The Portland daily press., 1881-04-05
PRICE 3 CENTS.
Planets in April.
Providence journal. |

ho" III loWIy SulSe, Tor his dimensions are
small, being farthest away, and he is drawing
so close to the sun that ne will soon be hid
den in the brightness OF his rays But the
planetary interest of the month eliminates
around this giant orb, the great twenty-year
conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign
Taurus occurring about half-past seven o'clock
on the morning of the 22d, when Jupiter pass
es nearly one degree and a third north of Sat-
urn 1t is called the twenty-year conjunction,
because that time will pass before the phe-
nomenon is repeated, and centuries will roll
on before the planets will pass so near each
other in the sign Taurus. The present con-
function is made still more noteworthy since
Jupiter, two hours after his conjunction with
Saturn, comes into conjunction with the sun.
Saturn having passed his conjunction with the
sun Just twelve hours previous. Three i'm
portant events, therefore, occur within tue
space of twelve hours They are the conjunc-
ton of Saturn and the sun, the close coniunc-
tion Of Jupiter and Saturn, and the conjunc-
tiOn Of Jupiter and the sun. These are rare
times for studying planetary movements, for
phenomena are occurring that win not be re-
peated for centuries to come. A student of
the stars at this period of unusual activity can
hardly help feeling that the positions OF these
brother and sister orbs may indirectly inhu-
ence the planet on which We dwell, in diff
ferent way, however, from that marked out in
the division of ancient astrologers Unfortu-
nately this triple array of conjunctions will be
invisible to terrestrial observers, the planets
being too near the sun to be seen. Imagina-
nation must slsotoh the brilliant picture of the
SIM and the two great spheres mosv uv1r1y
resembling their mighty lord in such close
proximity. To those familiar with the confg-
uration of the stars, the bright pictures made
by planetary movements are as vividly and ac-
curately impressed on the minds eye as are
the actual scenes ON on the eye of the ordinary
observer. These triple conjunctions will as
surely be painted on the celestial concave,
though invisible to human vision, as the sun
will rise on the 23d with the two planets az
morning stars on his western side
The theory of planetary action force in
the production OF sun spots is more strength
ened than weakened by careful observation
during the last month. The war of the ee-
ments has not ceased The sun continues to
be spotted and blackened in marvellous fash
ion rough and ragged cavernous depths of
huge dimensions marring his brilliant disk,
and tongues of flame bursting in all directions
from his agitaJed boundary line. Nc astrono-
mer is wise enough to explain the cause of this
intense solar activity, while almost all ASTON
omers agree that the disturbed condition of the
sun is reflected in the disastrous meteorological
phenomena on the earth The March annals
record among other events the great earth
quake in the island of Ischia, that caused the
death of three hundred of the inhabitants;
an earthquake in Switzerland in q milder
form, and the severest storms Of the season in
the Western States, pouring out vials of wrath
in gales, floods, snow 'blockades and wrecks.
Catastrophes like these were more unexpected
since they took place near the time when the
genial sunbeamS illuminated the earth from
pole to pole, and more benign influences were
hoped for. Meantime, though Jupiter is re-
ceding from the sum- his perihelion influence
may still be felt as a dsturber in the solar orb
and his decreasing power may be more than
ceunterbalanced by the on-rush of Uranus,
Saturn and Neptune to their perihelis. We
have thus followed the course of Jupiter from
his opposition last October when he became
evening star, and we can now trace his pro-
gress in reversed order from his conjunction on
the I'D, when he became morning star, to the
opposition of next November, when his appa-
rent circuit of the heavens is completed. He
sets on the LIST of the month about twenty min
utes before eight o'clock; at the close of the
month he rises not far from a quarter before
i've O'Clock, a few minutes before sunrise.
Saturn is evening star until the 21st, when,
at nine o'clock in the evening he comes into
conjunction with the sun, and becomes morn
ing star. His conjunction with Jupiter has
already been described, and his movements
are so nearly allied with those of his brother
planet that the portrayal of the one includes
that of the other. Saturn sets now about
eight o'clock; at the end of the month he
rises not far from quarter before five o'clock,
very nearly at the same time with Jupiter.
