Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-12-31
The Evening Sky.

Looking toward the sun, Venus is our near
est neighbor. Although less brilliant than
in November, she has continued TO be a
beautiful object, illuminating the morning
sky throughout this month, rising Decem.
Der 1st at 800 A. Nj, and on the 31st at
3.5i A. NJ, aud remaining visible to the
naked eye until past nine o'clock every clear
morning
A telescope of three inches aperture will
show that only half the illumined side of
the planet is toward us in December, also
that Venus presents all the phases of the
moon, from slender crescent to full proving
that it is spherical body, shining like the
moon with reflected light. No atmosphere
is visible to us around the planet, but as
tronomers tell us there is every evidence
that one exists, which, if true, gives to the
inhabitants of Venus evenings like ours
lighted by twilight, and mornings by dawn.
Beyond Venus, still nearer the sun, is
Mercury, aeetest of the gods" Being so
near the sun, never departing more than 900
from it, it is difficult object to find, unless
when at its greatest eastern or western elon-
cation, and then only on the clearest morn
ings or evenings. One writer says that Co
pernicus, an old man Of seventy, lamented in
his last moments that, much as he had tried
he had never been able to see it.
On the morning of the 3lst Mercury rose
at 5.47, and could be found by looking few
degrees north of the point of sunrise. 1t
completes its year in about lightweight of
our days. Accordingly, in half that time it
will be on the other side of the sun, remain
ing in view some time after that has set.
To the naked eye Mercury is said to re-
semble star of the third magnitude, twink
ling, unlike most of the planets, with pale,
rosy light. Astronomers claim to have dis
covered a mountain upon its surface whose
height is one three-hundredeth of the
diameter of the planet, while our highest
mountain is ouly one fourteen-hundredth of
the earth's diameter.
Looking from the sun, Mars is the first OBJ
ect which meets our gaze To the naked
eye it is bright red star situated near that
beautiful group, the Pleiades, in the constel-
ation Taurus; rarely twinkling but shining
with clear, steady light. This planet has, of
late, been subjected to the closest scrutiny
by astronomers of all nations, on account
of the discovery, in August, 1877, by Profes
sor Hall of the Washington observatory, of
| ifa t,.n 30 IL
volve about the planet-the outer in thirty
hours and eighteen minutes, at distance of
| l2,300 miles, and the inner in seven hours
and forty minutes, at distance of 5000
miles-are visible only through the largest
glasses. The inner moon is said to move so
much faster than the rotation of Mars that,
to an inhabitant of that globe it would seem
to rise In the west and set in the east, pas
ing through all the phases of our moon in
rapid succession, and that, too, more than
once during Martial night. Its ruddy
color is accounted for by some astronomers
in the fact of its having dense atmosphere
the sun producing on it the same effect as
| IN our atmosphere at sunrise or sunset.
Mars not only has land, water and snow,
like the earth, but these have been 80 care.
fully watched that maps of its surface are
as accurate as are those of the earth. As.
tronomers endeavor to prove the presence of
snow by showing that the white spots, stu
ated at its poles, rapidly diminish in size as
the planet nears its summer solstice.
Next in order in passing outward from the
sun, bowling its huge proportions through
he starry vault at speed eighty times that
If cannon ball is Jupiter, mightiest of all
the realm. This headong plunge is taking
1t SO rapidly from us that, though fourteen
hundred times the size of the earth, yet its
light has perceptibly waned since it came
into so favorable position for observation.
With an ordinary glass all four of his
moons can be seen and their varying posi-
tions noted from evening to evening; indeed
an occasional observer is met with who
claims to see them with the naked eye. For
several weeks this magnificent world has
formed the third in the remarkable group
of planets so conspicuous in the evening
ky, but the shining trio will soon appar-
emily part company, Jupiter setting before
the darkness renders the others visible.
Saturn, situated on line midway be-
tween Mars and Jupiter, though somewhat
less radiant than his brilliant neighbors, is,
in some respects, more interesting than
-ither of them; seeming content with his
'omber hue, since, begirt with rings, he
proudly boasts his resemblance to the great
primeval mass from which all sprung, and
confidently asserts that astronomers of all
coming time will bow reverently before him
to learn how the universe was constructed.