The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-01-22
Astronomy for 1876.


mincal letters being B. A. The epact is the
number of days between the last new moon
and the first day of the new year. The cpact
is used to tell Easter sunday. This year the
cpact is 4. and Easter Sunday falls on April
l6, Ash Wednesday being March |.
There are two eclipses Of the sun during
the year. The first is an annular eclipse
March %, visible only in its perfect phenome-
uon on line from VancOuver's Island to the
northwestern shore of Hudsons Bay. Out.
side that limit it will be visible throughout
the United States as q partial eclipse. A to.
tai eclipse of The sun will occur on the after
noon of Sept. II, not visible on any part OF the
American continent.
The eclipses of the moon in 1876 are also
two. The first occurs shortly after 10 o'clock
or the night Of March 3. II will be visible
in every part of the United States and Cana
da The second eclipse OF the moon will
take place on Sept. 3. l. will be invisible in
The earth is in perihelion, or nearest 10 the
sun January ., and in its aphelon, or greatest
distance from the sun, July !. The earth is
again in perihelion December 81
THE Sun.
The vernal equinox, or suns entrance into
Aries, occurs March 20; the summer solsilce,
or suns entrance into Cancer, occurs June
90; the autumnal equinox, or suns entrance
INTO Libra, occurs September %; and the
winter solstice, or suns entrance into Capri
corn, occurs December 81.
THE PLANETS.
Mercury will be at his greatest eloDgations
from the Sun January %, after sunset and
March 20, before sunrise. If the weather is
clear he may be seen AS n small disk like
hnr nod cilxyar far
these dates.
Venus will be an evening star till July Il,
and rise before the sun during the remainder
of the year. She will be al her greatest bril-.
nancy August 20.
Mars will be an evening star till Aug. IL,
and rise before the sun Tor the remainder of
the year.
Jupiter will be morning star till May II,
and un evening star after that date till Dec.
IA. He will be stationary in the head of
Scorpio nearly all the year. At o clock on
the morning of Feb. % he will pass SO close
To Beta in Scorpio that the distance between
the edge Of the planet and the star will be
only oneninth OF The apparent diameter of
Jupiter.
Saturn will be an evening star till Feb II,
when he will rise before the sun till Aug %,
when he will be on the meridian at midnight,
hhu hgain III evening star IN AQuarluS) dur
ing the rest Of the year.
Uranus will be on the meridian at midnight
Feb. q. tie VIII be in the head Of Leo.
Neptune will be Oh the meridian at mid.
night, Oct lG
OCCUPATIONS.
Feb 3 from twenty minutes 10 8 T. NJ TO
about half past II +. NJ, the moon being near
her first quarter, will pass over the Pleiades,
Occulting in succession oil the prominent
members of the group except one She will
again pass through the Plciades Nov. ., from
eleven TO twenty minutes past II in the even
ing, occul,ing three of The Sin that are ordi.
narily seen.
SUNDAYS IN lS,G
Jan. ., 0, IG, 90, 80. July ,, 0, &c, %. 30
Feb q, -, 20, -. Aug. 6, Is, -, %
March 3, II, 10, 20. Sept, 3, 10, II. "a
April 2, %, 1G, 90, 80. Oct. /, g, II, -, %.
May :, II, 81, %. Nov. ), II, 10, %.
} une 4, IL, IL, %. Dec. 3, 10, II, 81, 81
The year will contain 500 days, OF which
j3 will be Sundays. April . lmarked with
an will be Easter Sunday, being the first
SUNDAY following the passage of the sun
through the yernal cluinoy