Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-06-08
THE JUNE SKIES.
Suns Closeness to the SoIsticc and lis Slow
Motion in Deciinaion.

The moons phases during the month
of June are as follows: New on the
Sth, first quarter on the 18th. fun on
the 23d, and last quarter on the 10Th.
She will be in apogee on the 18th ana
in perigee on the cath. On the first IF
the month the sun is but L 22' distant
from the northern limit of her motion
in declination, which it will reach on
the 21st day, ard during the whole
month traverse the small arc of l. "A,
The suns motion in close proximity to
the solstces is so slow as to make in
one day but l6 seconds Of arc. The
nearer the sun gets to the limits of it's
north and south motion-the solsticcs-
the more does the direction Of its mo-
ton tend to parallelism with the euua-
tor, and from this evidently follows
that its actual progress either north or
south constantly decreases.
In course Of he month two cclipses
will occur. partial eclipse of the sun
On the 18th and a total eclipse Of the moon
on 23d and 24th, but as neither is visiblein
this latitude we shall refrain from a
description Of the same. The planet
Mercury will be successfully in the
constellation Aries, Taurus and
Gemini. while Venus Will at first be in
Aries. but later on enter the constella-
tion Taurus. She will rise about -
minutes past three o'clock in the
morning ana shine as a morning star
Mars is in Leo and on the 10Th Of TIN
month Will be very near Regulus, the
brightest star Of that fine constellation.
1t acts as an evening star. setting near
midnight during the first portion Of tn
month and toward the latter little
before II o'clock. Jupiter is still in
Virgo and not far from Spica, thu
brightest star in that constellation
The great planet viii be visible up to
nearly o'clock in the morning Soon
after the setting Of the sun Jupiter will
fash forth his light, after the moon the
most conspicuous object in the evening
skies. Saturn * in Sagittarius ana
may hl seen during the greater part Of
the night. on the 18th Of June the
planet will be i'll opposition With tho
sun ana shine all night.
In previous articles we have sub
jCctcd the sun to description as to its
physical constitution and the Light
which emanates from it, and we can
not but say something Of the amount
If heat which this great body, upon
which every special and regular mani
festation Of terrestrial life depends,
possesses and sends to us. In news
paper articles that are pcrused by all
classes Of the public it becomes neg
essary to avoid as much as possible
scientific ana technical terms. but
some Of these are too important anG
too indispensable to be escheWed alto
gcthcr. ana without which it would be
extremely difficult if not impossible, -
convey correct idea Of the matter 10
the reader. Just as we have a llSht
unit. described in our last article. we
have a heat unit-the calorie, by which
is understood the quantity Of heat re
ouirnd to raise the temperature or one
kiIogram Of water. one degree Of the
cantierade thermometer. ~ o3scrNa-
ion il has been found that each square
metre IF surface exposed in pcrpen-
dicuIlr direction to the rays Of the sun
receives from the latter each minute -
caIories. ana this quantity. 70 calorica
pcr square metre per minute, Is called
the solar Constant" i is an inter
| esting question what the amount OF
] RADIATION NDulNi w GU biiN $500
| itself. knowing the solar constant as
observed here at the earth, II is pos
| -ibIa IL form Il toIerably correct csu-
mate of what the amount Of rai 1tlo'l
at the solar surface must be, anu mus
we arrive at the astonishing FcSul
that this heat radiation amounts y
more than million Galleries per square
! metre per minute. Were the sun
| frozen over completely to the thickness
Of 30 feet. the heat emitted would melt
This whole ice shell in one minute
Of the enormous radiation, however
bui 4 very small fraction-one-ohe-
h,ndred-millionth reaches all ti'
members Of the solar systenl-th'
nIancrs. with their satellites; the com
IT.. and the metcors. Scionce mas III
vet decided, and it is qucstloilapi'
u.hothnr X Will over be able to 40 50
chat Incomes Of the enormous poFl1oi
80 ba,t that seems to be thus WaSteu
U-biIc it is comparatively easy to de-
tarminc the quantity Of heat we acI
,,aI1,- rocefve from the sun, 1t IS n
>'1,,,narahly more difficult to measure
Mt t.,,,narat1lre Of the sun: in fact. W.
ian only make a very rough csI!iih i
~ If II is certainly immcasufapl!
biqher than any temperature that GU
be attained by artificial means here z z,
Darth The question viii natufah9
a,.isn why. after such an enormous
axncnditure of heat. the sun does no
e,raw cold. and what is maintaining i
Gr all the different theories that nav
haan propounded as to this interesuhi
a,ae+ion there are only two that n
Ia,.,.e consideration. The tlrst OF ines
.,,.o theories ascribes the solar neat L
,otaoric matter falling on the sur.
- \ walI-known fact in physics ina
,,hap q moving body stops ITS actu''
as i i called its kinetlc eners
/, cbanged into heat. rms q cours'
simple fact that can be ana is Cd
I'D every day. 1t is to be presume
sSat large quantity Of meteoric mat
-. ealls upon the sun. anG IN TINS re
e the theory seems to have ce'
I'm ,lausibiIity in its favor, but ther
!; III serious objection 70 it. when col
l;sts in the impossiblity OF sufficient