The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-07-08

: Some curious scientific facts
about Summer Heat.
Those who are adventurous enough
to arise before sunrise may witness a
rather fine spectacle if they will do so
on the morning of July Is. Just be-
fore the dawn-if, of course, the
weather be clear-they will be reward
ed by view of three planets in the
sky-Jupiter, Venus and Mercury.
Later in the year opportunity will
be had to see each of these planets
again at better hour, but Mercury
is much better seen as morning star
than as an evening star.
Another interesting thouh not
specially rare phenomenon Will occur
this month and again un< Ultimately at
the early hour Of three-thirty This
will be an occultation of the planet
Uranus by the moon, July &C. Uranus
will be equal in brightness to star
of the sixth magnitude and an opera
glass should be used except in the
clearest atmosphere.
In the matter Of interesting stars
and consultations the July heavens are
second to none and offer plenty of
beautiful objects to the seeker. Almost
in the zenith at about 900 b. m. early
in the month is the constellation Coro-
ma Borealis, the Northern Crown. This
in Greek Mythology is the crown
after she had been deserted by her hus
band, Theseus, King Of Athens, on the
Island of Naxos.
The brightest of the Corona stars is
called Gemma It has been found by
astronomers to be receding from the
earth at rate of twenty miles per
second To the west lies the Bear
Driver, Bootes, with the very bright
star Arcturus, rich in NEUROLOGICAL and
scientific interest. Arcturus is one of
the most rapidly moving stars in the
heavens and is now quite degree out
from the position it had in the time of
the ancient Greek astronomers. It is
of slightly reddish hue and probably
several hundred times as bright as our
own sun. It is interesting to note
that the astrologers used to believe
that fame and wealth were destined
to come to one born under Arcturus.
To the east Of Corona is the large
but medium bright group Of Hercules
and little farther east is the bright
est star of the northern heavens, Vega,
Of the constellation Lyra, the Harp of
Orpheus OF all the stars visible in
our ATTITUDES the star Sirius of the
southern heavens alone surpasses Vega
in magnitude and beauty.
The next brightest star in this group
is of variable intensity, and just to the
east Of this star is the famous Ring
Nebula in Lyra, invisible to the naked
eye but good object for small tele-
scopes. Still farther to the east the
eye meets the Milky Way, which here
seems to be split up into two streams.
The very bright star Affair, is chiefly
interesting because it is one of the
nearest Of the bright stars and is also
rapidly approaching the earth.
Summer Heat.
Have you ever seriously asked your
self this question: Why is summer
hotter than winter? The answer that
may come to ones mind first is that
perhaps the earth is nearer to the sun
at one time of year than another and
that when it so approaches the sun the
daily temperature goes up. Actually
the reverse is true, for on July 5 of this
year the earth will be at the point in
its orbit, called aphelion, the point at
which it is as far away from the sun
as it can get in it's annual orbit. While
it is true that the earth as a whole re-
ceives little more heat at perihelion
chat point in the earth IS orbit of
nearest approach to the SUM-, that oc-
ours in January, and in any case the
difference in heat and light energy
received from the sun at aphelion and
perihelion has no marked influence on
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