The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-06-21

scription. The writer once forced an
opera glass into the reluctant hand of
middle-aged German woman, prac-
tical sour and having small opinion of
people who waste their time star gaz-
ing. She was directed to look cup
there" the region just mentioned be-
ing pointed out. Slowly, grudgingly
she complied, but when the glorious
vision came into her view she gave a
gasp of establishment, and How
much - was her heartfelt German
American expression of admiration
and delight.
Everybody knows the Big Dipper and
the North Star. The bright star Arc
turus, mentioned in the book of Job,
can be found by following the direc-
ton indicated by the handle of the Big
Dipper to distance about three times
the length of the handle. The North
Star, Arcturus and Aega form large
right angled triangle, with Vega at
the right angle. Near Arcturus is seen
the remarkable semi circlet of seven
star known as the Northern Crown.
Leo is now pretty we'll to the west.
Still holding as temporary guest
the red planet Mars. Regulus of the
first magnitude. is in the handle of
the sickle at the end of the constella-
tion, while Denebola, bright second
magnitude star, is the easternmost of
the triangle at the other and eastern
end. Denebola, Arcturus and Spica,
white first magnitude star in the
constellation of the Virgin, form a
very remarkable equilateral triangle,
which is of great service to the begin
ner in celestial geography, if such an
expression may be permitted. Near
Spica we find group of four stars
forming a small quadrillateral this is
Corvus, or the Crow.
To the south we see the Scorpion,
with red Antares brightest of the as
semblage. The recent report to the
Royal observatory of Cape of Good
Hope gives the annual parallax of this
star as two-one hundredths of Sec
ond, indicating that the light of this
ornament of our southern sky is 1853
years reaching us, travelling at the in
conceivable rate of 1856, 700 miles a Sec
ond. Since it is one of the twenty stars
classed as first magnitude, if follows
that Antares must be body of ire
mendous dimensions. If Sirius were
removed to distance his brilliance
would vanish and what is now our
brightest star would be barely visible
to the naked eye. Yet Sirius has a
mass about 10 times as great as our
own sun.
Of the planets Mars has been already
noticed. Venus is now evening star,
but so close to the sun that no satisfac-
tory view can be had during the
month. We can get glimpse of her
half an hour after sunset the last eve
ming of the month.
Mercury is on show again this
month with one OF her small brief en-
gagements. About the 18th of the
month and one or two evenings before
and after look near the horizon in the
wake of the departing sun and the
brightest star you see will be Mercury.
Uranus is in opposition to the sun
on the 9th. He is in Ophiuchus and
can be found with an opera glass.
Jupiter now rises little before 10
o'clock, and by the end of the month
will rise little after 8. He rises south
of east and can be at once identified
by his surprising brilliancy. The less
bright star quite near it is the planet
Saturn, these two giants being to-
gether thus once in twenty years.
Jupiter is in opposition to the sun
June 30.