The Globe-republican., 1897-07-29

year they will be
SITUATED still more uafavorably, and in
,reasingly so for several years to fol-
ow.
Saturn is easily recognized being by
FAR the most conspicuous object IN
.hatpart OF the heayens-a few de-
5rees northwest OF the head of Scor-
oio. At nine O'clock on June cath
it is still little east of the
meridian. about third of the way
from the horizon 10 the zenith in a
comparatively starlesS region. 1t
shines with steady. pale, yellowish
hight. in striking contrast with the
red Antares. which wrinkles and blazes
like windblown flame some fifteen
degrees to the southeast.
Our readers hardly need to be told
that Saturn is an immense globe.
weighing nearly a hundred times as
much as the earth. and yet in den
s:ty" lighter thar water; far less dense
than any other of the whole planetary
family. and apparently covered with a
thick envelope of cloud
Then. too. in the telescope it is the
most beautiful OF all because Of the
splendid encircling rings. which. as
has been long believed, and as We now
know certainly-thanks to the spectro-
SCOPE observations of Professor Keel
er-are only flocks of little "moonlets"
which run swiftly side by side around
the planet, each keeping in its own
regular circle for the most part, I'M
-ostled and unjcstiing.
Just now small they are no one
knows as yet, but the whole array IS
hardly as heavy as a smoke-wreath.
Strive says the rings are as near to
''immaterial light as one can well
conceive drawing this conclusion from
the extremely slight effect which they
produce on the motion of the little
satellite Mimas, which coasts. almost
undisturbed. around their outer edge.
Uranus is as unobtrusive as Saturn is
conspicuous: just easily visible to a
normal eye but without q telescope in
no way distinguishable from the little
stars around it except by its motion;
and that is so slow that it is only to
be detected by watching for a week
or two. Just now. however. Uranus
happens to be situated that one
can find it easily. On June cath
it lies about two degrees south
of Saturn. and slightly to the
east. a little above the line that
joins the fifth magnitude star. Kappa
Librae. to the smaller star. IL Librae,
which is about three-quarters Of de-
gree northwest OF Kappa. Uranus is
much nearer to IL, almost due east
from it. and very nearly of the same
brightness II there is any haziness in
to make the planet visible. and in any
case it will be 4 great help. On July
first Uranus will pass very close to Al
(Cniy about minute and 4 quarter to
the north. SO that to the naked eye
they will appear as 4 single star, as
planet has such excellent markers
to indicate its position for non-tele-
SCOpic observers.
Uranus is notable IS the first planet
ever "discovered:" all that were known
when Herschel found it. in 1881. had
been known from prehistoric antiquity.
It seems so small and faint only be-
cause it is so far away from us and
from the sun. at a distance exceeding
hundred millions of miles
twice as remote as Saturn. It's globe
is smaller than his. being only about
four times the diameter OF the earth;
nor has it rings like his, nor such a
retinue Of satellites-only four as
against his eight. Still it is a very
respectable body, with fifteen times as
great mass. or weight, as the earth: