28 
THE GUIDE TO NATURE 
and study, confident that he will find 
much of interest in any part. But for 
this work he should have a good star 
atlas, which will show him the location 
of innumerable colored, double and 
variable stars, as well as the brighter 
star clusters, nebulas and star clouds. 
^ ^ ^ ^ 
The Planets in July. 
Mercurv is so far north of the equa- 
tor and its eastern elongation, which 
D E H H 
Period ioDa 3 -s 15-2 e-o 
occurred on June 29, was so great that 
it may still be seen for many evenings 
during the first part of July. It should 
be looked for low in the northwest, just 
after sunset. In the telescope it will 
be seen to be very rapidly narrowing 
to a crescent, as it approaches the sun's 
rays. It will enter the morning sky on 
July 26. 
Venus enters the evening sky on 
Jul v 3. but it will be much too close to 
the sun to be observed during the pres- 
ent month. It will, however, steadily 
withdraw from the sun’s rays and by 
the end of the year it will set more than 
three hours after sunset. It will then 
be a verv conspicuous object in the 
western sky. 
Mam during the month will move 
out of Virgo and into Libra. It may 
be seen approaching the interesting, 
golden, double star at H. but it will not 
pass this star until August 9. As the 
distance of Mars is steadily increasing, 
it will lose one-third of its brightness 
during the month. A very interesting 
occupation of the Red Planet will occur 
at v A. M. on July 23. but this will, 
unfortunately, be invisible throughout 
the United States, as Mars will have set 
by this time. 
Jupiter is midway between Leo and 
Cancer, but it is now so low in the west 
that it can be viewed for but a few 
hours after sunset. On August 22 it 
becomes a morning star. There are but 
four phenomena of its satellites which 
can be seen during the present month, 
as follows: On July 5, 9 hours 2 min- 
utes, the second satellite will enter 
upon a transit: on July 12, at 8 hours 
26 minutes, the first satellite will 
emerge from transit; on July 18. at 8 
hours 18 minutes, the third satellite 
will disappear behind the planet, and 
on July 19. at 8 hours 10 minutes, the 
first satellite will enter upon a transit. 
(All times are Eastern standard time.) 
Saturn is near the center of the con- 
stellation Leo. still in excellent position 
for observation in the early evening. 
We now see its rings so nearly edge- 
wise that they appear very narrow in 
the telescope, and their width will 
diminish one-quarter during the pres- 
ent month. They will not. however, 
entirely disappear until next Novem- 
ber. At that time Saturn will be a 
morning star. 
On July 4, at 7 hours 10 minutes A. 
M. (Eastern standard time), the earth 
will be at its greatest distance from the 
sun. It will then be 3.230.000 miles 
farther away than when it was nearest 
the sun on "last January 3. 
;fc :jc sjc 
The Spherical Clusters of Stars. 
Tf the observer will look in the con- 
stellation Hercules, now almost over- 
head. he will see. in a straight line be- 
tween the stars E and F, a little misty 
patch of light. Even a very small tele- 
scope will show this to be an almost 
perfectly round little ball of stars 
packed " closely together, though to 
show the cluster in all its beauty a 
very large glass is required. When 
photographs of it are taken with the 
largest telescopes, no less than 80.000 
stars can be counted on the plates 
A similar, perfectly round cluster 
may be found in the constellation of 
the Hunting Dogs, in the position C, 
of Figure 1, and another is at D, just 
above the greenish star. G. of the Bal- 
ance. Altogether, eighty-six spherical 
clusters are now known. I hey are 
most beautiful and remarkable objects 
