it will
approach the giant planet, gaining
about three quarters of degree upon
the latter every day, and on the 9Th
will overtake it passing on the north
at distance of only forty -seven min
utes. The nearest approach will occur
at 10 o'clock in the morning. After
ward Mercury will continue to forge
ahead of Jupiter until the afternoon
of the 18th, when it will turn back and
begin rapid flight sunward, meeting
and passing Jupiter on the south at a
distance of two degrees and thirty-four
minutes at 9p. m. on the 21st. Then
it will again distance it's great COM
petitor until it disappears in the solar
rays.
Jupiter itself practically passes off
the stage this month, getting too near
the sun at the close to be well seen.
at is still in the constellation of
@Gemini.
Mars will remain in view little
longer than Jupiter, but the ruddy
planet has moved SO far away in its
obit that it no longer possesses any
special interest as telescope object,
while for the naked eye it has sunk in
to comparative insignifcance. The
question is whether Mars has or has
not an atmosphere sufficient to sup
port life resembling that of the earth
has not yet been settled to the general
satisfaction of the disputants. Mars
passes from Gemini into Cancer early
in the month and continues in the last
named constellation during the re-
mainder of June.
Venus, which so completely outshone
Jupiter during May, will grow still
brighter in June. There is All educa-
ton in the science of light in study
of the causes which make planet less
than 5000 miles in diameter appear so
much brighter than planet more
than $4,000 miles in diameter. The
primary cause is, of cOure, the com
parative nearness of the former to the
sun and to the earth. Venus, seen
with telescope, will be very near the
half-moon phase at the end of the
month. She is moving eastward and
southwark and will be in conjunction
with Mars on the 5th at o'clock in the
morning. From Gemini she passes on
the 5th into Cancer, and from Cancer
h on the 25th into Leo.
Nepture in Taurus is too near the
| sun to be observed.
Saturn, remaining in Virgo, some
| ten degrees almost directly east OF
Spica, is the most attractive planet on
the list of telescope observation. The
smallest telescope worthy Of the name
suffices to reveal the principal charm
of Saturn, the wonderful system OF
rings suspended above its equator. II
gives the observer picturesque sense
of the enormous distance across which
he is looking to recall while his eye is
at the telescope, the fact that those
rings measure almost 10000 from enc
to end of the elliptical figure which
they present. There is no lack of ex
hibitiOn space in the solar system.
The spectroscopic discovery, made
by Prof. j. E. Keller, of the Allegheny
Observatory, that the rings of Saturn
actually consist-as Maxwell long age
automatically proved that they must
do-of swarms of small satellites OF
meteorites, is one of the finest of recent
achievements in practical astronomy
Prof. Keeler's proof, which is wonder
fully interesting as well as convincing
consists photographs of the spectrum
of the planet and its rings, which show
the spectral lines displaced in such q
Way as to indicate that the inner edge
of the ring system revolves around the
planet nearly mile and quarter in q
second faster than the outer and nearly
two miles and quarter faster thar
the outer edge. The movements of the
various parts of the system as thus
ascertained agree satisfactorily will
the velocities that satellites revolving
around the planet at corresponding
distances should have according tt
Kepler's third law of planetary motion
Uranus remains near the star NJ in
Libra and some three degrees nearly
east of Alpha Libr@. 1t is about equa
in brightness to star of the sixth
magnitude and can consequently bt
seen with the naked eye. 1t may bt
recognized by the aid of the field glass
by noticing for several nights in sue
cession its position with reference tt
small stars near it. If careful chart.
are drawn of the field of view, the