The Saint Paul globe., 1904-10-23
VIEWING THE PLANETS AT CENTRAL HUGH


using the school telescope for dreary,
| serious study. It's jolly scope, II
one is looking for lark or a red star.
It's an instructive instrument, If one
wants to be convinced, for example, OF
these facts:
Facts About Jupiter
Jupiter, whose orbit is the first beyond
that of Mars, is 4S3, 100000 miles from the
sun, or five times as far as the earth.
He is the .'belted giant of the solar sys-
tem,'' his size and mass being greater
than those of all the other planets to-
miles. His volume is, therefore, 1900
! times that of the earth. Jupiter rotates
| on his axis in nine hours and thirty-five
minutes. The centrifugal force generated
him such an oblate figure that his equa-
| torial diameter exceeds his polar dame
ter by 5000 miles. He revolveS around
the sun once in twelve years, and comes
into opposition with it once in thirteen
years. He is in opposition now, and may
be seen shining brilliantly after sunset
with a white glare quite different from
Jupiter is called the "belted giant be-
cause of the variegated bands which girt
him. His appearance is always changing;
and the heavy clouds which float around
him prevent astronomers from telling
whether he is liquid or solid. A red spot
200 goo, 900 miles in area appeared upon
| his face twenty-six years ago. Since 1892
| it has been visible only occasionally As
tronomers have not been able to account
for it.
Jupiter's five satellites were discovered
by Calico three centuries ago. One su-
perstitious philosopher refused to put his
eye to telescope for fear he would see
them. He died short time later i
hope said Calico, that he saw them on
his way to heaven
It's the best telescope, indeed, that is
to be found at any Northwestern high
school. It's lens is'>the work of the
American factory SO long conducted by
the noted Alvin Clark, most expert OF
modern lens makers. The st. Paul lens
is six inches in diameter. The tele-
scope is an equatorial of eight feet
local length. 1t has five eye pieces.
magnifying, respectively, 45, 20, lao,
300 and 900 diameters.
To see a small object, such as the
planet Uranus, $4,000 miles in diam
eter, which looks really smaller than 1t
is because it is some distance away,
the pupils wrinkle their brows over
the eye pieces that magnify 300 or 500
diameters. While Robbie or John is
exclaiming intently to the next boy in
line:
"Yep, I got her! I see her fine. but
she don't look so dinky after ALL" the
class is hearing information to this ef-
feet:
Long Years in Uranus
Uranus is twice as remote from the sun
as Saturn. 1t is supposed to be SO, 600
miles in diameter, and to have a day or
about ten hours. 1t is more than eighty
four years in making a revolution around
the sun.
Uranus was discovered by Sir William
HeTschel in ISL Forty years later Bou-
vard of Paris, made tables for calcuiat-
ing it's orbit. It was found that Uranus
motion deViated slightly from the line laid
down in the tables. 1t was suggested that
the planets unaccountable conduct might
be due to the influence of some unknown
planet Leverrier in Paris and Adams in
England calculated where this unknown
body should be. With the calculations of
Leverrier before him DR.. Gale, or Berlin,
in the autumn of 1846 pointed his tele-
scope to the spot they indicated and
found the planet now called Neptune. The
result showed what marvellous accuracy
both in calculation and observation mod
ernF astronomy has attained.
But the. biggest magnifieations, like
political eulogies, are not the clearest.
The eye pieces of 10 and lao diame-
ters are preferred whenever the class
at .CentraF : wants to see whether We
nus is full
No reflection upon the giddy goddess.
The Oldest senior often observed this
incident, and he doesn't hesitate TO tell
it. For Venus and Mercury resemble
the moon, it is said, at Central" in
their entertaining display Of phases.