The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-12-05

| Der, 1877, which took place only nine days
after the planet had passed perihelion Not
only was our near neighbor in his most bril-
liant phase, but one of the great telescope dis
| coveries of the present century was made.
| Professor Hall, observing the planet through
| the telescope of the Naval Observatory of
| Washington, detected two tiny moons revolv-
| ing around the primary. They were barely
| perceptible, even in the great telescope, and
are supposed to be only few miles in dame
ter the smallest heavenly bodies yet known
| 1t will, therefore, be seen that oppositions of
Mars near perihelion are events greatly to be
desired Unfortunately, they occur only at
| have to wait till 1892 for one as favorable as
| that of 1877, when, perhaps, more powerful
| telescopes will show some new features on the
Marian disc, or substantiate some old theories,
if they do not pick up additional Marian
moons.
The present opposition or that of 1881, its
name on astronomical annals is OF medium
character, the diameter of the planets disc
measuring nearly seventeen seconds of de-
gree, the maximum being twenty-four seconds.
Mars will, however, be near enough and
bright enough to attract attention throughout
| the whole month from every observer of the
starlit skies. His fiery red disc now comes
beamiDg above the eastern horizon at quarter
before o'clock in the evening, and his rudy
| glow illumineS the heavens almost the entire
night Every evening he will rise earlier, but
not till after sunset until the both, when, being
opposite the sun, he appears in the east as the
sun sinks in the west. He then passes to the
eastern side of the sun, takes his place on the
records as evening star, and travels from the
| earth and towards the sun until his coDJunc-
| ton on the 10th of December, 1882. The time
| of several subsequent oppositinns may be
| found with sufficient accuracy to recognize the
| planet by adding two years and two months
| for every opposition, except during the Spring
| months, when only one month is TO be added
Thus, the next opposition after the present
| will occur On the 31St of January, 1884, the
| following one in March 1885, both oppositions
being as unfavorabe as possible. Mars now
rises at quarter before O'Clock in the even
| ing; at the close of the month he sets about a
| quarter after o'clock in the morning.
| Jupiter is evening star throughout the
month. Though his lusre is growing dim,
| and his distance from the earth is increasing.
he is by far the brightest gem in nights starry
| crown. Rising an hour before sunset, he
| comes grandly into view as soon as the sun has
sunk behind the western hills, and reigns su-
preme till it is nearly time for the breaking of
| the morning light. His suspect is superlatively
| beautiful as he leads the starry pageant on
| moonless nights, 70. his coloring is like
molten gold, and bis bearing is that
| is unquestionabe. We had a view of
| him a few evenings since in the telescope
| which was impressivey beautiful. The giant
| of the system doomed up in the field of view
| with majesty and grandeur that pen may
| not paint All earthly tints are muddy by the
| side of the celestial hue of liquid gold there re-
| vealed in the huge sphere that seemed so near
| and yet was SO far away. The hands crossing
| the disc were tinted with roseate hues with
| which no earthly colors may compare. We
| seemed almost to have passed beyond the gold
| en- gates as we viewed our giant brother poised
| in space, radiant with the same glorious sum
| light that eplightens our insignificant sphere,
and surrounded by his family Of moons. shin
| ing like stars on the blackness of the sky. Only
| three of them were visible outside the planet,
| for the other was making transit, looking
| like bright bead passing over his disc. Jupi'
| ter now sets about quarter after o'clock in
| the morning; at the end of the month he sets
| about quarter after o'clock.
Saturn is evening star and ranks third on
| the list in comparative brightness, being now
| obliged to yield the palm to rudy Mars as we'll
as Jupiter. He holds the honor of being the
| leader of the planetary trio that through the
month win win the admiration OF every be-
| holder. He passes the meridian or point over
| head at half-past o'clock and then common
| ces his westward course. Neptune follows
| quickly on the track, making his transit about
| 10 o'clock. Jupiter looks down from the merid-
| ian heights at twenty-one minutes past 10
| O'Clock. Mars lags far behind, making his
transit about a quarter after o'clock in the
| morning. There is nothing new or important
| in the movements of Saturn during the month
| to the naked-eye observer, excepting to note
| that his light is growing dim as he draws near
er to the sun, although the difference is barely
| perceptible at present. One who wishes to be
| impressed with the woDdrous beauty of Sat
| urn must observe him as revealed in a tele-
| scope. A three-inch aperture Will show hisrings
and some of his moons, and the present phase
| of the planet is SO superb and SURPRISING pow
| or to describe that we never LOOK upon this
ringed wonder of the system without wishing
| that the eye were powerful enough TO see him
| painted on the sky in the fascinating phase
too h~sr,
| sets not far from quarter after O'Clock in
| the morning; at the end Of the month he sets
| about ten minutes after O'Clock in the morn
| in1.
