Evening journal., 1898-08-30

and something else. 1t Is true that. for y
Instance, Venus is full when at superior
conjunction, but it's greater distance
from the earth in that position de-
tracts somewhat from its brightness
When an inferior conjunction it is in
deed nearest the earth, but so very
ais to leave but a small part
Of the disk Illuminated, The greatest
that Of ths moon, about five days cid.
fere, in am intermediate position, that
is, at an e.ongation of about SS de-
grees, when it presents a phase like
tha tot the moon, about FIVE days Old.
Venus Is chem 50 bright as to cast a
percepti0.e shadow and may them ne
seen by day even with the naked eya,
II is in place here 10 remark that no
other celestial body approaches this
earth so ciossi9 as Venus with the ex-
ception of the moon, and occasionally
a comet. The reader must not forget |
that p.anets aphelion and perihelion
have something to do with It's bright
ness, too, which becomes especially ap-
parent in the case of Mars, the bright
ness of which ranges between that OF a !
second magnitude star and that Of
kngly Jupiter himself In the month
of August of the year 1909 Mars will
shine with the greatest brilliancy it
can attain.
THE CONSULTATIONS.
The following are the principal com
stellaticns that viii be in the meridian
about 8 o'clock in the September even
ings; Cygnus Capricornus and Dell
phinus. Cyngtis. or the Swan, is quite
a conspicuous constellation, and easily
recognized by the close resemblance IT
bears to cross Alpha, or Deueb
marks the top of the cross and Beta,
CIR lAlbires, the foot, while D.lta and
Epsilon mark the extremitios CT the
p0int where The cross-piece meets
piece, and Gamma the point where the
the length Of the cross. Beta, or AL
bires, is "a fine double star, one OF its
members being orange oolored, the
other blue. The dupiiclty Of this star
can be noticed even with al small tele-
scope. BY completing the paral,elo-
gram Of which Deneb, Gamma amid Ep-
sil1n-the last Icing on the eastern ex-
tremity OF the cross-piece-ar the
other three velticts the fourth vertex
thus constructed is marked by a faint
star that has a history This star,
whose name lis 81 Cygni, was the first
the annual para,,a OF which Was de-
terminad by the German astronomer,
Bessel, in the year 1885, According to
Bessell it takes this star over nine
years to transmit lis light to the earth,
conveying an idea to us OF the immen-
sity of sidereal distances. Due west Of
Cyngus is the splendid star Vega. which
with Affair in Aquila and Deno5 in
Cygnus forms a large isosceles triangle
South Of Cyngus and not very dlSaant
from Beta in tabt constellation a beau
tlful little connguration Of stars will be
noticed having the shape OF a diamond
This Is the constellation Deiphinus, or
the Dolphin. The diamond-zhaped pOr-
ton Of it is also lnolzn as jobs Cof-
fin, Though the origin OF this singular
name is nctlxnOwn. In a somewhat
northlwsslerly direction and at a short
distance from De,phinus very sma1
constellation may be seen, which would
herdly deserve any mention were IL
not for the fact that 1t Is one CT this
loriginal forty-eight considerations men
toned by the famous Alexandrian as
tronomer Ptoiemy, who in his great
work, "the Ama,gert," gave us the
first solar system, and who for 1,40t
years was considered the only author
ity in the science CT the stars This
little constellation is called Sagitta, OF
the Arrow. it It midway betwasn Beta
Cygni and Affair. Capricornus Is The
tenth Of the twelfth consultations oi
the zodiac, and though it has no bright
stars, its shape is sufficiently charac.
leristic net to be mistaken for anythinl
Else. It forms an almost rigid triangle
each star in the three vertices having
at almost equal distances another stai
ais companion. The stars Alpha ard
Beta are near the horns OF the Goat
Alpha being a pretty double star,whcs'
dupMcity is noticeable BY the make.
eye.
The great Square II Pegasus, viii
the considerations Pegasus and andre
media, and Peisues are high up in the
eastern sky. Arcturus is low down IN
; Jhe southwest, and the blautful con.
stellatlon ScorpiO, with the bright rec
star Antairss and The planet Saturn as
temporary ecjournor, all OF which
p have delighted our eyes during ths
Summer evenings, is near the horizoA
beneath which, iJ will soon vanish
from cur yisw reminding US Of th'
! passing away of the slason Of Summer