Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-08-07
Planets in August.

LIZ huE USIs
Jupiter still remains lord of the ascendant.
The bright and peerless evening star, risiDg
now before sunset and being the most consplc'
uous object among tho starry thropg through
out the month No observer who casts his
eyes upward to the southeastern sky in the
early evening can fail to recognize this regal
planet, for he relgns alone, no bright star com.
Jog near his path. All through the night he
beams with starry light dipping bis radiant
disc below the western horizon shortly before
tho sun appears rejoicing in the east. Ills
track can be easily followed by remembering
that he rises four minutes earlier every even:
Jog, and that at the end of the month he will
rise two hours earlier than at the commence
mcnt, setting not far from two O'Clock. The
| night OF the 18th will witness brilliant picture
on his monthly record; he is then in oonjunc
ton witt the moon the day before the full, and
the nearly round orb and bcaming star will
form a scene, which, though Oft repeated on
| the celestial background, never ceases to de
| His lu5tro is slowly fading. for he passed his
| period of greatest briIliaucy at his opposition
| on the 18th of July, aud this giart member Of
|
course, farther and farther away from tho ter.
restal domains
Mars is still classed With the evening stars.
| but is too near the SUP to be visible during the
month, and will be of little consequences in The
| planetary world for some months to come,
reaching his conjunction with the sun on the
18th Of September. Flo is near Uranus on
| the It'll
Saturn, though counted as u morning star
until his opposition on the 22 of September,
| is fast becoming an object OF evening interest.
Saturn rises now about half past nine, and al
| the cnd CT the month will rise about half past
seven. Hc eau easily be recognized, rslog
farther north than Jupiter, aud like his brother
| planet, having 90 starsof motto 10 his immediate
vicinity.
| Venus still remains the radiant star OF tho
morning, and comes gently tripping above the
eastern hills before the morIpg lgh. brcaEing
| She is travelling for away from u, and ap
preaching her superior conjunction with the
sun Oh the 9Th CT December, after which We
nav hope for her peerless light to illumlne the
| long Wioter evenings. Ii such sc,1c as Is
presented every morning to tho eye that nov
anticipates the dawn were . rare celestial
phenomenon, astronomers would travel hall
over the world to SEQ the sight and then fee
that the baf had not been told them; for wha
more beautiful and glowing picture is recorded
on astronomical annals than that OF the tslrest
OF the stars, heralding tho breaking OF the day
while the first rosy tints Of the coming sunrise
pleam on the horizons verge 10 the serene
summer morning
Mercury, during this month presents little
worthy oil record. 10 his swift revolution rouoi
the SUI he reaches his greatest eastern elonga
ton on the l3:h, but his comings and gong
are Invisible to terrestrial observers. excepting
those with bright or practiced eyes, who may
then have the good fortune to catch gllmpe
of the star that loves best to hide his beam!
within the ellipsug range ct the al! powerful
| SUD.
The moon plays prominent part Oh The Au
gust records. Crowned at the commencement
Of her course with The honor OF giving por
ton of the world sight of that grand phe
nomenou a total solar eclipse, she modest!5
goes on her way, waxing from the tiny silver
crescent grazing the first evenings Of the month
to her oor junction with Jupiter on the llth.-.
On the next evening, at her full. she treats the
world to another scene, for she rises partially
collapsed, and remains shorn of a portion Ct hel
! full orbcd beauty till nearly nino o'clock. Thu:
we have solar and a lunar eclipse within q
fortnight Of each other. Tho waning moon i:
| also lie conjunction With he three planets. Mars
Uranus and Mercnry. day or two before her
course is ended.
| The August meteors must not be forgotten
among events Of celestial interest. The earth
pIoWs her way through the August meteor Zout
| on the lob, and on that night and those before
and alter, myriads Of meeors will descend
through the atmosphere in fiery tears. Tue
| constellation Persons in the northeast 10 the
radiant poiut for these meteors, and this is the
most favorable part Of the heavens for keeping
watch though the anomalous cosmcal atom:
arc prone to mark their shining way in every
quarter Of the sky.-Rosidense journal.