Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-12-10

knew ypa wonl! Eui STAY,
pLANEIs Is DE,EHBaG. Venus is evening /.
star, AMI easily wins the place Of honor
amons thu starry host thai studs the Deem
Der sky Ii must he remembered that she is |
now travelling from her superior conjunction
which occurred on the l3h Of July, To- her |
create, eastern c!ougation, which she will
not reach until the 2jth of February. | ntil
that lime, she will continue on her eastern
path, just as she is moving at thc present time.
The comparative size of Jupiter and Venus
is now an interesting point for observation
On the 9Th of December the diameter of
Venus is about fourteen seconds of a degree,
and that of Jupiter fnrty-two seconds. Jupi-
tcrs diameter being three times as large.
Venus, however, is 50 much nearer the sun
that her Illuminating power is much greater,
and like al! the heavenly bodies she looks
larger as she approaches the horizon, while
her rival loses in apparent size as he APP
proaches the zenith. This beautiful planet
sets now about quarter before seven o'clock.
At the end of the month she will grace the
Winter evening sky until about 5 more than
three hours after sunset.
Jupiter is evening star. The cuntrastcd
Z
matter of prominent planetary interest, Jupi
ter rising in the east as Venus dcscends in
the west the one nearly reaching the zenith
as the other disappears below the horizon
They also approaching each other as
Jupiter moves westward and Venus cast
ward observers easily notice that the dis
tancc lessons between them. On the 2lst Of
February they viii be- in conjunction. Jupiter
being three degrees southui ! cHus Jupiter
is passing from opposition to conjunction,
and, on the 3lSt, reaches the halfway 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, re-
tainins its size and proportions. Several
smaller spots have appeared in hi; northern
| hemisphere, and a more brilliant shading to
the equatorial belts, as well as several new
ones nearer the poles, have been noted during
the last month. These phenomena prove
that fresh disturbances are agitating the sur
face of the planet, and help to support the
theory Of planetary attraction as the cause Of
the sunsrot period. The Austrian earth
quake, with the terrible destruction oi life
and property that marked lis course, bears
witness 10 the believers in this theory of the
continued abnormal condition of the sun. and
the consequent war Of the elements in ter
restrial territories, which are but the rcilcc-
tons of the solar outburSts. The thermome-
ter marking 30 below zero in a 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 two
| O'Clock in the morning at the end Of the
month about midnight.
| Saturn is evening star. He sets now AT
| three O'Clock in the morning; al tl:c end Of
| the month at l o'clock
| Mars is morning star, AMI getting far
enough from the sun to be of some interest
| lie is in conjunction with Mercury on the
ED, being about a degree south of him and
| helping To point out his position. Mars
rises then about an hour and 4 half before
the sun. and may be easily known by his
red color. The planetary picture will be
worth getting mp an hour before sunrise to
see Mars now rises about quarter after 6
| O'Clock at the end of the month about &.
Uranus is morning star, and, exactly the
reverse of Jupiter and Saturn, is moving
from conjunction 10 opposition. lie rises
now about midnight at the end Of the
month about 10.
| Mercury is morning star throughout the
month. lie reaches his greatest western
el0ngati0n on the 12th, wien he is in the
scrvaion during the year
The December moon is an important mem
Der of the planetary fraternity. There are
two new moons one on the LIST and one on the
| 3lst. On both occasions, as the moon passes
between the sun and the earth, her path lies
so nearly in the plane of our orbit that she
causes partial eclipses Of the sun. She
is therefore, the cause of our having two
solar cclinses in one month. The
eclipse of the list is invisible in the [ nitcd
States. That of the 31st is partially visible.
The sun will rise eclipsed, and the eclipse
will end soon after 9 o'clock, a little more
than seventeenth, of the s,.n-s disc beng Ind
den at the time of greatest abScuration; the
last morning of the year will, therefore, he a
dark one. The new moon of the lst will be
in conjunction with Venus on the 18th, ores
cent and evening star forming celestial
picture to which every star-gaZer will
pay al involuntary tribute of admira-
ton. On the 10Th her path lies near
Jupiter on the 18th, near Saturn. The
moon fulls IN the 10Th, and passes near | "a
nus on the 23d. The waning moon on the
morning If the 29lh passes within - min
utes of Mars, and the 30th within l3 minutes
of Mercury.
The eclipse Of the sun on the 3lst can be
watched 10y 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 phenome-
non in which the moon dares to obscure thu
face of the glorious king of day PFcridtnc
Journal.
OVER THE While Edwin Jacque.
of keene, Essex county, was talking to hi
wife on Sunday in his residence and holding
Il loaded gun, Il dog jumped upon the ham
mer of the gun and caused lis discharge
The contents of the piece entered Jacques.
neck, killing him Instantly. The deceased
was twenty one years old and left = wife ant
one child.
As Joseph Mallon Of Houses Point, rail
road employee was aiding in making up
freight train at Port Henry, Monday night
his foot caught in the bell rope and he wa.
thrown lcngthwise upon the track. by
quick movement he threw his body oft thi
track quick enough to save his lie, the ca
running over his right foot and crushing it
Physicians amputated his foot just above IA,
ankle, and he is reported doing well.
p. H. Myers, who has been agent a:
Rouscs Point for years, resigned on the 1T
of December. Mr.. Terry, who comes from
the Sccrctary's office Of the u. Il II. G. Co ,
at Albany. takes charge of the freight huSi
ness. and MIR Ryan. who has been agent ot
the Grand Trunk Al Iacadic takes the tick
office Mr. Phillips, who has lad charge Of
the tickets. will he Transferred either L.
Rochester ar Detroit.
CnArt.1rE-D,spitc the predictions OF
the wealth, wise, winter still continues and
that Promised Indian Summer must Keep
until unI;ti year.
- IL. Z @ L..