The evening times., 1896-06-30

The surprising beauty of the moonit
and starlit sky of July always renders II
one of the most attractive of months for
the lovers OF nature.
Many who take pleasure in the study q
the starry heavens find favorable condi-
tions beneath the grand sky reach that
arches over the seashore. the mountains or
the rural resorts. The earth has her mis-
sion to perform on the monthly calendar,
for she is In aphelion on the third of the
month.
She is then 5000, 900 miles further from
the sun thanshe wasin January. Theinhab-
itants of the north temperate zone have
reason TO be grateful that the heat of the
sun is mercifully tempered by his greater
distance
The sun having climbed as far north as
he is permitted to go, has now turned his
face TO the southwa rd, and the days are
forced once again TO yield Some of their
time to the nights On the first of the
'nenth the sun will rise at 4:32 and set at
i:35, making the day fifteen hours and
three minutes long, whereas on the last
day of the month almost threc-quarters
of an hours difference will be found in the
days loss and the nights gain.
The sun has two OF the planets in con-
junction with it this month Venus and
Mercury. the former on the 9th and the
latter on the3lst In both cases the planets
pass on the furthre side of the sun. from
that on which our planet is to be found
at the time.
JULY NOON.
The last quarteriDg of the June moon
will occur ON July 2, and on the 10th the
new moon for July is due. There is first
quarter on the 18th Ind full moon on the
24th, when the moon. being well south
in declination, will seem SO very much
nearer and more friendly than when 1t
nses further north and passes so high
over our heads when il reaches our me-
indian
There are some very close meetings this
month between the moon and several of
the planets. but, unfortunately, the SUMS
rays have claimed so much of the latter
that We are not permitted to see their faces
without ARTIFICIAL aid, and SO our pleasing
pictures are not as attractive as we some.
times find them.
The meetings between the remaining
planets and Luna are at too great distance
to play aD important part in the monthly
events of interest
On the 9Th Venus is in superior coniunc-
ton with the sun, and passes once more
to the realm Of the evening stars 1t will
be some little time before we can see her
fair and radiant face, but it will be very
we d, rf-la
to have u look at it, and what still more
concerns US is the fact that we shall have
her with US throughout the year. The
new moon and Venus are in conjunction
on the 10th, which shows that both are
fairly close to the source of light and heat.
MERCURY's DESTINY.
Mercury. on his way to the eastward,
passes the sun on the last day OF the month.
and again joins the ranks of the evening
when he is in inferior conjunction and re-
joins thu. morning brilIiants to which he
makes a very slight addition, as his face
during this portion Of bis tour is hardly
visible.
Mars and the fading crescent are in line
on the 4th butt would take dozen moons
To fill the space that intervenes between
the two. At the time of this conjunction
the planet is close to the constellation of
tie Fishes. Mars is moving toward the
position of quadrature with the sun. poi MT
that he will not reach until the close Of
August. and it will be almost the middle of
December before Ieis in opposition with the
sun.
Between now and then bis disk will have
increased two and a half times its present
size. and his cheerful ruddy face will be
a most welcome addition to our evening
studies. Neptune is still numbered with the
morning stars and obstinateiy refuses to
let US see him in all bis glory.
Even when in line with the moon ON the
Sth the two are SO far separated that we can
form but very vague idea OF the planets
locality from that in which we see our sa-
teilite. In order to more fully appreciate
theimportance of the memorable researches
which brought about the discovery of this
planet. the astronomers have introduced
supposititious case. in which there is to be
considered system resembling ours in
every respect save one, and including sun
planets and satellites.
They let the masses of all the bodies i'm
this Hypothetical system be Identical with
the masses in Our system, and even have
distances and periodic times the same,
But there is one point In the imaginary
system that they have different, and that
is, that while all our planets rev olive ip
the same dl. etion around the sun, tbey
suppose the law violated by reversing one
planet on his path. That slight change
alone is sufficient to turn the system into
one doomed to destruction by the plane
tary perainbulations.
Had. there not been this uniformity of
direction In which the planets rev olive, our
system must, in all probability, have per-
ished ages ago. From the repeated obser-
vations Of the planet Uranus, it was de-
termined that its Irregularities were due
TO the action Of some other force than that
OF the sun, and the grand triumph of the
age was the discovery of the cause of all
this trouble in the shape of the planet that
we now know as Neptune.
WHERE URANUS Is.
Uranus Is moving toward quadrature.
where he will arrive in August. He is an
evening star at Present, and is in the con-
stellation OF the Scorpion. After HencleI
discovered Uranus, Lem onnier, a noted
astron omer, had taken number of oh
servations Of the heavens iD the immediate
locality In which the planet was found.
turned to examine bis former work and
found that he had really observed Uranus