Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-12-04


Venus is evening star, and easily wins the
place OF honor among the starry host that studs
the December sky. Almost as soon as the sun
sinks below the horizon, she makes her appear
aEce In tie twthght's mellow glow, shining
with soft golden lustre peculiarly her own,
and looEing so bewitchingly fair that no ooser-
yer wonders that the early astronomers saw In
her The goddess OF love and beauty eEfhroned
In the heavens. She is still recedtng from the
sun. oscillating on her eastern path, like
golden bead strung on an invisible wire.
sets later every evening, ana increases
In size and brightness; her increasing stay
above the horizon being caused by her greater
distance eastward from the sun. and her tn
creasing size and brightness by her consequent
approach TO the earth. The apparent move
ment OF this planet Is so slow that she can be
easily followed In her course IT must be re-
memoered that she Is now travelling from her
superior conjunction, which occurred on the
18th OF July. TO her greatest eastern elongation.
which she viii Lot reach until the Goth OF Feb
Tuary. Until that time, she will continue on her
eastern path, Just as she is moving al the present
time. The comparative size OF Jupiter AMI Venus
Is now an Interesting point for Observation. An
ordinary observer would probably say that
Venus looked the larger OF the two. But the
Wise men OF science, who take care OF the stars.
measure their dimensions for years ahead. aud
from their computations We learn that on the
9th OF December, the diameter OF Venus is about
fourteen seconds OF degree. aud that OF Jupi-
Ter 1orty-t%o seconds, Juptter'S diameter being
three times as large. Venus, however. Is SO
much nearer the sun that her Illuminating
power IS much greater, aud like all the hei,
venly bodies She looks larger as she approaches
the horizon while her rival loses in apparent
size as he approaches the zenith. This beau
uiul planet sets now about quarter before
seven O'Clock. At the end OF the mo ath she
VIII grace the winter evening sky until about
eight. more than three hours after sunset.
Jupiter Is evening star, and beautiful
object In the sky though his waning glory
forces him to yield the starry sceptre TO his
fair rival. The eontrasted movement of
the Two planets are still matter OF promi-
tfnr pIrfn In
east as Venus descends In the west, the one
nearly reaching the zenith as the other dis
appears below the horizon. They are also
approaching each other as Jupiter moves
westward and Venus eastward; observers
easily notice that the distance lessons be-
tween them. ON the 2lst of February they
degrees south OF Venus Jupiter is passing
from opposition to conjunction, and, on the
3lst reaches the hall way point in his course.
This is called his quadrature; he IS then on the
meridian, about six O'Clock in the evening. The
famous red spot still remains on his disc. retain
ing Its size and proportions Several smaller
spots have appeared in his northern hemiS-
phere, and more brilliant shading 10 the equa-
torial belts, as well as severa.new ones nearer
the poles, have been noted during the last
month. These phenomena prove that fresh
disturbances are ag1taung the surface OF the
planet, and help 10 support the theory OF
planetary attraction as the cause OF the SUM-
spor period. The Austrian earthquake, with
the terrible destruction OF life and property
that marked It's course, bears witness TO the
believers in this theory OF the continued abnor-
NAL condition OF the sun and the consequent
war OF the elements In terrestrial territories
which are but the reflections OF tie solar out
bursts. The thermometer marking thirty-nine
degrees Below zero In western state, and the
report that several persons were frozen to death
not very far distant from our own borders, are
unusual events on November annals. Jupiter
sets now at O'Clock in the morning; at the END
OF the month about midnight.
Saturn is evening star, and though not the
most beautiful, he is the most interesting OF
the planets. seen In the telescope be has been
magnificent beyond description throughout the
last month. With his opening rings. his moons
and his belts, he makes a picture which 10
creases in grandeur and beauty the longer 1t Is
Stucied. We never look upon this complex ana
beautiful Saturnian system without wishing it
were possible for 1t to be visible In the sky 10
the superb form In which the telescope reveals
II; that every one who looked upward to the
view, which is now completely hidden from far
the greater portion OF the world. Jupiter and
saturn change little In their position In regard
to each other during the month. Saturn is
about three degrees north OF Jupiter and sets
an hour later. He sets now at O'Clock la the
morning: at the end OF the month at o'clock.
Mars Is morning star, and getting far
enough from the sun TO be OF some interest.
He is In conjunction with Mercury Oh the aSd
being about degree south of him and helping
to point out his position. Mars rises then about
an hour and a-half before the sun. and may be
easily known by his red color. The planetary
picture WIN be worth getting up an hour before
after O'Clock: at the end of the month about 6.
Uranus is morning star, and, exactly the re-
verse OF Jupiter and Saturn, Is moving from
conjunction to opposition. He, like Saturn and
Neptune, is speeding on towards perlhelion.
which he Will reach IN 1852, some time ahead of
his brother planets.
Mercury is morning star throughout the
month. He reaches his greatest western elon
CATION On the 18TH when he is IN the last OF the
three favorable positions for observation du-
ring the year. For week before, and after the
18th. he may be looked for an hour before sun
rise, five degrees north OF the point where the
sun Will appear.
The december moon is an important mem
Der Of the planetary fraternity. There are
two new moons, one on the Isl, and one On
the 3lst. On both occasions. rs the moon
passes between the sun and the earth. her
path lies SO nearly In the plane CT our orbit
tEat she causes partial eclipseS OF the sun.
The new moon OF the first Will 6e in c0nJunc
tton with Venus on the 4th. crescent and eve
ming star forming celestial picture to which
every star gaZer will pay an Involuntary tribute
OF admiration. On the 10th, her path lies near
Jupiter; On the 18th, near Saturn. The moon
fulls On the 10th, and passes near Uranus on
the Esd. The waning moon on the morning of
the 29th, passes within p minutes OF Mars,
and on the SOth, within Is minutes OF Mercury
The eclipse OF the sun on the 3iSt can be
watched by any one who commands view OF
the piece OF Sky where the sun rises and piece
OF smoked glass Is all that Is required to watch
the progress of the grand phenomeaon.-Propi-
ae7ace Journal.