Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-07-11
THE HEAVENS IN JULY.
Quarters in Which Most interesting
Consultations Are to BE Found.

The brightest and most interesting
lregions in the evening skies of July lie
to the eastward of the meridian. The
Milky Way, rising obliquely from the
north point of the horizon, sweeps
lround in a vast curve to the eastward
of the zenith and descends toward the.
south. Along it we find a series of
brilliant consultations. Beginning low
lin the north, We first find Cassiopeia-S
familiar at all seasons, for in our lati-
ltude it never sets. Next above, on a
Ilevel with the pole star, few rather
Ifnconspicuous stars mark the place Of
iCepheus.
Though this group hardly adds much,
Ito the brightness of the sky, the next
one makes up for list deficiency, for 1t.
lis the splendid constellation Cygnus.Y
i This is not of the few groups of stars
THAT bear any resemblance to the OBJ
4 iects for which they are named. 1t.
takes but little imagination to see the
head and body of a flying swan in the
4 line of stars that lies almost centrally
in the Milky Way, and its outstretched
wings in the equally conspicuous line
that crosses it.
| The southernmost of the principal
stars of the constellation-Beta Cygni-
which marks the tail of the swan, Is
/ well worth looking at with any tele-.
l scope, however small. 1t is one of the
II finest double stars in the heavens,
though a very wide pair, and is an ad-
|! mirable example of contrasted colors,.
II the principal star being orange and It's;
II COMPANION blue. The two stars have a
II common proper motion in space, and 1t
l IS not unlikely that they are also in rev.
L olution around one another, though the
/ period must be many thousands or
/ years. as the stars have shown very 1T
/ tie relative motion in the last century.
/ Their distance from the earth is very
L great-too great for accurate measure
ment-so that we can only say that the
system must be one of enormous mag
nitude so great that the sun, or even
Sirius. If set alongside It, would seem
small in comparison.
Close to Cygnus, and on the western
edge of the Milky Way. is Lyra. Inc
brilliant Vega marks this constellation
so conspicuOusly that 1t is one OF the
easiest of all to recognize.
III Below Cygnus the Milky Way divides
into two branches, which pursue a
roughly parallel course as far as the
southern horizon. The western branch
is comparatively faint, but the eastern
one contains the brightest part of the
galaxy that we ever see, and Is full OF
intricate patches and knots of bright
ness. and also of dark holes and pock-
cts. some of most extraordinary char-
acter. one of the most conspicuous Is
IN C,vpnus and looks almost as II dark
streak of cloud obscured the stars.
Not far below Cygnus, in this branch
of the Milky Way. lies Altar, nrsl-
| MAGNITUDE star and one OF our nearest
neighbors. There are no very bright
stars lower down, though the little IN
verted milk dipper" in Saglttarius Is
n characteristic configuration, but the
GALAXY itself is her fine enough to re-
ward observation abundantly.
West of Sagitta1ius, and right on the
d meridian. Scorpio is in full view, from
tho three stars which mark his claws
and the red Antares in his body down
to tho recurring end of his upturned
tail. 1t is Il pity that we never see ti'iS
constellation at Il greater altitude, clear
Of the mists of the horizon. for 1t IS one
of the finest in the heavens.
III There ia little of interest east OF the
Milky way. Pegasus is just rising be
low Cyenus, and Capricornus Is partly
visible below Affair.
The planet Saturn, which is about an
Ibo,,r high in the southeast. IS the
thrightest object In that part OF the SKY.
on the meridian are Draco above the
mole Hercules almost overhead. anu
i0nhiuchus. stretching southwark TO-
,vard Scorpio. Virgo and Bootes are
fortber west. and their principal stars,
SDica and Arcturus, are the chiei
,dornments of the western sky MitfS
&c near the former but is not very CON-
spicuons. 1,rs,
LEO. which ia just setting. ana orsa
Major. which fills the space 10 the i,i
~ tho mole. complete the list OF the
considerations now prominent.
THE PLANETS.
Mercury is morning star uh.i AN
25th. when he passes through supe
conjunction behind the sum- anu
comes an evening star. ,a
To 20 rather higher than usual anu
leasilv seen during the 1lrst ~ n.y. W.
80 NINTH On the LIST he is in Taurus'
not far from Aldebaran' ana .is ~
about $50 A. NJ. an hour peioie Inv
sun. 4; worry
l SnicuOuS. on lHt 'ei
bor greatest eastern elongation oelhs
Az degrees from the sun. AS she Is
moving southwark. however, she does
not remain in sight quite as late as
she did in June. On the LIST she se's
at 10 P. NJ, but on the 3lSt at aoo -,
9P. NJ. She is moving eastward
through Leo and Virgo during the
month and passes close to Regnius On
the 1Gth-.withn degree Of him. her
+ nhase changes from half moon TO d
pronounced crescent during the iiio'i."'
Int her decreasing distance and IN
crcas,ng apparent diameter more thah
makes good the deficiency, so that she
is growing brighter. ~,
Mars is evening star in Virgo. On
the 9th he is in Guadrature with .he
sun and comes to the meridian at
o'clock. He Is rapidly receding from
the earth and is only one-quarter as
bright as he was at opposition ~
March. As he moves eastward through