The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-09-05
HEAVENS IN SEPTEMBER.
POINTS or INTEREST FOR THE sTfR
GIzhRS rms MONTH.
The solar system-The Principal flan"ts
and Their Satellites and Motions.
Tie Consultations.

When Copernicus had established MS
solar system, which ~ the sul siea.el
genius OF kcplcr and Newton Was pro-
ea and put Oh a. surer basis, and forever
NM AM end 10 the old system Of Ptoiemy'
that had prevailed through antiqulty' lno
Inediacvaf and part OF modern uhles,
he well indicated It's superiority py 'i'''
utterance. -. -,
-Ne und in this arrangement what can
be discovered In no other scheme, an au-
rpirable sympathy Of the UNIVERSE al
harmonious disposition Of the orbits. ~
Who could assign 10 the lamp OF inns
beautiful temple better posltlOl 49,
the centre, whence alone II can MUM m,
nate all parts at once2 Here .he su'
as from a kingly throne, swayS thS Loan
liz OF orbs that circle around MIN. ,.A
OF the old system, according 70 Ninen
one Of the most magnificent mem -
the solar system was MADE the Seh1no'
a certain king OF Portugal shFeWulg ie
r,arlfed thIt N he had been consulted at
the creation. he might have mace soIle
useful suggestions. n greater sf ,li.,
than the solar system as II Is now neon
trovertibly established, II IS lmpoSsiuic ~
conceive. and there cannot be any uo .i,.,
that other solar systems, and their NUM-
her Is indnite. are similarly constituted,
though the probability OF ever obtaining
INV certain knowledge OF such systems
ls small. OF our own solar system now
ever. science has gained more than mere
gllmpses. -
WHAT SCIENCE HAS LEARNED.
With the powerful aid Of mathematical
analysis and improved instruments, SCI
ence has achieved results 10 when thete
is nothing comparable IN any otheI uo
main OF human research, anu WhlCn Hlu1e
ever be regarded as the most valid tes-
timony Of what human genius is capaole
OF accomplishing.
And now let us sec what this great
solar system of ours really IS. \ great
central body. sef-lumnOus, and by VIZ
tue OF its stupendOus size, which many
hundred times exceeds the aggregate
mass o fall the bodies that are subject
10 its superior force Of attraction. Is en-
circlsd by planets and their satellites by
cOmets and innumerable metcorlc Doules
I'm regular orbits, in when every spt-
cies of the comic section IL represented
and at a distance from the sun ranging,
as far as the planets are concerned from
thlrty-three Millions 20 nearly three Dill
| lions Of miles. ,,.
As 10 size, the bodies that are subject
10 the attractive power Of the sun, ana
| are revolving about II. range from the
minute aeroiite TO the colossal mass or
Jupiter. III we could observe the motion
| OF all planets from the sun itselt, we
should see them revOlve about IL in reg
uar orbits and with different velocltes
all in one direction, and these motions
would present no difficulty but we look
| At them from a movable observatory and
| thus their motions. as they actually APP
pear to us, are quite apt 10 cause confus-
| Ion In the minds Of persons not CONVEX
SAINT with geOmetrical reasoning.
For instance we see planet like We
nus after moving in j certain direction,
| apparently stop, and then begin 10 move
On an opposite direction. The planet
never stands still i'm its motion, nor does
It change It's direction, but bow to ac-
count for this strange behavior!
4 NftIfIfNN
The explanation IL not rs difficult as
| II will appear 20 many az INST ard IS, In
! fact. sufficiently simple. S'nus and Mer-
curry being inferior planets. whose orbits
are within that Of the earth. cannot get
away from the sun more than A. ana y
| degrees. respectively, positions which are
| called eastern and western elongatlons.
| Having reached these, they seem 70 be-
| come stationary, and then 20 retrograde
| simply because we see them projected
| upon the vault Of heaven, and this APP
J parent retrOgr1de motion u.s. after All,
| their direct and nearly circular motion
around the sun.
When Venus is NJ a western elOngation
we can see her only before sunrise shin
| ing, then. as morning star, and when az
! an eastern clongation we sec her set as
| an evening star OF course with good
| telescope We can see her in broad day
! light.
Planets whose orbits include that OF
| the earth are called superior planets, and
| these we see at all hours OF the night
whereas the inferior planets can be seen
| only either a short time before sunrise,
or a short time after sunset.
| Mercury IS so nC1r the sun that but few
| ever catch q glimpse OF IL, and then II
Is seen only I'm the morning or evening
| twilight. When Venus Is at her bee
she outshlnes all other stars and planets
| The next brightest and az the same time
/ .. v.In To-
| casionaly Mars rivals both in hrilliancy.
| The latter Is easily recognized by us
| fiery red color: IN fact, IL Is the reddest
| star in the heavens Another ine planet
| ia Saturn. Viewed with O. large tele-
| scope 10 presents the finest object IN the
| heavens, as 81 IS surrounded by three
rings and eight moons. In size IL comes
! next to Jupiter. From prehistoric times
the planets Mercury Venus. Mars, sat
! urn. and Jupiter were known. ana IL ere
ated no little excitement when, IN the
year Isl, the great astronomer, Her
schell. added a new one to the list.
NEW PLANETS.
IL had been observed before. but SET
down as q fixed star. owing to its slo"
| motion around the sun, q complete cir
cult being performed IN eighty-four years
| Its distance from the sun is enormous
| amounting % nearly two billions OF miles
| Uranus, this new planet is encircled hy
four satellites, the two brightest OF which
were discovered by Herschell, soon aftel
the discovery Of their primary, but the
other two not before 1851 Sixty-foul
| years after the discovery Of Uranus a ne q
planet was found, the discovery Of which
! must be regarded as one OF the creates
triumphs Of mathematical astronomy
Whenever a new planet Is discovered, th'
astronomer at once calculates its path
the time Of its revolution about the sun
or, as It Is techinaly called its slderea
period, its synodic period. by which the
time is understood that is occupied by th'
planet IN passing from conjunction TO con
junction, or from opposition 70 opposition
| the eccentricity OF its path and othe