Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-02
SKIES In NOVEMBER.
DETERMINATION OF TERRESTRIAL
LATITUDE by ASTRONOMY.
Mason and Dixon's Line--How They
Measure a Degree on the Earth's
surface-Astronomy as a Practical
Science.
Baltimore SUM
Science.

."S"'A "hi pass tnFSuan her pnbseS as IOl-
lows On the ON she VIII DC IN ner iast
quarter on The 18Th new, on the Oth IN
nsr hist quarter, and on the 9th full. On
the sth she Will be in apogee, ana the lotn
IN perigee' While on the ISL OF November
'he sun IS nttie over IA degrees 81 min
utes south OF the equator, me Will be at
the termination OF the month, but IL de-
srees distant from the extreme southern
nmit-tne winter solstIce.
ABOUT the mIdaIe OF the month and in
the lattuoe OF Baltimore the sun Will
Use ana set "a degrees Is minutes south
OF the true east and west points OF the
horizon. one OF the things tnat the
reader should firmly impress on his nina
is that the Latitude OF a pace is exactly
equal to the spherical distance OF the
North pole from the horizon OF the place
IN question, and consequently the deter
minauon OF terrestrial latitude becomes
distinctly an astronomical problem. In
iact IN geooeuc and topographic measure
ihehts the science OF astronomy is often
resorled TO, and as 10 the nautical science
II is altogether based upon astronomy,
and forms part and parcel of It, Know
ing that the North poie OF the heavens Is
IL degrees from the nortn star, Poiarls,
we have only TO determine the distance or
mat star from the horizon OF the place oil
observation, at the upper and lower cul-
mlnation OF the star, TO determine the
latitude Of the place.
nen, IN lloi, Mason and Dixon came
from England TO mark the boundary line
between Pennsylvania and Maryland. an
historic line, still called by the names
OF these two men, they observed with
great carefulness the height of one of
the circumpoar stars, ana ,hen measured
straight line south until the star at the
same time was one degree neal ermTy, u
| same time OF day was one degree nearer
the horizon than when they started In
this way they had actually measured one
degree Of the earth's circumference. The
reason for this is simply because the lat
Iluoe OF a place is equal to the elevation
I OF Inc pole from the horizon. Since tina.
time may such lines have been measured
| with all the nicely which modern improve.
ments Of instruments have rendered pos
slDle. 1t might, at first. seem strange
mat measurements of terrestrial lines can
De connected with and De made depen-
uent upon the observation OF stars, but
TO the thoughtful mind nothing can be
simpler and more natural. There are more
than half dozen methods OF computing
terrestrial latitude, which are all lased
upon astronomical observations, and lon
gitude also may be determined by such
observations. From an economic point of
view, then, there is no more important
science than astronomy for the most in
>dispensable things, as, for instance the
determination of time hinge On 1t, and
navigation on the trackless ocean would
be impossible without the potent heir of
the noble science Of the stars.
THE PLANETS.
The planet Mercury passes, in the
/ course of November though the constel-
| lations Libra, Scorpio. and Sagit:arius,
coming like Venus quite close TO the red
| star Antares in Scorpio. About the mid
/ de of the month Mercury and Venus viii
/ be close together. but IS the constellation
| within the boundary of Tnicl they both
! Will be at that time will be then beneath
the horizon during the night, al Cbserva-
| ton Of this close conjunction viii be Cut
| of the question.
Venus will be in Scorpio during the
whole extent of the month, though very
| close TO Sagittarius at its termination.
| Jupiter is in Virgo, and as this constella-
ton has set, the great planet will not be
seen in the evening skies, but may be no
! ticed by early risers close to the eastern
horizon about o'clock in the morning,
acting in the capacity Of a morning star.
Mars is in Cancer, and also shines as a
morning star Saturn is in Scorpio, ana
| not very distant from his sister planet,
| Venus. Could Uranus be seen with the
naked eye its proximity TO Venus ana
! Saturn would present an interesting spec
! & Gle. The remote planet Neptune is in
| Taurus, where he has been lingering so
| long, and will continue doing so for a
considerable time TO come. This planet
marks the limit of our solar system, toI
all attempts Of discovering a trans-Nep-
tunian planet have thus far proved as
futile as those of finding an intra- Mercu-
rial one. 1t is, therefore. thought not
devoid of interest, how the other planets
would look if viewed from a planet tina,
is nearly three billions Of miles distant
from us. OF such a number but few, IL
any can have an adequate conception. A
railway train going at a rate of sixty
miles an hour would require more than
| 5000 years TO accomplish such dis
tance. it would take light the swittest
of all travellers, which Is transmitted
through space at the rate of lS6,OJO miles
in one second of time, about one hour anu
a quarter TO reach US from Neptune. Ant
still, stupendous as this distance of Nep
tune is, IL becomes insignificant WHEEL
compared with sidereal distances. We've,
from Neptune the Sun would look like a
large electric arc lamp at distance OF 4
rev ltels 1sOOhGu dl with lllG Idhtu eye
Venus, the earth. and Mars would be Ut
terly invisible, the earth never beins
farther from the sun than degrees-tha
IS. less than half the distance Of the TIVE
Pointers in the Great Bear The maxi
mum eongatIon of Jupiter would be IL
degrees but the observation OF Uranui
would be more favorable than it is iron
the earth. 1t has been estimated that the
intensity of the sunlight at the earth Il
equal to that of $4,000 full moons. A
Neptune the sunlight would amount t.
6S7 full moons, so that. contrary TO som,
erroneous statements we sometimes NEE
with, even in text books on astronomy
there would be enough light for all visua
purposes. Taking however, the tempera
ture into account which must needs be
low. not to mention other conditions ne
cessary to life. beings physically con
stituted like ourselves could not exist OF
the surface of this remotest OF all thu
planets of our solar system.
THE CONSULTATIONS.
The most important Of the constella
tions that In course of the month of No
yomber will come to the meridian at al
carrier hour of the evening are Andre
media, Pisces, Cassiopeia, and Cepheus
The star which forms the other eXtremit
OF the diagonal of the Great Square o
Pegasus, one extremity or which is MAJ
kab. is the brightest in Andromede, an
as such called Alpha Andromedae, G
Alpheratz though occasionally lettereC
Delta Pegasi. The Great Square, wit.
Andromeda and one star in Perseus, prt
sents a confguration not unlike the Grea
ninper or IIrsa Major The star neA