The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-05-27
NIGHT

's happy-faced school boy asked for in
lorna few days ago about the unusually
Di'Si" seen during the early evening in the
we''er eastern skies and later in the night,
almost M head. There is hope for boy or
gill; for any member of the human family,
VINO p. This habit of tracking around day
= ~ with the eyes the ground does not
typify trustfuness faith. Above us there are
trees and birds and blue sky-at night the storm
clouds or the stars, sometimes both in Florida So
turning for moment from the events of the week
which closes tonight, it may be worth our while
to lock up that we may behold the works of the
Great Creator who made heaven and earth, the
sea and all that is therein Just now there hap
pens to be an unusual combination of the planets
or members of our own solar system 1t is difficult
to explain to the uninitiaed the difference between
the planets and the stars or to tell how to distn-
guish them in the heavens, but possibly the best
rule to follow is the old one taught at school years
ago that the stars twinkle while the planets appear
to have a steady. even light. The cause of the
twinklng is the vast distance between the star, or
sum- which it really is, throwing cut its own light.
and the earth. AS for the planets, it must be
membered that they have no radiance Of their own
and that the brilliant Venus now prominent in
the western sky Immediately after sunset, the great
Jupiter, well up toward the zenith in the early
evening" and later the ruddy Mars in the southwest
en sky, all shine with reflected light, that of the
sun, Just as does our moon. 1t will be well worth
while to take time these wonderful evenings, to
repair to some open space on the shores OF one OF
the lakes where there are no electric lights to in
terfere, and there behold the glory of the panorama
spread out for the enjoyment pleasure and instruc-
lion CT all who care 10 marx and observe How
many can pick cut Venus Jupiter, Saturn and
Mars, all conspicuous objects at this time9 AS
stated above, Venus dominates the western sky
after the sun sets, growing brighter as the days
come and go, the planet travelling around the sun
in an orbit or circle inside that of the EARTH Jupiter
is easily recognized high up in the southern sky
while not far away is Saturn with its mysterious
rings A coed, ordinary field glass will enable
the observer 10 see some of Jupiters moons but it
takes four-nch telescope to present the rings of
Saturn to the human eye, picture once seen.
never to be forgotten Along about ! 0 o'clock
Mars shows up well in the southeast. 1t is
strange coincidence that Mars is not far away
from another reddish heavenly body, the huge
sun Antares in that easily distinguished constea-
lion. The Scorpion. Mars is rapidly approaching
the EARTH its orbit being the next beyond that of the
earth while Jupiter and Saturn swing millions and
millions Of miles outside CT cur circle Astronomers
will again turn their great telescopes on earth's
nearest neghbor in further efforts to determine
more about the planet and to confirm the general
belief that it is inhabited by beings whose standard
of intellect and advancement may be superior to
our own. Perhaps few facts concerning cur
solar family will be refreshing to the memory of
those of us who studied more or less of astronomy
in the years gone by but who have now for
gotten dimensions and distances. The planet
Mercury. closest to the sun and rarely seen by the
inexperienced observer is about three times the size
of the moon with a diameter of about three thou
sand miles. A year on Mercury is SO of our days
and its average distance from the sun is only
thirty-6ve million miles, Strange to say, the Mer-
curial day is about the same as ours, being "a
hours. minutes and 20 seconds. The brilliant