IOO 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



The Heavens In August. 



BY PROF. ERIC DOOLITTLE OF THE UNI- 

 VERSITY OF PENNSYEVANIA. 



Besides the innumerable objects of 

 interest always to be found by one who 

 explores the heavens with a small tele- 

 scope, we will witness this month the 



of the stream of meteoric particles 

 known as the Perseid swarm. On any 

 one of these four nights the observer, 

 by facing- the northeast and watching 

 for a few minutes, may see bluish, very 

 swiftly moving shooting stars dart out- 

 ward in all directions from the radiant 



WORTH 



SOUTH 



Figure 1. The Constellations at 9 P. M., August 1. (If facing south hold the map upright. If facing east 

 hold "East" below; if facing west, hold "West" below. If facing north, hold the map inverted.) 



bright August shower of shooting stars ; 

 we will have with us for observation 

 and study the very brilliant Jupiter and 

 Saturn, and we will see the planet Mars 

 approach so closely to a bright star that 

 except by a careful scrutiny they will 

 appear as a single star. 



THE AUGUST SHOOTING STARS. 



From August 10 to August 13 the 

 earth passes through the densest part 



point in the constellation Perseus in- 

 dicated in Figures 1 and 2, move a 

 greater or less distance across the sky, 

 and finally disappear, usually leaving a 

 phosphorescent trail behind them. The 

 opportunity for witnessing the display 

 is unusually favorable this year because 

 the new moon occurs on August 12, 

 and therefore throughout all of the four 

 nights the sky will be dark. As the 



