The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-09-14
THE HEAVENS IN SEPTEMBER.
Bright Evening Star, Venus, is Rapid
ly Disappearing and Will Soon
he Out of Our Sight.

Rev. Frederick Campbell, Sc. D., of
Brooklyn Institute, contributes the
following interesting article about
the planets for the Boys World:
You will have to look quickly II
you want to see any more OF Venus
| in the evening sky. That Wonderous-
ly bright planet that has made the
west brilliant every evening 10"
months is now rushing toward the
! sun, which it will pass the 18th or
September. Venus orbit lies within
that of the earth, and she is now
swinging in between the earth and
sun, fastening from east to west OF
that body. Hence, on the 18th OF
! September, when she passes the sun,
she will be nearest to the earth, dis
tant only about 100000 miles
This is nearer than any other body
comes except the moon, which is
nearly quarter of a million miles
away.
Despite it's nearness, however, the
planet Venus could not be reached, at
it's nearest point, in less than fit!
years, if you journeyed day and
night, week days and Sundays, at
the express train speed of sixty miles
oil lOuI. 1Ou Gan luSl cIOl A5u1
for yourself how old you would be
upon arriving at Venus, if you start
ed tonight, and again how old you
would be on getting back to earth.
And remember that this is the near
est star at it's nearest point, and
thus realize how vastly distant the
great mass Of the heavenly bodies
must be. 1t would take thousands
and millions of years to reach some
Of them at the speed mentioned.
Even light, which travels at 10000
miles a second, requires hundreds
and thousands of years to travel
from many stars. Look at that
bright red star in the southwest to-
night, called Antares, in the constel-
lation of Scorpion. The light you
see is what left that star 200 years
ago. You are therefore actually
seeing back centuries before you were
born, when you look at the stars.
Watch Venus now night after
might. You will see that it is rapidly
getting near the sun. BY all means
look at her through a telescope or
field glass. She is largest because
nearest; but she presents remark
ably thin, delicate and beautiful
crescent For few days you will
lose her as she passes the sun. Then,
when she has changed from evening
to morning sky, you will see her low
in the east, rising before the sun,
with just the same beautiful cres-
cent, only turned the other way.
once showed Venus to lady with the
aid Of a telescope, when she was APP
preaching the sun as now. "Why ]
see the moon," said the lady, for she
had never seen Venus crescent form
before.
The 23rd of this month, at 11:17
p. M, we are at the autumnal equin-
OK. Just then days and nights are
equal the world over, which, while
it happens only twice a year, might
have been so all the year. 1t is the
tip of the earth that makes it other
wise and gives us our changing sea-
sons. But just now ends the long
southern night, for on the south pole !
the sun rises for a day of six months
duration, and now ends the long |
northern day, for the sun sets for a !
night of equal length. In our own |
latitude we are warned that days are
shortening, and that winter is COM
ing. During this one month our day !
shortens one hour and ten minutes. |
The winter consultations, with their |
superb splendor, are just beginning !
to appear, and the long evenings will |
enable us to do much good work star
gazing.
We have spoken of Venus rapidly
passing the SUM- Sometimes she
crosses his face and gives us transit
of Venus. But this is not happening
the entire century. This planet,
however, and all others, as ALSO the
moon and sun, are always upon the
background of the "zodiacal belt
which girdles the heavens. In this
are twelve consultations or groups
of stars, in one of which the sun, the
moon, or any planet is always to be
found. You would do we'll to learn
the names Of these and to be able to
recognize them. But this time suf-
flee to say that in this month, full
moon will be found, on the Sth, in
Aquarius; last quarter, on the 18th,
in Taurus; new moon, on the 22nd,
in Virgo; and first quarter, on the
10th, in Sagittarius.