The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-06-19
BEAUTIES OF THE
SKIES IN JUNE.
Venus, Jupiter and Saturn, Three
Planets Now Visible.
ASTAR OF The FIRST MAGNITUDE
Arcturus the Brightest Fixed star I'm
the Northern Hcmisphcrc-Bright
ConstclIation-Oist ofHeav'
enly Bodies, How Determined

IN no department of knowledge has the
human mind cvinccd greater ingenuity
than In tho application Of mathematical
analysis to the great prolems OF as'ron-
omy and celestial mechanics.
The fact that the human intellect has
successfully grapplcd with objects OF
such immense distance from us as 10 be
reckoncd BY millions and billions OF
miles. IS convincing testimony OF tne
analytlcal powers OF man. The abstruscd
questions that have presented themselves
20 the mind have been successfully 'h-
swered Though no human foot has ever
reached the tops of tho highest mountain
peaks and 10 IS questionable Whcther 10
will ever De donc-thcir attitudes are never
thelcss known within a foot. The lunar
mountains have also been measured.
we know the exact lcneth Of the eQua-
torial and polar diamcters Of the carth'
though even the most ignorant VIII COM
prehend that IL cannot Doe measured Win
either yard stick or chain. We know the
distances Of tho sun and Of AN those bod
ies which obey his superior power OF at
traction ..
MARVELLOUS COMPUTATIONS.
The .nclinatious Of the orbits or the
planets and their satellites 20 the cclio-
tic have been determined with tho ut
most precision. From day 10 day, nay
from hour 90 hour we can follow tae
moon and the planets. and the mariner
Is able 10 find the exact position or ms
shin on the b0undlcss sea. \ great as
tronomer remarks that with "a little port
able instrument in the hands Of The ma
riner with so unstable a footing as the
deck Of "A ship he can positively say
where he Is. And yet he adds. the alter
nations OF life and death. wealth and
aud norrIE efFknn with
perfect confidence 'on this marvellous
computation.
II would not 10 reasonable 10 expect as
in an article that must needs be brief
30 enter into an the ingenious methods or
calculation employed ln the Astronomical
and nautical sciences. and We must con-
fine ourselves 90 merely pointing out the
possibility of such calculations. That an
Important branch Of mathematics. called
Trigonometry. teaches how 20 md the
different parts of a triangle Now TO
find the distance Of the moon from MS.
We choose the known radius Of the earth
as base line The angle under
which the earth is seen from
the moon when on the horizon is called
the moons horizontal parallel which
amounts 10 90 minutes 81 seconds. BY
means OF this angle and the radius of the
earth the distance of the moon from the
earth can be calculated without any diff
Guilty. In determining the moons dia-
meter we again have "a simple problem
of trigonometry TO solve. To find the
suns parallaX upon which its distance
from The earth depends is "a more diff
cult task Il is true but stll some more
or less ingenious methods have been
found by means of which "a tolerably
correct value of this parallaX has been
established.
ONE OF THE METHODS.
One OF these methods is based upon the
transit OF Venus across the suns disk
The latter OF these transits took place i'm
1882. and the next will not occur before
the year 2004. The enormous distances
% the fixed stars from MS preclude the
possibility OF detecting a parrallaX, as
the earth's radius at such distances
would dwndle into p mere point and so
the most powerful telescopes have failed
10 show US the disk of any fixed star the
actual size Of the fixed stars stlll remains
matter Of more or less reliable con-
lecture. Since I'm the case of tho fixed
stars the radius OF the earth is too small
to produce sensible parallaX, the ques-
ton naturally presented itself whether
the immense radius OF tho earth's orbit
might not yield n paralactic angle 1t
IS certainly 10 be considered great
triumph on the part of practical astron-
omy that en- quite "a number of cases this
annual paraliaN. as b. is called. has been
found In none OF them 10 exceeds one
second Of arc. so that the earth's orbit
with it's diameter OF nearly one hundred
and ninety millions of miles would even
from the nearest fixed star, appear
scarcely larger than mere point in
space a proof Of the immcnsitv of celes-
tial distances and the untnching ASST
duty and perseverance OF astronomers
Who shrink from no difficulty, and indie
fatlgably endcavOr 20 penetrate the very
infnitudc of space To give the distance
Of even tho nearest fixed star from us
IN numbers would convey no meaning 10
those even who are familiar with BIG
numbers. and Tor this reason a new unit
must be rcsorted tO-the light year.
Light travels through space al the enor-
nous rate of $4,000 miles "A second but
despite tnis enormous rate. IL takes light
more than three years 90 reach the earth
from our nearest neighbor i'm the sidcrcal
heavens a star of the first magnitude,
called Alpha Centauu, but not visible I'm
our latitude. Suppose by some immense
CONFUSION OF nature this star were
crushed out Of existence it would still
shine for more than three years Be
wildering as such a distance ia. it Is GER
tain that there are innumcrable Of the
remoter fixed stars. clusters and nebulae,
the light Of which requires thousands OF
years I'm order 20 travel the space separ-
ating them from ms. Ihat at distances
which set the most powerful imagination
at defiance. such stars are still visible,
indisputahy demonstrates the. fact that
the fixed stars are suns chat shine by
their own and not by reflected light. as
in the case Of the planets and the other
fact that those distant orbs must be Of
an immense size. compared with which
our own glorious sun dwindlcs into in
significance
THE SKIES IL JUNE.
During the evenings OF the month Of
June three planets may be seen viz:
Venus. Jupiter and Saturn The FIRST two
act In the capacity Of evening stars and
as they are the most brilliant Of the
planets they will form very conspicuous
objects in the heavens.
Venus will be near the western horizon
IS she s. never widely separated from
the sun while Jupiter viii bc nearly over
head during the earlier hours % the even
Ing. At that time Saturn will Zoe nearer
the eastern horizon as IL rises between
and o'clock in the evening
The sldoreal heavens will present a fine
appearance during the hours OF the June
evenings. The Great Bear with its IA
miliar seven stars VIII be overhead This
constellation Is Of special importance as
the two stars In the bowl Of the dt)per
on the opposite side of tho handle the
straight line Joining them being prolong-
ed nearly five times. point out tho Pole
star which IS the extremity OF q line on
which all the stars perform their diUrnal
motion.