Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-06-07
TIE SKIES IN JUNE.

June-It will be In It's nrst quarter, On
he 18th full, on the 18th in It's last g
quarter and on the 18th new again. {
The period from one phase OF the moon
to the same phase again is called a !
lunatiop or lunar month, and its length
ID a little more than 29Ia days. This
synodic revolution must not be con-
founded with the period of the moons
revolution about the earth, which is 9
little less than 27la days and is called
its sidereal revolution.
The sun, which on the lst OF the
month is but ~ degrees distant from
its northern limit, will reach the latter
on the 2lst at 4.39 p. m, the day at
that time, for the latitude of Balti-
more, having its maximum length,
viz, IA hours So minutes. Near the
solstices the SUMS motion in deolination
is exceedingly slow, amounting during
the entire course of June to but
degree 40 minutes.
The planet Mercury during the
month of june will be in Taurus at
first and later on in Gemini. Almost
Immediately after sunset and long
before the highest of the fixed stars
appear in the heavens the planet Venus
emits her light with hrilliancy that
attracts the attention of even those |
who, as rule, are not interested In
the celestial panorama. At the begin
ming of the month Venus will be
nearly 40 degrees distant from the sun
and exhibit her maximum brightness.
h She will linger throughout the whole
month in the constellation Gemini.
While Venus shines as the most con-
spicuous object in the western sky the
planet Jupiter yies with her IN
splendor in the eastern, these TWO
objects imparting to the evening skies
particularly striking appearance, en-,
HANGED by Jupiter's dwelling at present
in one Of the finest summer constel-
lations-Scorpio. Jupiter will be on
the meridian between 10 and II O'Clock
and shine nearly the whole night,
while Venus will set at the time OF the
former IS elimination. Mars is morn
ing star, rising between 2 and .
O'Clock. 1t will be in the constel-'
4 lation Aries throughout the month.
Since Saturn rises a few minutes after
4 Z O'Clock in the evening, it will be
seen az soon as the evening is sulfi-
ciently advanced to allow the first
magnitude stars to appear. Saturn IS
still in Sagittarius ut not great dis
lance from his brother planet Jupiter.
On the 23d it will be in opposition
with the sun and be visible all night.
The presence of these three great
plarets during the evening hours tends
to the celestial vault peculiarly at
tractive appearance.
TIA On the 18th of the month partial
eclipse of the moon will occur, visible
in this latitude, but as only very
small portion of the moon will be OBJ
secured by the earth's shadow, thu
eclipse will last but few minutes ant
l. - E,o,, I'M at ripn
When in starlit night We look at tn
sky, ali studded over with stars, which
even to the naked eye,arpear SO numer
Gus as to fill our mind with wonde
and awe at the magnitude of creation
but viewed through telescope will I'm
press us with the thought of the intini
tude of the universe, the question wi
naturally arise in us, what position ou
earth, or rather the solar system, occu
pies among those countless worlds
is question of profound interest an
has given rise to much speculation
Among the sciences which in their d.
yelopment have made such gigaIt
strides since the time when the darl
ness of the medieval ages was dispele
by the instreaming, all ervading iigl
at modern times and researche a
tronomy occupies no mean place, al
as one of the most convincing evidenc
of what human genius is capable of a
complishing. Still in all sciences, HOY
ever advanced they be, much renal
NJ to be done. In regard to the exact pos
ton of our solar system in the sidere
universe astronomers are still to gre
extent cropping 10 the dark, and it is
no means certain whether this difficl
question will ever be satisfactorily a
AZ swered. In order to fix the SUMS re
tive position to other sideral bodies
systems, it is necessary to know mt
about the distances of the latter fri
us than we really do know, and here
the difficulty. 1t is tue that by
closing the annual paraliax OF a
fixed stars within certain limits
were enabled to get a glimpse-for il
really nothing more than that-of tn
enormous distances from us.
nearest of these stars whose distan
from us have been thus estimated
Alpha Centauri, the brightest in one
the consultations 10 the southern hel
sphere We're we to give this dista
in numbers, it would convey no me
ing even to those who are familiar W
large numbers and not easily appal
by them; but by comparing it with
space traversed by that swiftest of
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS may DrlnS
within our power of comprehensi
Light is transmitted through spac
the rate of $4,000 miles per seco
and it takes 80 years for the ligh
that nearest of fixed stars to reach
III, now, We take into c0nsid ra
that there are but few stars whose
tances have been roughly estima
and that our knowledge of the mo
in space of our solar system is yet
ceedingly crude, it may be easily
derstood that an exact determine
of the position of our solar systel
the sideral heavens is at present OIL
the question and can remain on
IL. matter of Enthusiastically specula
until by improved means of observe
we obtain greater knowledge of st
a distances and motions.
The celebrated astronomer Hersch
discussing his idea Of the structu
the heavens, BASED certain oonclu
he arrived at ON the unwarran
assumption that there is certain
in regard 10 the distribution of /
The luminous belt across the he;
Known by the familiar and oh
teristic name of the Milky Way, {
also from Greek word meann
|a same thing -Galaxy-lacks that
IA formity of breadth which we Ii
that other belt called the Zodiac
is there anywhere the same bright
While in the zodiacal copstell
SagittarIus the Milky Way IS I
l1 f'iiI o,J,na,ilx brilliant Is rathar