The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-08-08
W2ez6e15- 6z~ $Ntoo1
THE HEAVENS IN AUGUST
The BEAUTY OF THE SKIES SOLAR
SPO1S.
The Sun with Its Retinue of Planets Now
Sailing Towards the Constellation Hers
cuIes-stars That Never Set.

To the man endowed with a sense or
the beauty OF nature and the grandeur
OF the universe the star -dotleu vault VI
the heavens must ever be an OBJECT u
admiration ana nh him win desire
to know something OF those kloiioe '.
orbs that shed their genial hBnl Oh eNclS
unclouded night upon this earth OF ours.
1t Is, however, not alone the lhtIiiSic
beauty of the skies that shoulu iVI on ~.
lnccnttVc TO such desire put aIso TIC laN'
that of All sciences tnat OF lne starry
creations is the sublimest, and more IMAM
any other calculated TO elevate the Hu.u
OF man and TO draw his thoughts up 10
something nobler asd lotuer thah tne
ordinary pursuits OF every day NE. nc
very immensely Of the universe can hOe
hut fnfuse into our souls a higher con-
ceptiOn of the Great creator anu iils
creation. Ever science Is reVelalion u
God, and especially TINS one more t ,lli -
any other leads US 10 the very tnIesholo
of a domain where the Unite ceases anu
the Infinite begins. OF all the celest !
bodies the sun is the most important
10 us. ,,.c,,or
Every phase of organic life mere OH
earth depends upon the sun, anu eNety
form Of energy on this globe OF ours ca.
be traced back to that glorious hte-glvlns
and life-preserving body. IL ~ tnelst -, =
well worth knowing something ABOUT 10
size nature and other or It's properties,
The sun Is a self-luminous star IKE an
the fixed stars We see in the SKIES III
reference to the earth ana the otuel
planets we may consider II IAeu u, ~.
heavens though 1t admits or no douot
that IL actually moves through spaCe
and on it's axis just like our earlh' lhe
moon and the other planets. IL IS true
that we know but little of the sun 5 pain
IA the universe. but II has peeh cVhCiu-
sively proved that 1t moves towards W
beautiful constellation Hercules, now his,l
M I'm the heavens. in the earlier houIs ,
of the August evenings. IL at ABOUT
o'clock I'm the evenings during the month
OF August the reader VIII look slialshs
no he will see a large quadrllateIdl anu
south OF it a still larger triangle OF star >;
These two figures constitute me pIlnGipa'
horizons Of the fine constellation he1-
cules. towards which the sun with az us
retinue OF pHl cts and satellltes is sali'hs'
SIZE Oh THE SUN.
As 10 the size OF the sun II would re-
quire considerably more than q million
earths 10 make up the body or the sun.
OF a body so vast in its dimensions tnS
human mind can form no adequate con-
ception. Since its density, however, -
only one-fourth that Of the earth us
mass is only $4,000 times that OF the rat
fer. man weighing $50 pounds on the
surface Of the earth would on the sur
face Of the sun have the astonis .l.,'l
uyeioht Of a little more than two tons
and In a similar ratio all his physical
efforts. like moving his arms ana NE
legs would have TO be Increased on the
surface of the sun. The heat on 'hs sur
is far beyond anything we can eApS s =, ~,
on the earth, and, In fact, peyohd ully
thing we can conceive. The reader knows
that water will begin 10 boil at TEN
perature of 2l2 degrees, ana ne WIN op-
rain a somewhat clearer idea OF tns tsn-
perature OF the sun when we yen ITO 70
the luminosity Of the sun II Is 50 siS ,,,
that the electric arc light. the most ~ IL
tense we can produce on eartn, Dona
like a dark spot In the sun disk "he"
interposed between II ana the eye
CAUSE OF THE SPOTS.
remarkable feature OF the suns sur
face is the dark spots or when "o 90"
notice some without the use OF mashiiy
ING glasses. There was time thdl nu
iae ,sSSac,orv exclamation could be given
az the nature Of these spots, out NOV -
is no longer a matter OF DOUBT tnat they
are cavities in the sun 5 photosPhedrrn,, 60
the suns visible surface Is calIeu; y -
cooler than the surrounding portlQ.s a ~
consequently absorb not incVhsiuSt ay'- !
orohortion OF light. Some or these soiaI
snots occupy an extensive space %. w 30
SIMS surface, the larger one ehten1,sns nv
so o10 miles The suns spots exercise, aS
bas heen incontestably proved, an lhnu :
anca unon the earth, though we 40 ny
know as yet anything or the Inecii" s,,5as
Of This connection Inc Au-u9e -
or..sent a fine and interesting appear,
ance Looking w we see some peau,i, ~, ~
9rouns az stars To understand the COM
5ilcafed man OF the atar-dotted neayen,,
he ancients conceived the necessary ~, ~
dividing them into more or less ~. ~
deemed groups, called consleiia,s loll s.
These hear certain names. taking aitn ~
ali from the beautiful mythology Oh W.
Greeks. We shall, in several supseIt q,
articles. describe the most impoItsh.. ~ - /,
them. beginning In this with those ." re
never set in our latitude, anu may ~
seen throughout the entire year
STARS THAT NEVER sEfr.
THESE are called circumpolar cons'e, ia
,ions because they move In constant n,.u
complete circles around the nor,h posr'
Everybody knows the seven stars 30 rn,s
ranged as 10 form a large Upper; ,t ui'
* the most conspicuous portion VI vasa
Major or the Great Bear Inc wv s "a, =
In the bowl not contiguous 10 tne nan ny
~ the pipper are called the PoihteIs %.
csuse fhe straight line that cohhsc,s
them II produced by four ana u n a,t
times its length, will point out tne pore
star which Is within l IL degrees TON
the true pole OF the heavens. Inc Toie
star. or Poiaris. Is in tho handle or sn'
other bur smaller dipper when cohsu-
tutes the principal portion OK the con-
sfellatIon r'rsa Minor or the Lesser Bear.
Between the two Bears there WINDS itself