Venus is evening star, and having just pass
ed her period of greatest brilliancy, is nov fair
to see, as, piercing the ethereal depths before
the sun has sunk below the horizon, she shines
in bewitching lovelness amid the glory of the
dying day, increasing in size and radiant glow
as the sun sets and the evening shades adj
vance. No member of the starry host can now
compare with her in size or delicacy of col
oring, or in the soft, pensile beauty peculiarly
her own. But change will come oyer the
queen of the stars, for the greatness of her glo-
ry as evening star is passing away. AS she
approaches the earth the illuminated poItion
of her disk grows more slender, and soon her
light and size will perceptibly decrease. Each
evening she will set earlier than ON the pre-
cedng, until, at the close of the month, she
will set so soon after the sun as to be invisible,
and we shall lose the radiant evening star.
that graced the sky during the passage of
autumn, winter and spring, Venus sets now
about ten o'clock; at the end of the month a
little before half-past seven o'clock. c-
Uranus is evening star, and may be seen
on clear, moonless nights. His position has
changed but little from that of last month,
and he still may be found near small star in
tne nina leg OF tne Lion, ana forming u trl-
angle with Regulus and Dembola, the leading
stars of the constellation, being a few degrees
south and nearly midway between them. He
rises now about a quarter before four o'clock;
at the close of the month, about quarter be-
ore two o'clock.
Mercury is morning star, and reaches his
greatest western elongation, or greatest dis
tance from the sun, on the 7th. For week
before and after that time he may be seen with
the naked eye, this being one of the three fay-
Il.
year, though his southern dechnation increases
the difficulty of finding him. He must be
looked for about an hour before sunrise, about
twelve degrees south of the sunrise point.
Those observers who have the good fortune to
obtain glimpse of the only planet that twin
kles will be well paid for early rising. Mer-
curry rises now not far from q quarter before
five o'clock, nearly an hour before the sun; at
the end of the month he rises at half past four
o'clock. .7.l - .,.
Mars is morning star, and is not yet near
enough to be an object of interest, though he
is coming toward us and will soon attract at
tention in the morning sky He rises now
about ten minutes after four o'clock. At the
end of the month about ten minutes after
three o'clock. The April moon fulls on the
14th. The new moon of the 29th of March comes
into conjunction with Venus on the 1st,,
passing about 81 degrees south of the radiant
planet. The waning moon pays her respects
to Mars on the 26th. The day before her
CuduSe sue Is III COuJuuCtlOn WIN Odturn, anu
she closes her circuit by passing near Jupiter,
her conjunctions with the newborn morning
stars being doubtless beautiful to behold, but
hidden from view in the suns eelipsing rays.
The new moon of the 2Sth passes near Venus,
but this picture is also invisible.
The planetary studies for April are more
for the mental than the physical eye, the mcst
important being those that are invisible. The
conjunction of Venus and the moon will form
the loveliest picture of the month, and will
possess an additional interest, since for nearly
a year to come the fairest of the stars and the
silver crescent will not be seen together in the
evening sky. Mercury will shine in the morn
ing dawn for two weeks, and any observer who
discovers him amid the brightness of the suns
advancing steps will never forget the brilliant
picture, for seeing Mercury is an event to be
remembered for a lifetime. He reaches at the
present elongation his extreme distance from
the sun, more than twenty-seven degrees. But
he is so far south that he is less likely to be
seen than when in February he was so
plainly visible. For though at that time only
eighteen degrees from the sun he was much
farther north and much more favorably situat-
cd for observation. The conjunetions of the
great planets with the sun and with each 9TH
er are by far the most important events of the
month. Though invisible, the results will
soon be seen, for no great length of time will
pass before Saturn and Jupiter will be visible
near the sun as morning stars, the planets hav
ing passed each other and started on a fresh
tOw wardc tarra oil IA