Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-06-06
THE SKIES IN JUNE.

In the course Of the month Of June |
the moon will present her phases as fol-
lows Last quarter 90 the 9th, new on |
tho 10th and first quarter on the 23d. |
She will be nearest the earth on the |
14th and remotest on the 18th.
The sun, which mt the beginning OF |
the month will be very nearly % de-
grees above the equator, will reach its
northern limit, the summer solstice, in
the afternoon OF the 2lst He will then
enter the sign OF Cancer, but the con-
stellatiou OF Gemini At the ond OF
the month be will be but Is minutes
south Of the solstice, having thus in
course Of the month trayersed an arc Of
rather less han Q degrees north declina-
tion. Even those who are hut little
oonvtrsant 18th the science OF astiop-
omy will readily understand that the
sun sheds more heat ON given surface
I OF the northern hemisphere the more
north 1t 10 OF the equator, and so 1t
should appear that on the 2lat OF June,
when it reaches its maximum declina-
ton north, the day should not alone be
tho ongest, but also the hottest. But
| this is not so. II the sun sheds on
given surface more heat each day than
the surface loses by radiation, then the
heat aocumulates from day TO day.
This Is the cases during the long day
OF summer, aud more heat Is gained
than lost till month or more after the
summer soistice. For like reRs IN
during the middle hours of the day
heat is received from the sun more
rapidly than it ia lost by radiation, 80
that the hottest hour is 2 or 3 O'Clock,
p. m.
Both inferior planets, Mercury and
Venus. are near each other, at first ip
Taurus and later on in Gemini. Mer:
curry sets somewhat later than Venus.
While the former of these two planets
is altogether in too clo.f roximity to
the sun to be SEEN witt the unaided
4 eye, Venus can he seen Sum after sun
set hoserina above the western nori-
zon. She revolves abunt the sun in
about seven and a half months, put her
syuodio period, or the time from one
inferior conjunction TO another, is 5s4
days. or about ~ months. Her mean
distance from the sun ia 60, 900, 900
miles, and since the eccenii icity OF her
orbit Is very small this distance is sub.
iect to but small vsriation. The appar-
emit diameter of Venus varies much
more senslbly than that of Mercury.
owiny TO the greater variation Of her
distance from the earth. Mars Ia still
In Leo and passes the meridian little
after O'CLOCK in the evening. Since
IT does not set before l o'clock, 1t will
present bright object OF observation
during the greater pcrtion OF the even
ing. The two greatest planets OF our
solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, are
In the constellation of Saglttarius.
The former rises at first little before
0 o cloclS, but later on about 8. 10, in
the evening; the latter but 10 minutes
after. The four principal satellites OF
Jupiter-a fifth and an extremely small
one was discovered but nine years ago
by Mr.. Barnard, at the Lick Obserya.
tory easily seen through tele-
scope of moderate power, and this
satellite system OF the great planet pre-
sents very interesting object to the
observer. When seen through small
telescope they present the appearance
of minute stars, ranged nearly in the
direction OF line coinoiding with the
planets equator. Their distances from
the primary are SO small that they are
included In the fisld of telescope Of
moderate POWER. The uonfgurations OF
these satellites arc continually varying.
Sometimes they all appear on one side
OF the planet, frequently, not more than
| | WV VI hhApO VI bbb Etbdttiillo5 hFb tiot
BILE, sometimes only done 10 visible and
few instances are On record when all
four have been Invisible for brief
; tire. Uranus 10 In Scorpio and
Neptune In Taurus, :,
There is gradual and uuceasing
change going on, not only In geographic.
cal boundaries, in the features of the
/ surface, in the customs and fashions
of people and nationa, In objects that
i pertain to the oonyeniencrs OF life, in
! the social and political sentiments oil
the Ieople, hut also throughout this
, universe. 1t would be difficult t.
{ mention anything 10 nature that Is no
: in some way or other subject Il
/. change. 1t is true. that siuee the tim,
OF Ptolemy, the most famous of the
q astronomers Of ancient times, who
' tiourished IN the first part of TIL
' second century of the Christian era
' the length of the day has not changed
1 by the hundredth part of q seconds blu
q the fact that the friction Of the tides
4 the deposits of meteorio matter upol
4 the earth, the earth's loss Of heat b.
Q radiation and consequent shrinkage un
d questionably tend TO both lengtheuinl
and shortening the day must necessarily
v bring forth change In many THOUSAND
IA ySd,bs " 10 uo ipugbI iuhtboT VI uih
q pute that there is shrinkage of tn
/. suns body and consequently a gradua
i change Of its diameter and volume
n That the orbit OF the earth both Il
a form and position is changing is
\ matter Of mathematical certainty. Tn
70 obliquity OF the eclptic is but 2
j. minutes less than 1900 years ago. an
it has been computed with mathemati
= | cal exactitude that this diminutio
will continue for $1,000 years, when
4 will begin to increase, The. eccer
u trioity of the earth's orbit is ais
l. slowly diminishing and win keep o
IL doing 80 until the. orbit will becom
Z almost 2oircular, after which time
g. will increase again. The line of til
g. stretches in both directions towar
y the consultations OF Sagittarius 40
p Gemini, is slowly and steadily moyir
~ eastward at a rate that will Garry
., around the circle in about 1850
Go years. This change is owing to Il
I, attraction of the heavy planets. who
IL orbits are outside of the earth's. III
y, apeides OF the moons orbit undergo
.. similar change, with the differen'
l., that In the moons case the change
s.; completed in about nine years.
ss consequence Of the procession Of IL
a. equinoxes, that westward motion of Il
equinoxes on the eoliptic, the pole
l., the equator has changed iis positie
ey materially, for our pole star, Polari
ne in the tail Of Ursa Minor, has o.
n always acted, nor will it always act,
p. that capacity. Four thousand yea
he ago Alpha DIaconis, our Thuban, W,
| he al afu s,h liz s.C