| Neptune is evening star, and is only inter-
| esting as a telescope object. He is still in
| close proximity to Saturn and Jupiter, setting
| about three quarters of an hour after Saturn,
| aud about twenty-five minutes before Jupiter,
| He sets now about O'Clock; at the end of the
| month he sets about 8 o'clock.
| Venus is morning star, and makes u p Tor her
| low rank on the list by getting up special ex-
| bibitiun Of her own with which to reward the
| star-gazers VINO anticipate the dawn. On the
| morning of the 10Th she passes near bright
| star in the constellation Scorpio. 1t is known
as Beta Scorpii or Graffias, and is star of the
| second magnitude in the head OF the Scorpion,
about eight degrees northwest OF the we'll
| known red star Antares, the leading brilliant
| of the constellation. The two stars approach
very near to each other, Venus passing five
minutes of degree south of Beta Scorpii. The
conjunction occurs at noon-day on the 10Th,
| but the stars will be close enough together on
| the morning of the day to make charming
| picture. Venus then rises few minutes before
| 6 o'clock, nearly an hour and half before the
| sun, and about three degrees and half north
| of the sunrise point. On the morning of the
| 4th, Venus is in conjunction with Mercury,
passing degree and a half west of the planet.
| The planets rise within few minutes OF each
other on that morning about a quarter before
O'Clock, Venus being easily seen and serving
as guide to Mercury short distanc to the
east. Venus rises now abo ut half-past O'Clock;
at the close of the month she rises about 8
minutes before o'clock.
Mercury is morning star during Inc Wnole
month and keeps close to Venus throughout its
course, both planets being bound for superior
conjunction with the sun. He precedes his
fairer 3ighbor Venus by coming into conjunc-
ton with the same star, Beta Scorpii, on the
9Th, passing, when nearest, five minutes south
of the star. Mercury then rises about O'Clock,
| three degrees north of the sunrise point. and
may possibly be picked out by observers with
exceptional eyesight, Venus serving as guide
| to his position. She is then about half a de-
gree ,.orth, and little ways west of her swift
footed brother planet. Mercury rises now a
few minutes after half-paSt O'Clock; at the
end of the month he rises about twenty-three
minutes after O'Clock.
Uranus is morning star. He reaches his quad
nature with the sun on the 10th, being then
ninety degrees distant, having advanced hall
way on his passage from conjunction to oppo-
sition. AT quadrature, he rises at midnight,
reaches the meridian at O'Clock, and sets
about sunrise He rises now about quarter
of an hour after midnight at the close of the
month, he rises about quarter after 10 O'Clock
in the evening.
The December moon fulls on the 9th. She is
near Saturn on the I'd, near Neptune and Ju-
piter on the Sd, near Mars on the 7th, and near
Uranus on the 18th. On the 18th she comes in
close conjunction with Venus, passing twelve
minutes south. Planet and slender crescent
will be near enough on the goth to make a
| lovely picture on the morning sky. On the
| 29th the new moon of the 21st pays her respects
| to Saturn, and on the Both to Neptune and JG-
piter On the 9th nearly total eclipse of the
moon occurs. 1t is invisible in New England,
but may be seen in the Pacific Ocean.
December may not present SO active scene
in planetary festivities as those that have rem
dered illustrions several of the preceding
months of the momentous year 1881 1t is,
however, by no means barrenin materials for
observation for those who love to watch the
moving panorama nightly unrolled on the
dark canopy of the skies. The OPP position OF
Mars, the quadrature of Uranus, the conjunc-
| ton OF Mercury and Venus, the close conjunc-
ton of both planets with the star Beta Scorpii,
are some of the prominent incidents that adorn
its annals. The greatest interest of the month
will cluster around the movements of the trio
IS .lo Trus Mora