Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-07-11
THE SKIES IN JULY.


Baltimore Sun.
In the course of the month Of July
the moon will present the following
phases Last quarter on the 9Th, new
on the 18th and first quarter on the
23d. She will be In perigee ON the
18th and In apogee on the 23d. While
the sun on the LIST of the month was %
degrees 8 minutes north of the equator,
it will be on the last Is degrees 9
minutes above it, thus travelling in |
course OF the month over an arc OF D |
degrees north deolination.
The planet Mercury is in Gemini. 1t |
will be stationary on the I'D and then
begin to retrograde. Venus will success |
She will become visible soon after the
setting. of the sun and not set before
8. 10 O'Clock. Although this planet is
not at present at her greatest brill
liancy, she will be. when the evening
twilight begins to deepen, very con-
spicuous object on the western sky.
Mars is In Leo and will be- visible dur
ing the first portion of the month
nearly till midnight, but toward the
end only little after 10 O'Clock. The
rlanet Jupiter is in Ssgittarius and
will be visible nearly throughout the
night. In the first portion Of the
month it will come to the meridian
soon after IL O'clock, but later on
about 10 O'Clock. Saturn is also in
Sagittarius add will be in opposition of
the sun on the 9th OF the month, and
consequently shine all night. 1t will
cons to the meridian 20 minutes later
than Jupiter. These two planets will
constitute the two most beautiful
objects in the skies during the July
nights.
TO those who are ignorant OF the
methods employed In measurements on
the earth's surface on large scale,
like extended geodetIc and photographic
surveys, it must appear strange that in
such terrestrial measui ements the stars
are reaorted to as an Indispensable
| means OF securing accuracy. 1t is
| plain enough to anybody that in surveys
| the direction Of the north and south
| line must be fixed with the utmost
accuracy, and therefore the position of
| the true north pole be determined by
means of the Pole star or other Of the
| circumpolar stars. TIE measurement
| of degree of the circumference Of the
earth and therefore that of the circum-
| ference itself certainly is for us terres-
| trial Inhabitants a problem of vital inn
| portanoe, and distinctly an astronomical
one. When in the years 1764-65 Mason
| and Dixon, who had come over from
England to mark the boundary between
Pennsylvania and Maryland (since
known as the Mason and Dixon Line)
carefully observed the elevation of a
certain star above the northern horizon,
then measured a straight line directly
south until the star at the same time
of day was one degree nearer the horizon
than when they started, they knew that
they had measured just one degree OF
the earth's circumference. This in
tereeting fact rests upon principle
which deserves the reader Is most earnest
attention. namely, that the latitude Of
any place lie exactly equal to the eleva.
tion of the pole, either north or south,
as the case may be, above the horizon
of the place In order to measure
meridianal arcs it is first necessary tc
find with the greatest possible accuracy
the difference of latitude between the
terminal stations of the meridianal arc
This is the astronomical part OF thu
work. The geodetio work consists il
! measuring their distance in miles, o.
feet, 60, which also requires tn,
greatest care and precaution. At th,
present time many arcs of meridian
have been thus measured, more than 81
in different parts of the earth. Ii
: measuring such arcs it was found tina
in higher ATTITUDES the arcs are longer
proving the flattening of the earth I
surface near the poles. 1t is necessar.
to travel 5000 feet farther in Swedel
: than in India to increase the latitud
one degree, Ms measured by the eleva
tiop of the celestial pole. From sucl
! measurement the exact form of the eBrtl
7 may be deduced, but for reasons int
: which we need not enter here 1t !
rather an abstruse problem, though al
Q interesting one. r.
9 At about o'clock in the July even
o ings the three conspicuous constella
8 tions, ScorpIo, Hercules and Ophiu
, chus, will come to the meridian. O
: all the 10 consultations constitutin
the zodiac to Scorpio must be concede
' the palm of beauty. Its peculiar an
/, most striking configuration is that OF
D boys kite with a long tail to it. i
II the heart of the Scorpion is situate
a the principal star OF the constellation
II Alpha Scorpii 1.-THE genitive not bein
il formed from SooIpio, but from Scol
Is piusl. 1t IS of the first magnitude an
Q also bears the name Antares, a wor
;e aignifying the trivial of Ares' o
i. account OF its rod color, and In thi
: respect resembling the planet Mars, th
l. Greek name of the god of war bein
Ares. Anteres is a double star, but
h requires tolerajly large telescope
], discern it, companion. Beta Scorpi
y of the second magnitude, is in the arc
N of the bow of the kite toward the col
!. stellation Libra. Due south of Bet
a and neas ii is Delta Scorpii, also OF til
N second magnitude. With a small tell
h scope fine cluster may be easily see
: half way between Alpha and Bel
. Scorpii. To the west of Scorpio III
I. the Constellation Libra, and to ii
& east though somewhat farther ava,
the zodiacal constellation SagittRriu
a distinguished at present by harborir
- the two kingly planets Jupiter ar
4, Saturn. Between Scorpio and Sagi
20 tarlus, in a northerly direction, is siti
~ ated the large constellation Ophiuchu
- meaning the .'serpent- bearer" III
8 hero IS represented as standing with b
~ feet on Scorpio and grasping the 'se
10 pent.'' Inasmuch as the two constell
20 lions are closely connected they are be
y treated together. While the head
L, Ophiuchus is close to the head of He
* cules, the head of the serpent is ne
III the crown and marked by a small II
r. angle. Alpha Ophiuchi, of the secoi
~ magnitude, also called Ras Alaghue,
IS easily recognized by its being only
20 degrees from Alpha Hercules, bo
~ stars occupying rather isolated pos
rn tion. Alpha Ophiuchi is the caste