Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-09-04
Planets I'm September.

saturn QOlQS the place OF honor among the
planetary brotherhood, and will continue to
be the most attractive body in the evening
sky during the month Of September. he Is
rapidly increasing in brilIiancy, reaching his
eliminating point on the I'D inst, when he
comes INTO opposition with the sun, after which
be viii silently steal away from terrestrial
dominions. decreasing in apparent size and
brightness as millions Of miles are added to
his distance. He rises now about half paSt
seven in the evening, will rise at sunset at the
period OF his opposition, and at about half past
i've at the end Of the month. Though at his
nearest approach. the sun, the earth and Sa-
turn being nearly in a straight line, with the
earth in the center, he is more than eight hun
dred and thirty millions OF miles away.
And yet such are the dimensions of the huge
planet: and such is the delicacy of human vi
sion. that the eye pierces without an effort
Course among the stars, and notes his obed-
ence to the physical laws governing the uui-
verse as accurately and easily as it does the
of soap bubble in the air. Saturn will be in
an unusually favorable position for obser-
vatlon during the whole month. He rises now
readily be distinguished from the small stars
around him by his steady light and dull murky
color, He is in the constellation Pisces, where
he will remain for nearly thirty years, SO that
it is easy to follow his movements when his
position is once known, and when it is borne
IN mind that he rises four minutes earlier
until the ed instant The moon IL, is Sl in eoh
junction with Saturn on the 18TH the day after
her FULL, and the two heavenly bodies will
form a charming picture at midnight when
the planet will hang like pendant directly
beneath the moon, only seven degrees of space
intervening between them.
Jupiter Will be the evening star throughout
the month, and though the movements of
Saturn may attract more attention. not one
member of the starry host visible before mid
night can vie with him in brilliancy, size Or
golden glow. He rises on the first of the
month at half-past four in the afternoon, and
at the end OF the month about haf-past two.
NO casual observer can glance at the south
eastern evening sky without recognizing this
beautiful planet the moment his eye is turned
towards the heavens, nor will he fail TO pay q
tribute OF admiration to star SO far tran
SceDding the innumerable lesser lights twink
ling around him. The moon pays homage to
the star of imperial Jove" on the evenings
OF the 9th and 7th, being TO the right of the
Venus is still the bright morning star, aud
though small on ACCOUNT of her Increasing dis
portion of her enlightened disc turned to-
wards US: She rises about half past three in
the morning, and at the end OF the month Will
rise about half,past four. The early risers on
the T. Orning of the 18th will see sight worth
| watching for, as the slender waning crescent
of the moon, Venus and Mercury are near to-
ge6neL ana a, more GeSntlful planetary COM
Mars is OF little account during the month,
being distant from the earth and near the SUI.
On the 18th he reaches his superior conjunc-
tlOn with the sun, rising and setting with the
great luminary, and being invisible to terreS-
| tial observers. He forms then straight line
with the sun and earth, the sun being in the
center and the planet at his greatest distance
| from the earth, more than one hundred and
| eighty millions of miles farther Off than he
was at his inferior conjunction OF 1877, which
ranks as one OF the astronomical epochS of
| century. Mars and the new moon are in con.
junction on the Goth, but, as both are invisible,
| the event is of little practical Importance. On
| the last OF the month, he will rise before the
| sun, and ranks as morning star after his con.
junction with the sun on the 18th:
Mercury Is a morning star, rising at pre-
sent about o'clock, and at half past on the
last OF the mouth. The wift-fOoted planet
| figures largely Oh the celestial annals for the
| riOr conjunction with the sun on the 10th; sta.
| tiOnery among the stars on the 18th, although
| 1t would appear as If there were no rest TO mis-
starry feet IN conjunction with the moon and
the Soth. On the 18th. also, he reaches his
| greatest western elongatiOn. and, strange to
| say, for the fourth time this year. Is at his
| ieast distance from the sun on the same day:
at this date, and for a few days before and
| the point where the sun rises.
| The harvest moon holds high place on
tne september records, though ranking only
| the morning OF the 1lIh, and rises for Ave
| evenings after with an average difference of
| only q minutes In the successive risingS
Thus her full-orbed radiance seems to prolOng
them spell that no other season of the wear
can exceed. The husbandmen of old believed
| that ~ a divine Interpretation the days were
mercury 1 !engthened to assist in the il.gath-
parent anomaly, but the clearest comprehen
sion OF the cause detracts not one particle
from the fascination and poetic enjoyment
that enshrine the nights radiant with silvery
liPht over which the harvest moon reigns as
Queen,-f Providence Journal