Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-11-05
THE SKlESDURlNG NOVEMBER
Motions of the Satellites of
Uranus and Neptune.
THE POSITION OF THE PLANETS
Measures of Time and the Solar
and Mean Day.
what the Reader win See in Looking Over
head Dnripa November Evenings = sng-
restions OF Greek Mythology-Ihe Con
stellatlon of Pisces.

In course OF the month or November tne
moon will undergo the following phases:
New on the 9th, first quarter on the 18th,
full on the 10Th and last quarter ON the
9th. She will be in apogee on the 18th
md in perigee on the 18th. The suns
distance from the equator will he IA Al
Pr, on the first and 21.o 81. 81" on the
last, moving more and more slowly as it
approaches the winter solstice. The APP
parent motion of the sun suggests and
in fact, furnishes a measure of time.
We're it not for the motions of our great
luriinary and of our faithful companion,
the moon, 1t would be difficult to dis
cover a sufficiently accurate measure of
time. In all the measurement, be it with
!. reference to distance to weight or to
time. a unit is necessary. These units
must refer to some objects that are not
subject to any appreciable change or
decay. For this reason the unit of the |
metric system, the meter. is considered |
superior to any other unit of linear meas |
ure. The metre is a certain fixed part of |
the meridian of the earth, which can al |
ways be remeasured should it become |
necessary. In regard to time, the diurnal |
motion of the sun is used for all the pur |
poses of practical life but this motion is |
subject to Irregularities. A solar day is
the interval of time between two success
sive transits of the sun over the same
meridian. but since these intervals are not
equal. it would be impossible to construct
clocks TINT would correctly indicate the
time. For this reason u fictitious sun is
assumed that moves in the equator Mt a
uniform rate and never deyiates from the
actual sun more than about Iii minutes of
time. This is called mean solar time. and
clocks and thermometers are regulated by
it The difference between apparent aud
mean time Is called the equation of time
\ which reduces to nothing on four distinct
dates in the year, viz, April 10, June H.
September l and December "A. while on
November 2 and February II it reaches
its maximum During the summer season
it never exceeds 6 minutes. Since the
equation of time is calculated for every
day of the year. a wcll-conStructed sun.
dial would be as good as any clock or
\ watch were il not for cloudy days. the
darkness of night and the impracticability
of transporting it, although at the begin.
ming of the seventeenth century French
Catholic priest devised n sngularly ingen-
ious portable dial. the manufacture Of
which would present no great difficulty
nor require any special manual dexterily
As the subject of time in connection
with astronomy is of the utmost import
ance, We must not omit to mention that
the astronomical day begins II hours
later than the civil day, and is not. like
the later, divided into portions of y hours
each, hut into "a hours. In the nautical
almanacs astronomical time is used, and
to prevent mistakes it is necessary TO make
the distinction. The reader will readily
understand the following rule for reduc,
ing astronomical to civil time: If the as.
Economical time is less than II hours
simply write p. IN. after it; but il it is
greater than II hours. substract II hours
from it, add to the days and write a. m
The planet Mercury will successfully
pass through the three consultations Vir.
go, Libra and Scorpio. Venus will be il
Seorpio during the greater part of tn,
month and in Sagittarius toward the end
Before, in any cloudlcss evening, any
other star becomes visible and a consider
able time before the termination of tn,
evening twilight this brilliant planet can
not fail to engage the attention of any
body that happens to look toward til,
western horizon with eyes that are c4lpa
BILE or receiving impressions of objects o
beauty. Mars is in Taurus. forming witt
Aldeburan and Capella a triangle of sin
gular beauty. enhanced by the intensr
red color of the planet, Jupiter is in I.c
and will not ad0rn the evening sky. Satur
is in Scorpio and invisible at any hour O
the night. Uranus. though not visibl
with the naked eye, is quite close to Sal
urn at about the same distance from il a
Neptune from Mars. Viewed through
telescope this planetary contiguratio
would present II very beautiful and in
pressive picture.
Besides the earth all the sO-callcd srpe
Nor planets. with the exception of the II
teroids. are eneircled by mnons-AIars 1
two very small ones, Jupiter by five, OF
of which, however. hcing extremely d
minutive and of quite recent discover,
Saturn by eight, which. with the thr,
rings, form with their primary a wonde
full system of their own within the larr,
system of the sum- Cranus by four al
Neptune by one. though there is a 10
sibility that powerful telescopes may v
add Anthers to their most distant mrmbe
OF our solar system. When the famo,
French astronomer. Laplncc publish,
Ia MS exceedingly ingenious and plnusjll
hebhiaf theory, according to which all d
matter existing in the solar system we
originally one tremendous mass of inca
descent gas, which, under the action of
" own gravitation, assumed Il suhrric
form, with n rotatory motion ON its AK
III consequence of the increasing accclel
ton OF which rings would he thrown ,
II mat again assumed a gluhunr shape. III
giving rise to the generation of ulanr
and, in case the latter threw off simil
rings, to that of satellites. it was rccriy
ss4 WIN such admiration as only a real
m great thought or action can call forth.
Is beyond the limits of Il newspaper ar
IS Gle. i'll which abstruse discussions of scip
tiiic subjects would hardly be regarded
proper, TO enter into all those details n
reasons which lend to the truth of tn
Tam us theory degree of probability til
ycrses on certainty. One of these RI
n sons is 80 plain and simple however. tb
we cannot refrain from mentioning it.
All the planets rpvulve about the sun
one direction, viz, from west to east, n
likewise the moons Of Mars, jupiter n
Saturn revolye about their respective d
maries in the saline direction. This ca
cidence was certainly IL strong argumr
In favor of the truth of the nchular i
pothesiS; but when it was discover
that the four SATELLITES of Uranus and t
one of Neptune move in an Opposite dir,
ton, the faith in the truth OF that thee
was naturally shaken to some extent.
fact. it has been said that If its gre
author had been cognizant of this reti
Srnde motion of these satellites, he won
probably have abandoned his theory. 81