Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-10-04
THE SKIES IN OCTOBER.

Durirg the month Of October the
moons phases will be as follows: First
quarter on the 1st and last, full on the
Sth, last quarter en- the 10Th and new
on the 23d. She will be in perigne on
the 9Th and in apogee on the 2lst. The
sun will be little over 3degrees south
of the equator ON the LIST and in the
course Of the month traverse an arc of
over IL degrees Of south declination, SO
that at the conclusion of the month it
will be nearly IA degrees % minutes
south Of the equator and al out
degrees from its southern limit, the
winter solstioe.
The planet Mercury will be succeB-
sively in Virgo. Libra and Scorpio,
while Venus will be lie Cancer the
greater part OF the month, but enter
Leo toward its termination. She will
rise soon after o'clock in the morning
during tho earlier portion Of the month,
nut rear o'clock during the later.
Venus is still very brilliant and GER
tainly the finest object in tho morning |
skies. Up to the. time of the famous |
Calico, In the first PORTION of the
seventeenth century, 1t had been be |
lievel that Venus could not show us
more than half her illuminated sur
| face, since according to the Ptolemaic
| hypothesis she was always between US
aud the supposed orbit of the sun.
| When, therefore, IN the year 1910 Cali
leo, by means of the telescope dis
covered by him, proved that Venus
showed the gibbous phase as well as
the crescent, the Copernican theory OF
the solar system received very power
full argument in its favor, since this
fact certainly disproved the general
truth of the ancient system.
The planet Mars is In Cancer and
rises soon after midnight, also forming
a brilliant object in the morning skies.
since in brightness it exceeds all fixed
stars except Sirius. Jupiter is in
Scorpio. This beautiful planet forms
with Antares the brightest star In that
constellation, aud at present ut short
distance from the kingly planet, very
fine stellar picture, and cannot tail to
engage the observers attention until
about 7.30, when it will vanish from
our view. About 10 degrees above rjupi-
ter the planet Saturn, too, will shine
as an evening star in the constellation
Sagittatius, almost Oh the confines of
that constellation and Ophiuchus.
Saturn will set about an hour later
than its brother planet. Jupiter.
The great results which the science
of astronomy SO pre.eminently has
achieved are due first to patient obser-
walton and second to the application Of
mathematical analysis. The splendid
J development OF physics and chemistry,
too, have contributed in a vast degree
to some OF the most important astron.
: omical discoveries, especially as TO the
! physical nature of the heavenly bodies.
1t is q criterion of the power and great
ness of science, II it can make other
sciences tributary to itself, just as the
magnitude of river is commemorate
, with the number of its tributaries. We
, are apt TO smile with contempt at the
t numerous and vigorous efforts Of former
: ages to accomplish the exact quadra-
l lure OF the circle, the tiansmutation Of
D metals, the perpstua, motion. oil OF
: which have now become a venerable
G paradox but We unfortunately become
oblivious Of the fact that some OF the
. most interesting and important
I branches Of modern pure mathematics
| sprung from the problem of squaring
d the circle; we forget that the researches
Q of tho achemist developed into tbs
9 science of modern CHI mistry and that
8 the vain efforts of the astrologer al
!, prognosticating the future events Of {
d human life by the conjunction OF the
Q lanets gave rise 10 profounder stud,
d Of the stars, and the result OF the vair
y research alter perpetual motion ter
J. minated In the greatest of all the gen
y ordinations of physical science-th'
N principle OF the conservation Of energy
10 Before tho invention OF telescopes tn
:. observation OF the planets and star
% could not awe us much valuable infor
10 nation as to their sizes and distances
Is but with our present wonderfully in,
proved Instruments and with the aid &
x the highly developed sciences OF physic
t. and chemistry we have gained an in
to comrarably more accurate knoWleds'
,g than it was possible formerly, nc
Id alone of the comparatively near planets
=, but also of tho enormously oiS.an
m fixed stars themselves.
no Copernicus, the founder OF the pree
at ent solar system; kepler, who sui
~ jected il 10 fixed laws, and even New
at ton, who placed II upon mathemati
Oh cal and solid basis and thereby estat
ut lished its truth beyond the shadow {
on doubt would perhaps have smiled a
u the idea of proper motion OF the gu
'e and the fixed stars, as at those times Il
n means were lacking OF detecting q
k, almost infinite displacement of stars
.ir their relative position, while now the
". motions are no longer matter OF doul
I'M among intelligent people Ii Newton
lin greut law of graVitatiun is true ar
he might we not Just as well doubt u
ed universally of that law as that of q
int multiplication table wherever reasonii
led beings deal with numbers?-the prop
IAN motion of all the stars becomes ma
,nt ter of absolute necessity, and we a
ied irresistioly forced to admit that in t
IN, whole universe there Is not point II
in state of absolute rest except the cent
by of gravity Of the whole, wherever th
ais may be. This is an irresistible syll
sn. gism, the truth Of which no sKepticis
na can inyalidate 1t is strengthened
A the fact that quite large number
ped stars have been actually seen to be
ted motion. It is true that in the MAORI
led of cases the change Of position OF sta
MIA by virtue of this proper motion amoui
the to few seconds Of arc 10 oontul
ur- bur the power Of Our pl resent telesco
ge. is such that the motion can be detect
% a in the course Of few years. The br
pup liant star Arcturus, which for Sol
orn time may still be seen in the weste
and portion OF the skies, is one wit
ok nrnpet motion is exceptionally gre
All being between 200 and 800 miles |
der second. The discovery of the star
'ks, the greatest known proper motion Y
was made in 1897 by means of photograI
). at the Cane Observatory. Still ral
as It's motion is, would require nea
$50, 900 years for that stars to max
complete circuit of the he ,yens were
to move round the sun uniformly at
.as present rate.
lape The proper motion of the sun is,