The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-06-15
Our Twilight Plauets.

Mr.. EDITOR The brilliant and unusual
spectacle which the planets Jupiter and We
nus are now presenting in our western hea-
vens is sufficient apology for asking I. little
space in your columns to consider their re-
spectve phenomena The most casual OBJ
server cannot have failed to note the SPLEEN
dor of Venus, as for several months she has
beamed the brightest star in our horizon
and at the present time her unwonted prox-
unity to Jupter-also the fact that in few
weeks they will both disappear from our eve
niEg skies, give them more than ordinary
claim to our consideration
10 ancient astronomers the oscillatory mo-
ton OF Venus about the sun was a mystery.
That old theory of the Ptolemaic philosophers
which assumed Earth as the center of plane
'ary motion could never resolve the problem
ot the morning and evening star, and the
IDENTITY of the two was disallowed by apply
ing the distinctive names Of Hesperus and
Lucifer 1t was not until Copernicus and
kepler had dashed the crystalline spheres
# the earlier astronomers, and located the
center of heavenly motion in the sun. that a
vide distinction was comprehended between
the real and apparent paths Of the p,anets.-
Remembering that Venus ana Earth revolve
in like directions and with different velocites
about common sun-the orbit of the for
ner being wholly within our own, it will be
evident that Venus can never appear from
our planet as completing circular orbit, but
rather as vibrating to and fro about the sun,
alternately morning and evening star. In
deed she is never observed more than AZ
east or west of the sun, or about half the dis
lance from horizon to zenith and of course
She can never be seen at midnight nor at
any part of the heavens Numerically oppo-
site the sun. When first observed as eve
nlng star for the current Year she sat a few
moments after shutdown, about the first of
October, 1859. AS her distance from the
sun increased she was visible from night to
night at later hour, until she reached her
greatest eastern elongation or distance from
the sun. and appeared for two or three eve
nings stationary in the heavens while turn
, ing to retrace her path. As now seen she is
IN her way to the sun, and will set each eve
llnS little later than the preceding until
the 18th Of July. VIXEN she will be lost in the
blaze Of that lumlnary, and reappear as Lu-
clter IN our eastern heavens. Her greatest
brilliancy as evening star occurred on the
! 18th of this month, or Monday evening last
at which time she was forty-three DAYS dis
tant from the sun. On the o3d of August
! " torty-three days after her conjunction
with the sun She viii shine with equal bril-
fancy before sunrise in the eastern Skies
rs viewed through the telescop, Venus way
es and waucs like the mocr. and at the peri
cd OF her greatest brilliarcv above mentioned
she presents to us but orcfourth par, of her
enlightened disk. If TIE Illuminated ror-
ton CT her disk were visible when she pass
es between us and the sun, she would appear
blazing with twenty five times her present
bllliiancy. Venus was eclipsed by the moon
on Thursday the 10Th Of Nav. and the ap.
Proclamation of Jupiter, Venus and the full
moon on the 25J and oath of last month will
be readily remembered by observers of the
western horizon.
About = west of Venus is now seen the
planet Jupiter. the largest. and with the ,x
ctptIon OF Saturn, TIE most magnificent body
OF the solar system. The orbit of Jupiter is
without that Of Venus and the Earth. and
his nearest approach TO us is measured by
four hundred millions Of miles, If Venus
and Jupiter revolved in each others orbits.
/ the former would be lost to our vision in dis
lance, while the latter would appear oscilla-
ting about the sun. luminary thirteen hun
cred times the size Of Venus. attended by his
four satellites Or moons. and eclipsing all the
other heavenly bodies b, his magnitude and
>plcudor. Rare y indeed are the two ubser-
we'd in such close proximity as now. And
yet although to our vision they should ap-
pear in exact conjunction, the distance be-
tween them can Lever be less than twenty
seven millions of miles.
Jupiter will be seen in our western skies
until the last week in June. When the sun en-
ters the 81 IN of Gemini. and his next appear
ance will be in the east. after the sun has
passed from Gemini to Cancer To those
who are familiar with the signs of the zodiac
the position of Jupiter can at any time be
readily ascertaIned, since he travels in the
order of the signs through one constellation
of the zodiac every year, requiring twelve
years to complete his orbitary revolution.-
Being now in Gemini, he will pass in 81, 62
'63 and "a through Cancer, Leo, Virgo and
Libra, until in twelve years he will reappear
as at present in the Twins.
Every one is familiar with the "Sickle" on
tie constellation Leo. 1t may be easily rec
ognlzed as one Of our bri ghtcst summer con-
stellations, west of the meridian and south
east of the planets already mentioned Near
ly opposite the concave are oe the Sickle,and
few degrees west of the bright star Regu-
lus which forms its handle, may be seen the
planet Saturn. Its brilliancy is less than
that of either Junitpr or Venus nc itS dis