The Portland daily press., 1878-03-07
CoNGREssMEN are ordering wheelbarrows
in view Of the proposal of the Treasury to
pay them their salaries in silver dollars.
The Heavens In March.
What Everybody Wants to Know-No
Evening Stars-some Facts about Mars
and Uranus, Sirius the Dog Star, and
the Vernal Equinox.

The breezy month Of March opens with an
which was so conspicuous all through the early
winter, vanished before the close of the year
was in conjunction with the sun on January 8,
and is now reappsaring as a morning star low
down in the southeast. in the constellation of
the Archer. Venus fingered in the lap Of Feb
ruary, but has also disappeared. She was in
conjunction with the sun on February 21, and
will soon be a morning star in AquariIs, at
tanning her greatest briilianey about the 18th
and 10Th inst Saturn will also be in coujunc-
tion with the sun on the 18th and Mercury on
the 2lst, and both are consequently invisible.
Mars is still an evening visitsnt, but the rud-
dy god is fast retreating, and what was 50 glo-
rious an object in September is now no bright
er than second-class star. The cause of the
change may be seen from few figures Last
Autumn when the planet shoue like glowing
ruby, Mars.was only "a, 800 900 miles distant from
the earth. On March 1. he was 151, 500, 900 miles
away or nearly five times as far off as he was
six months ago. No wonder then, his glory
has departed. Mars, however, can still be seen
s.nd his course through this month is quite in
teresting. At the beginning of March be is on
the borders of Aries (the Ram) but soon tray-
els eastward into Taurus (the BulI He may
be noticed now short distance below the
Pleiades or Seven Sisters, toward whom he il
Fastening, intent perhaps on sowing discord iu
that happy family (for his reputation is none of
the best), but more probably hoping to find
there his beloved Aphrodite, whose absence
has robbed the heavens Of their greatest Jewell
Passing Alcyone, at the close of the month he
will be almost directly north of Aide blran, the
BRIGHT red star in the Bulls head
One more planet Is also visible in the even-
ing, and one which few people have ever seen
the planet Uranus discovered by the elder
Herschel on March 13, I'LL. Uranus is an
enormous globe, more than seventy times as
large as the earth, but makes his journey
around the sun at such an inconceivable dis
tance that he can only just be seen with the
naked eye-and that a very good one-wheu
he is in opposition, his distance from the earth
being then sixteen hundred millions of miles
Now Uranus was in opposition on Feb. 16 aud
so is favorsbly placed for seeing. He may be
easily found with an opera-glass and should be
looked for in the constellation Leo (the Lion).
Uranus is attended by four moons-Ariel, Um-
briel, Titania and Oberon-aDd Herschel fam
cied he saw four others with his great re-
fector.
But though there is no conspicuous planet to
act las guardian of the evening, that post Is
well filed by Sirius, the Dog star, which shines
Venus and Jupiter. Its light is intensely
white, with sapphire tinge and an occasional
CLEAN iof red; but its color has probably
changed. On account of its brightness and
beautiful changes, Sirius has always attracted
attention. 1t is known to be giant sun, some
five thousand tinaes larger than our sun, shin
ing at distance of more than huUdred mill
lion millions of miles-a distance so great that
light, which comes from the sun in eight min-
utes, takes .twenty-one and half years to
reach the earth from Sirius. 1t has been dis
covered. too, that the star is journsying south
atSthe rate of twenty miles a second, aud is
also going away from the solar system at the
rate of twenty-six miles a second. Where IL
is going no one can I'll.
One other interesting event in March is the
vernal or spring equinox, which occurs this
year at noon on the 10th inst. rhe sun which
has been south all winter, then crosses the
equator on his way north and spring COM
mences. This intersection of the equator by
the suns path is called also the "First Point Of
Artes,' and is the starting point from which
astronomers measure loDgitudes and right
ascensioos But though ths sun is travelling
north, it must not be Supposed that he is COM
ing any nearer. Ga the contrary, his distance
from the earth is now increasing at an average
rate OF 1900 miles day. The earth was
nearest the sun on December 81 last, its dis
tance being 90,850, 900 miles. On March it
will have added to these figures 200, 900 mites,
and on July next, when the earth is farthest
from the sun, its distance will be 93,950, 900
miles. Thus the earth Is more than three mill
lions of miles further away from the sun in
summer than in winter But it happens that
the northern parts are then turned more to-
ward the sun. and SO receive greater amoont
of heat and light-just as person sitting near
the side of large fire would find it much hot
ter at greater distance If he were right In
front of it,