South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-02-14
STARS IN LOVE?
YES, WATCH EN-
Jupiter and Venus in Western
Sky Present Unusual
Sight Now.

II the ear OF mortal man were
attuned 10 the music OF the stars
there might have been heard Sunday
night the strains OF "a celestial love
song. strains that would have for
ever soothed the ever savage breast
Of this old world Of ours
This love song was being sung
high IN the western heavens where.
during several hours Of the carly
night. the eye OF mortal man could
see the two planets. Venus and Jupi-
ter floating serenely together in the
infinite spaces. The moon, too. &C
cOrding % her custom. floated
through the infinite spaces but he
hid in vain for popular favor for the
attention Of all was i'm some mystic
1ious manner drawn toward the low
ers OF the western sky.
The love scene apparently did not
have the same effect on all who saw.
For many 1t was merely somethinE
new that ought TO be explained at
once. What do YOU know about
those two bright stars out in the
west was the query from many and
ihaHmuch as no one seemed 70 knox
anything about the two stars il fell
10 the lot Of the celestial lovers 20 be
grossly lbeled. DETAINED. slandercd
and misrepresented.
No They Won't Collide.
Many there were. probably. who
tossed fitfully in their beds las
night FOR fear the two stars i'm the
vest would. in their extraordinary
friendliness. collide and thereby dis
rupt the universe. There was. how
ever. little likelihood Of such ca
tastrophe. for. according 10 prof
Martin McCue. head Of the depart
ment OF astronomy and civil engin-
cering at Notre Dame university.
the two planets although they
seemed but few inches apart. were,
i'm fact. 400. 100000 miles apart.
The phenomenon was thus ex-
Iiained by Prof. MCCue. At certain
indefinite periods the planets Venus
and Jupiter are in conjunction,
,.h ich is 20 say. the inclination of
the orbits of those two planets 10 the
ecliptic is such as 10 place the PLAN
cts nearly on the same straight line
from the earth thus causing them
20 appear close together For "A
short time Sunday evening tho
planets were apparently about "a
meet but they soon began 10 sepa-
rate and the separation continues
until they appear an widely separate
parts OF the heavens.
Jupiter Is Larger.
Although Venus appeared TO be
the larger OF the two planet vet she
j. smaller than Jupiter. Venus is
ZOO miles i'm diameter but she is
only $1,000 900 miles from the sun
while Jupiter. $4,000 mile, in dame
ter. is 100000 miles from the
sun This difference in the distance
from the sun accounts for the larser
and brighter appearance of the
smaller planet.
While the earth. at a distance of
gS coo. 600 miles. is making the trip
around the sun in 365 days. Venus,
az a distance of $1,000. 900 miles is
making the trip around the sun in
e25 days. Jupiter. 4S3.O0O 600 miles
away from the sun. can make the
trip around the center Of the solar
system only once in 11.S6 years. If
one will draw a diagram with the
sun as the center OF three circles
representing respectively the orbits
Of Venus the earth and Jupiter and
will place the earth on its orbit di-
rectly south from the sun and then
will place Venus and Jupiter on
their orbits and 20 the west and
north of the sun so that a line draw n
through the three planets will form
on angle Of - degrees with "a line
drawn from the earth To the sun one
viii have graphic representation
OF the relative position OF the sun
and planets as they were sunday
night
Astronomists do not attempt to
foreteIl Just when this conjunction
OF Venus and Jupiter viii occur un-
iii the time for the conjunction APP
prOaches, according 10 Prof. MCCue.
This is due 10 the fact that the CON
junction is an irregular occurrence
and nautical almanacs. giving ne
positfonof heavenly bodies. are pub
lished only three years i'm advance.
Attempts 10 calculate for LONGER
period would entail "a vast amount
of fruitles labor