Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-11-03
THESKIES DURING NOVEMBER
Determination of Terrestrial
Latitude by Astronomy.
THE MASON AND DlXONS LINE
How to Measure a Degree on
the Earth's Surface.
Astronomy IA a Practical science.-riane-
tnry Aspect OF the iienvens-solar system
Viewed From Remote Neptune = Stellar
Aspect OF the Skies.
Baltimore Sun.

Viewed From Remote rcptuue - Stellar |
Aspect OF the skies.
Baltimore Sun.
In. course of the month Of November
the moon will pass through aer phases
as follows: On the 9th she will be in 4
her last quarter, on the 18th new, on !
the Goth in her first quarter and on
the 27th full. On the 18th she will be
In apogee, and tho 10th in perigee.
While on the 1st Of November the sun
IL a little over IA degrees 80 minutes |
south of the equator, he will be at the |
termination of the month but IL de- |
. gress distant from the extreme southern |
limit--the winter solstice.
About the middle OF the month and
In the latitude of Baltimore, the sun
will rise and set "a degrees 10 minutes
south of the true east and west points
Of the horizon. One Of the things that
the reader should firmly impress on
his mind is that the latitude Of o place
is exactly equal to the sperical distance
OF the north pole from the horizon Of
the place In question, and consequently
the termination of terrestrial latitude
becomes distinctly AN astronomical
problem. In fact, in geodetic and topo
graphic measurements the science OF
astronomy is often resorted to, and as
to the nautical science 1t is altogether
based upon astronomy, and forms. o
part and parcel of it. Knowing that
the north pole Of the heavens is 1Is de-
erees from the north star, Polaris, we
have only to determine the distance Of
that star from tho horizon of the place
of observation, at the upper and lower
elimination of the star, to determine
the latitude of the place.
When in 1f64 Mason and Dixon came
from England to mark the boundary
line between Pennsylvania and Mary
land, an historic line, still called by
the names Of these two men, they
observed with great earefulness the
height of one Of the circumpolar stars,
and then measured straight line
south until the star Mt the same time
of day was one degree nearer the
horizon than when they started. In
this way they had actually measured
one degree of tho earth's circumfer-
ence. The reason for this is simply
because the latitude of place is equal
to the elevation of the pole from the
horizon. Since that time many such
lines have been measured with all the
nicely which modern improvements of
instruments have rendered possible. 1t
might, ut first, seem strange that
measurements of terrestrial lines can
be connected with and be made de-
pendent upon the observation of stars,
hut to the thoughtful mind nothing
can be simpler, and more natural
There are more than half a dozen
tuda. wb;cb ara iii hasnd nnon ns-
tyonomical observations. and lopritusle
MAJ NAV he deter,nined nv such ohser.
,ht;ons From m ncnnom;c na;nt of
view. than. thare Il M ,nnre ;n,nnrtant
scianca thar astronon,y lar I'm most
ind;snensahle th;nos ~ fnr instance.
inc REORGANIZATION ,,f fine. hinge an, X.
ard nayioation IN the traolsless ocean
,youjd he ;nnoss;hie w;tbm,t tbe notent
IJeln Of tho pohla ac;snca "a tba sthrs
Tho nlanet Mercury Masses in. tho
co,rsa ~ Nouamhor trough tbe cnn.
stellat;ons LAVA Scornio and, Sag;f.
tari,,s. coming like Venus ouite close
"a the red Star Sntares in Seornio
About tha ,,,;ddla ~ rha n,onth Mur.
c,,rv ~ ~ yan,s will ha c,osa togather
S,,t &C. az snnstai,at;or sr;tbin H.
bnsnsarv ~ ,eb;cb thnv hoth will hs
a, thot tive NIL ha tIon haneath The
hor Jnar '. drr;na .be n rh an ohsar.
,at;a,, 80 th;s osa ;,snnt;", Mill he
a,,t - tha a,,ast;nn
w Ws -, sA1 MI ha II scor,I;o DURING
+ha Yrhn,a axtant 80 tha ,,aptb thonnh
yarv niose ~ Sag;ttar;,,s nj liz term;na.
t;y o'J T,.,, ~ Va W;ns e i a,,S &c th;s
cnns.a ,l.tino has Get the araat n,ana,
Mi nat ha saan T. th en evs e;ns a el ;a.
h,,t NV he ,,at;nad bv aaris r;sor.
o,nsa - ne aastern hor;,on .lnnt /
o,c1o,,. ~ the n,orn;na act;ns in III
o.,ao;tx, - n,arn;nn a. ao' ME- i. 4,
Gsnnan al ai.n sh;nas as ,,orm;ns
ion aoo catur a ;s IL Soor "a " ND ~,
s nsr,, 5;s.ant tror, Nc l;stsr 'A ,,,.ne,
va9o,,s Ga,,d Gir.n,s he saen with
~ oi,aS o,,a ;,s ,a,.,'x;r,;t,, - vs,,,,.
va t Sat,,,,,, ~ yrs,,,d r.esant g. ;ntsrast
80 sraotan,s TIL ran,ata nlanat Ma,
t,,na IL in Taurns rbara ha has hear
i;nnar;na 81 iong ana will cnnt;nu,
da;1a &c for 4 cons;derabIa tima I,
cor,s This nlanst n,arls The limit n
o,,r so,ari 'svstem, for ali atsemnts a
S;sooyar;ng Trans. Nentunian plana
hara thus far nroveJ nj fmt;le "a thns,
ae Hn5ins an intra' Mercur;aj one I
"a thersfors a thn,,aht mt devoid q
;ntarast how tha nthsr nlanats woul,
innk IL yiowad Iron, n planet that i,
naa,,v Q nno o0n non ~ in;ias 6;stan
fron, nc az s,,nh nun,har bnt fau,
IL any can h.na .n adan,,at., concsn
t;on ra;iro,d train "o;ne III
rate ~ IN miles nm baur world reouir,
more than K 0of, vaara to aceomplisl
smch d;stanoo n r,o,,IJ talsa iight
tha s,v;ftast ~ nh trayeIars which, /;