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Show MARS VERY NEAR US THIS MONTH. Though very little has recently, been heard regarding re-garding the proposed signals to Mars, the astronomical astronom-ical interest in this planet is continually increasing, increas-ing, due to the'better and better position each night of the planet in the sky. On August 1 the bright reddinh star on the" horion about 9 :30 o'clock in the evening is Mars. On August 15 it rises at 9 o'clock, on the 22d about 8 :30 and at the end of the month shortly before 8. During the month the' planet will decrease its distance from the earth enormously, and consequently conse-quently its brightness will be much augmented. At the beginning of the month it will the 49 millions of miles away, at the middle of August this distance will be decreased to about 3SV2 millions of mile9. The least distance will take place on September 18, when Mars will be about two-fifths as far away as our sun is, or about 36 millions of miles. On the first of the month Mars has a diameter extending 9.5 seconds; it is still gibbous in appearance. appear-ance. By the middle of the month the 'diameter has increased to 11 seconds, and -by the end of the month to 12 seconds. The increase in diameter brings with it a corresponding increase in brightness,, bright-ness,, of course caused. by the lessening distance from the earth Prof. S. Alfred Mitchell of Columbia Co-lumbia University, in the Xew York Herald. |