TO KNOW TH1<: S'lWRRV 1 1 1-.. WENS 



8i 



The Heavens in August 



V.Y PROFESSOR KRIC DOOLITTl.E, OF TIIF 

 1'NI\'ERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



The most interesting astronomical 

 event of the present month will be the 

 i:)assag'e of the crescent moon over the 

 lirig-ht planet Saturn. This, the only 

 planetary occultation of the entire 3'ear 



shhie with more than loo times the 

 brightness of a first magnitude star. 

 This beautiful world is nightly drawing 

 closer to the bright Saturn, though it 

 will not approach most closely to the 

 Ringed Planet and pass to the east of it 

 until September 5. 



But to study and observe these 



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.) 



which is visible from otir country, will 

 be a most beautiful sight when viewed 

 in a small telescope. The planet Venus, 

 which is still seen as a very narrow 

 crescent in the telescope, is, however, 

 rapidly widening and also increasing 

 in brightness. On .August 9 it will at- 

 tain its greatest brilliancy when it will 



beautiful objects it will be necessar^- 

 for the reader to go out very late in 

 the night, only an hour or two before 

 dawn. It is in the morning sky that 

 the three l^rightest planets are now to 

 be found ; in the evening heavens the 

 bright ]\Iars alone remains with us and 

 this is so far awav and so very low 



