Arizona republican., 1898-06-06
THE HEAVENS IN JUNE.

THE HEAVENS IN JUNE.
AT p. m. in the middle of June the
great star Arcturus is overhead. Even
for those who know and care but lit
tie about astronomy it is worth while
to look carefully at Arcturus, because
Arcturus is the very mightiest sun
that the heavens are known to contain.
It's distance is about a thousand mill
lions of millions of miles. or more than
ten millions times the distance of CUR
own sun. Since the intensity of light
decreases as the square of the distance
increases, it is easy to show that if
we were as near to Arcturus as we
are to the sun, the earth would be va
ported by the blast of unima ginable
heat which would smite it, for Aruc-
turus must exceed the sun in light and
heat giving power in the ratio of six
thousand to one. AS to the actual size
of Arcturus, it is not improbable that
its globe would more than fill the en-
tire space that is belted by the orbit
OF the planet Mercury! Not to know
Arcturus, then, is to be unacquainted
with the most stupendous physical
phenomenon within the range of hu-
man vision.
An easy way to make certain of the
Identification of Arcturus is this:
Look for the Great Dipper, which will
be found between the pole and the
zenith, with its handle upward Fol-
low with the eye the bending line of
the handle, beginning at the bowl,
and continue it, beyond the last star
in the end, to distance about equal
to the entire length OF the Dipper, and
thus the eye will be led to a bright
yellowish star, which is Arcturus. Far
southwark shines the white star Spica,
in Virgo, and farthest west the planet
Jupiter, the three-Arcturus Spica and
Jupiter-marking the corners of a
large triangle.
Northeast of Arcturus will be seen
Crown, and half way between the
the beautiful circlet of the Northern
Crown and the horizon, the brilliant
Vega will catch the eye. This star
ranks next to Arcturus among the. rec
ognized giants of starry space. It's
distance is more than five hundred
millions of millions of miles, and in
light-giving power it probably exceeds
the sun about TWO thousand times!
Those who have telescopes may enjoy
an exceedingly beautiful contrast of
color by loking alternately at Arc
turus and Verga.
Mercury is morning star, visible
to early risers at the beginning of the
month, but lost in the rays of the sun
at the end. 1t passes from Aries into
Gemini. to become an evening star in
July.
Venus is beginning to overmatch Ju-
piter in splendor as an evning star
At the opening of June she is in &C.
mini, and at the close in Canver With
a telescope she appears in the form of
a gibbOus moon, more than eight
tenths of her disk being Illuminated
Venus is a kind of mirror to the earth
Being very nearly of the same size as
our planet, she presents an appear
ance similar to that which the earth
would present if we could look at it
from a corresponding point of view.
But when, as will happen in Deem
Der, Venus comes between the sun
and the earth, her inhabitants will be-
hold a planetary spectacle more mag
nificnt than any ever presented to our
eyes; for then the earth will be seen
in their midnight sky, in the phase Of
full moon, with all it's continents,
and oceans, and streaming clouds
plainly visible to their telescopes; and
accompanied by its ever faithful at
tendant the moon, which itself will ap-
pear as planet of no mean size It's
cloudless condition, in contrast with
the earth, would instantly arrest the
attention of an astronomer on Venus.
Mars in these warlike days sulks in
his tent. He is far off and faint in
the morning sky, passing during the
month from Pisces into Aries.
But while the celestial god of war
thus apparently neglects his interests
on the earth, the great master planet
Jupiter occupies commanding place,
crossing the meridian early in the
evening and remaining conspicuous
during the first half of the night Jul
piter has developed a remarkable
series of dark elliptical spots in his
north tropical zone during the past
two years, and at present these spots
appear to be increasing in number
Three of them are being carefully
studied by observers of Jupiter, and