Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1901-07-18

is in the western sky, but so near the
sun that only feeble point of light
gives promise of the beauty that shall
be seen when autumn comes.
Turn to the east. There near the
horizon glows a single star, strong
and steady in its light, though as yet
not a companion shows in the sky.
This is Jupiter. giant of the planetary
system, fourteen hundred times as
great in volume as the earth, three
hundred times its weight, greater, in
deed, than twice the mass of all the
other planets put together. Jupiter is
now at about her nearest approach to
the earth, but the abyss that stretches
between is still of width Of more
than four hundred million miles. The
light which this planet receives from
the sun is only one-twenty-ti that
received upon the earth, yet his vast
disk. more than eighty thousand miles
across, reflects enough light to make
it, after Venus, the brightest object in
our sky.
AS the shadows of evening deepen
another star shines forth near Jupiter,
only a few moon-breaths away. This
is Saturn, the ringed planet, and great
est of all after Jupiter After you
have found Jupiter, and you cannot
fail, the identification of Saturn Is
absolutely certain. A number of rather
bright stars, about the third magni-
tude, will be seen in the immediate
vicinity of these planets, after they
are we'll up in the sky. These all be-
long to the constellation Sagittarius,
the Archer or Bowman, and beginners
in the study of the sky will do we'll to
learn to recognize the group when 1t
shall appear a year hense, its present
planetary tenants having moved on.
The figure called the milk dipper is
easily found and remembered. 1t
gets it's name from its dipperlike
shape, and it's approXimity to the
milky way. 1t is a very short-handled
dipper and. viewed from this northern
latitude, seems constantly in danger
Of spilling all the milk.
Now it has become dark and you
may bring out your opera glass and
look at the many clusters with which
this region is rich. When you have
had your fill of these beauties, look at
Jupiter with the glass and see If very
near him you cannot detect one or two
minute points of light These are
the moons of Jupiter, and If you look
three clear evenings in succession
you can hardly fail to discover one of
quite bright little stars, being not far
from the fifth magnitude, and only the
overpowering brilliance of the primary
prevents their being readily visible to
the naked eye. 1t is known that Jupi-
ter has not so far progressed in the
matter of cooling down as to permit
the existence of life on his surface,
but it has been suggested that these
moons, which approach Mars in size,
may be we'll suited for habitation. The
satellite Ganymede named for the
cupbearer of Jove, is the brightest and
oftenest seen.
Looking to the west of Sagittarius
we see the Scorpion stretching along
the southern sky. In this constellation
CLOVIS red Antares, star which well
Yepays looking at. 1t can be at once
distinguished by it's color and superior
brightness. Look upward along the
milky way, turning your face to the
north. At the point where the two
branches of the milky way are joined
again together we see the figure of the
northern cross. On either side of the
milky way in this vicinity, we see a
bright, first magnitude star. To the
east is Affair, one of a row of three
stars and very easily recognized. To
the west is Vega, in the constellation
of the Tyre. A little further along
the galaxy Casseopeia, a figure some
what like an irregular w, after being
several months obscure by being too
near the horizon, now begins TO be
notable object.
Still may we not forget the ever.
faithful big dipper of the northern
sky. the pointers Of whose bowl
show the northern star, and the handle
Of which prolonged points out the very
bright star Arcturus. Near Arcturus
is the semi-circlet of stars known as
the northern crown. This Is one Of
the most beautiful of celestial objects,
and if it is not known should be sought
for arf found.
Between the Tyre and the northern
crown is the great constellation, Her.
cules, not easy to describe, but easy
20 locate in the manner given. It con-
+ains large number of stars and is
we'll overhead shortly after 9 o'clock.
1t is of especial interest in one way,
because within it's boundaries is the
Doint toward which our entire solar
system-suu, planets. earth and all, IN
Guiding our important selves-is rush
ing at a speed at least $4,000 times as
fast as the swiftest railway train on
earth. In the west the Lion is just
going down. The three stars which