The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-11-05
WEDNESDAY MORNING, NOV. 8.

picking up Defines on the 22d of September.
The best telescopes all over the world are now
concentrating their highest powers on the prii-
liant evening star shining so brightly III tie
eastern sky. All that human effort can ac-
complish will be done, while praetlced eyes
and patient observation will reveal all that
can be learned of the moons OF Mars. IN the
first of the month the planet rises at nall past
five; on the 18th at sunset, and on the last Oh
the month about three O'CLOCK Mars Is now
in his best position for observation darling
above the eastern horizon shortly after the sun
sinks below the western, and reaching the
meridian soon after midnight at an altitude OF
nearly seventy degrees. Above him beams
the lovely cluster of the Pleiades, and below
him shines bright Aldebaran, prominent red
star and the leading brilliant of the Hyades.
Saturn is evening star, but his pale lustre is
diminishing as he approaches the sun and in
creases his distance from us. He
is still an object of interest, however
in the evening sky, as he rises slowly
toward the zenith, between Jupiter and Mars,
his dull tint being overshadowed by the golden
hue of the one and ruddy hue OF the other. He
is at present a beautiful object for telescope
observation, for his rings are slowly opening
and the spaces between them and the planet
are clearly visible. The rings, the belted disc,
and the beaming moons make up picture OF
unsurpassed loneliness in the grand celestial
picture gallery. Saturn now rises about TOUR
in the morning. At the close of the month, he
will rise nearly at two, and set at two the next
morning.
Jupiter is evening star, and though lovely to
behold his glory is waning; but those who
have watched his brighter course in the east
ern heavens for the last two months will be
interested TO trace his waning glory as during
this month he tracks his course in the west.
On the 29th he is in quadrature, or half way
between opposition and conjunction with the
sun. He sets now about / at the end of the
month, about II.
Mercury is evening star, reaching his great
est eastern elongation on the 10th.
AS this is one of the four periods during
the year when he is favoraby situated
for observation as an evening star, very bright
eyes may possibly catch sight of him about
that time, soon after sunset and not lar from
the point where the sun went down. The at
mosphere must be exceptionally clear and the
sky cloudess to give chance of success. Mer-
curry sets now at about half-past 81 at the end
of the month at nearly the same time, which,
however, will then be an hour after sunset.
Venus is morning star, and will BIZ a splen-
did object to behold throughout the mornings
OF November. Though she has passed her Pc
Rod of greatest brillnncy, she leads the morn
ing stars, and anticipates the dawn, as she
travels westward from the sun toward her
greatest elongation. Consequently she rises
earlier each morning, showing her glowing
face above the horizon few minutes after
8, more than three hours before sunrise. AT
the close of the month she rises at the same
time, which will then be nearly four hours
before sunrise. All who can command view
of the eastern horizon will be amply rewarded
in obtaining q sight of the fairest of the stars,
she holds her court among the starry hosts and
heralds the breaking of the morning light and
the coming of the majestic luminary that will
hide her lesser beams
Uranus is morning star, rising at half-past 1
at the end of the month he rises at half-past l.
He is now of little account to astronomical OBJ
servers as he slowly makes his way among the
stars Of Leo. 1t takes him seven years to pass
through a constellation, and eighty-four to
complete revolution around the sun. This
planet was discovered in 1871 by Herschel, who
named it Georgium Sidus, the star of the
Georges. Two lines from an ancient poem,
written before Neptune was discovered, will
serve to keep the time of its revolution in the
memory: