The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-28
Figure 2-The planet Saturn,

which becomes suddenly bright Mt an in
terval OF about $50 days. grew more bril-
liant this year than for several years
previously, although 1t did not approach
It's brllliance OF 1873. when for a few
days 1t was one of the brightest stars
OF the heavens. The cause OF these
fluctuations. and. in fact. the cause OF
the remarkable periodic outpourlng OF
light and heat itself. is not known.
Above the Great Square is the constel
lation Andromcda, of which the most re-
markable object Is the great Nebula, at
Fl. figure, / This is easily visible to
the naked eye on clear night. AT all
OF the points marked l. in this region
beautiful clusters OF stars will be found
and at the points marked * there are
interesting double stars.
The Planet Saturn.
Al the beginning of the month this
beautiful planet Will be seen just rising
above the ground in the east and toward
midnight IL will shine out high up In the
heavens. In excellent position for obser
walton. Across the yellowlsh green ball
there are now distinct shadlnss or bands.
which are darkest toward the pole. and
surrounding the whole Is the rcmarka bic
ring system, The rings are more widened
out than ut any other time during this
year their width appearing nearly one
third as great as their extreme length
We thus have now an unusually sat-
sfactory view Of them. II the night Is
an exceptionally good one for observation
the black division separating the inner
from the outer rings may be seen. bun
the much smaller outer division and the
faint ring inside the inner bright one
require n large telescope The observer
should also notice how the lower edge of
the ring casts shadow on the planet,
and also how the shadow or the ball falls
on tho ring. both shadows appearing per-
fecuy black and sharp.
This planet is n great world, $4,000
miles through. but so expanded by its
dition and lighter than II made OF wa
ter. Our own little earth, which Is
times heavier than II made Of water. 1t
Is believed that this is because the larger
worlds necessarily cool more slowly than
the smaller ones. The rings are formed
OF an immense number of little meteoric
particles, each pursuing its own path
around the planet and forming. In fact.
q little moon TO Saturn. all being aggre-
gated into a thin sheet l73 900 miles
across. but less than 100 miles thick.
The divisions In the ring are regions
from which the particles are swept out
by the disturbing pull of the larger
moons.
a comparatively small telescope will
show the largest moon of Saturn. named
Titan a world $500 miles in diameter
from the planet. Far outside OF this Is
the giant lepetus more than 100000
miles away and 1000 miles In diameter,
while inside OF Titan is the third bright
est moon. Rhca 1900 miles in diameter.
The others are too faint TO be we'll OBJ
served except with large lens. Titan
revolyes about Saturn in Is days % hours,
1t will be found mt its farthest distance
east on September and September 20.
and at its greatest distance west eight
days later. Iapctus requires seventy
nine days To- make it's journey about it's
orbit IL will be seen farthcst east OF
the planet on September 5. and will pass
Saturn in its westward motion on Sep
tcnlber 25. II IL remarkable fact that
when IL is east OF Saturn this moon Il
much fainter than when west, which Is
believed To Indicate that It always turns