The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-01
THE SKIES DURING AUGUST
Peculiar Position of the Moon
Throughout the Month.

Mercury md Venus to BE I'm Bril-
liant Constitutions How the
shooting stars Are SItuated-InfOr-
nation About the Heavenly Bodies
During the month Of August the lunar
phases Will be as follows. Last quarter
on the 9Th. new on the 18th. first quarter
on the I'D, and fun on the 18th The
moon will be in perigee on the 9th and
In apogce on the 18th.
The moon presents some features no
other celestial body does, and one Of these
is that she always keeps the same side
toward the earth. This is, however the
natural consequ eHce Of her accomplishing
one revolution about the earth in the
same time she performs one rotation on
her axis. II is singular that this appears
rather pcrpleNins 10 not few. although
nothing can be palmer. Suppose a per
son moves in circle while constantly
facing an object in the centre OF the cir
Gle When one circuit is completed the
person has made one rotation about his
axis or else place a ball on the extrem-
lily Of "A crank in a horizontal position
| which Is fastened 10 a vertical shaft Let
the crank revOlve. thus carrying the ball
along. After the crank has made one rev
olutiOn the ball has performed one rota-
ton. Now some positively deny in the
case Of the person that the person acru-
ally turns on his axis, and in the case of
the bah that the BAH really turns on its
axis They say there is no rotation.
However. there Is nothing more true
than that in either case there is an actual
rotation The person. as well as the ball.
has two distinct motions: first. the mo-
ton Of translation, which carries the cen
tire of gravity Of either person OF bah In
/ a circle around the centre of the circle
or the axis Of the shaft; secondly. an ad-
ditioral motion Of rotation around n line
drawn through the centre Of gravity Of
the person or ball parallel TO a perpendicu-
lar through the centre Of the circle or 20
the shaft
The following definition OF rotation Is
important and not difficult OF comprehen-
sion; A body ''rotates-' whenever "A line
drawn from its centre Of gravity outward
through any point selected at random In
its mass, describes A circle in the heav-
ems In consequence Of the fact that the
/ moon turns on her axis in the same time
in which she makes ones revolution round
the earth the earth 20 an observer on the
moon would never rise or set At any
one place on the moon the earth would
always BE- seen in the same place in the
sky, subject only 10 slight oscillations
from the Vibrations. 70 an observer in
the middle Of the moons disk visible
Us the earth would always be in the
NTH, to one at the edge Of the disk IL
earth would always be on the horizon.
while from any point on the other side
Of the earth, OF course, would never be
seen Since the phases of the moon depend
solely upon the relative position Of the
sun. earth. and moon. the earth, though
stationary in the heavens TO an observer
on the moon. would present all the phases
the moon undergOes. but these phases
/ would De exactly opposite 20 those OF the
I moon When the noon is new the earth
I would be- fun, and while the moon in
Creascs from new to fun the earth would
I decrease from fun TO new From the fact
. that 90 an observer on the moon the earth
[ would appear stationary it by no means
/ must be concluded that the earth would
. appear stationary relative 20 the stars, for
/ these would rise and set as they do for Us.
but II would take them two weeks. instead
Of twelve hours 10 pass from east 70
/ west.
The sun during the month Of August
I Will move through arc Of about - de-
. grees north declinati0n.. and at the termi-
. nation OF the mOn-h be nearly 3 degrees
north Of the Equator. The planet Mercury
. will be successfully In the consultations (
. Of Gemini, Cancer. and Leo. while Venus
, during the greater portion OF the month
z viii be in Leo, but toward the end in
/ Virgo. Since this planet does not set be- I
. fore little after clock il may be- seen
/ low down Ia the west. Mars is in Virgo
and later on viii be near the first magni- +
. tude star Spica. with which II will almost
. simultaneously set at about Is minutes
E past 10 O'Clock Jupiter and Saturn are
both adjoining tie constellation Sasitta- I
arHr L.
. morning, the Iat.er half an hour later I
. Sasittarius viii be on the meridian about /
9 o'clock ia the evening, and especially /
favorable for observation
At certain times the shooting stars an I
pear by many thousands for "A few hours T.
. a PHENOMENON called a mete0ric shower 4
/ While ordinary shooting stars move in an f.
. directions, apparently without a system .
. at the time of showers they an seem To .
/ cmanate or rather radiate from a fixed
/ point, which for this reason Is called the f.
/ radiant IL keeps its place among the F.
/ stars unchanged during the whole coutiu- .
/ uance Of the shower Just according as 4
/ IT, radiant is Situated the shower has its E
! name The shower whose radiant is Sit
4 u1ied In the constellation Leo is called /
. Jhal OF the LeOnids. and mus We have the .
( FeISelds the Lyrids. ard others Now
/ Jais apparent radiation Of the meteors
/ from that one point. the radiant Is. how
! ever an effect or perspective
! everybody knows that the rails OF a /
/ railroad track, though parallel. appear nj /
/ a certain distance to meet AT n uoirt
! "hlch Is technically called the Vanish
F ing point The metsOrs actually rnoy.- I'm
/ Sthslply straight and parallel lines. but
. as ln The case If the railroad track seem
3 10 meet az that vanishing point the "a
llaAJ Meteor SWarms are just as sub
| Ject 20 the attraction Of the sun as Tho
I PiautIs. comets or any other cosmicaI
T Dody, ana d follows from this thar the
earlh can encounter them only when She ]
Z IS on the point where her orbit futersects I
I lhe path OF the swarm. This. Of coarse
must always be on the same day of IN.
I year, except as, tn the course OF time the /
ORBITS OF the meteor Swarms shift their [
I positions IN consequence OF perturbatious I
me Leoulds. whose radiant is in the con /
sJeilatlon Leo, appear about the 10Th day
/ OF august at which time more than the Z
/ ordinary number Of shooting stars NAV .
+ De expected august and Novembar are .
/ the TWO months IN the year when these
utlroTlc SWaTmS OF showers. that sine. +
D the great shower Of 1893 have attracted .
so much attention and stimulated astron- .
Oners 20 make careful Investigations into .
+ thrs" interesting phenomena. may be ex- {
pcCtedr and We recommend TO readers who /
take an interest in the phenomena Of