The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-02-05
Planets In February.
lProNidcnce Jonrnal.l

I
reCai grace win which she WicldS the
! scrptrc of the stars. Two important
! cpOchS M her cOuISc occur this month.
/ On the 20ih >hc arrives at her greaic t e9s'-
/ EN- cl0ngation. or most distant point from
/ The sun. II VIII be remembered tnat The
/ interior planets. Venus and Mercury, aS
I seen lIOm The earth. seem T. O,Cl,l1ie III
Straight line : alternately east and west Oi the
sun. Or tie l3ih Of last july Venus was IN
sUpcrjOr conjunction. being then al her
greatest distance from 'hc earth, and rising
and setting with The sun. bur too near him
! TO be visible. She then passed II his eastern
! side and b'cIme evening star. she wa Iar
cnou.h away 70 be >ecn in he western twi-
! li.hi in September. and ever since has been
rcccding from the sun on bCr eastern track,
increasing all the lime in size and brlllan-
lev. on TIE 2Oth she he ctchc, the end ii ber
Invisible chain, and completes one bali
her course as evening star. Aflcr this. re-
ycr.irg her movement. she approaches tie
sun uuill hcr inferior conjunction on the
3d of Nav, WI hen hcr TO'c q. evening star IL
completed. the process occupying nearly
ten months. Then passing 10 the western
side of the sun. she rel eats the Sime course
( i'm reversed order GS morning star until she
AGAIN comes TO her superior conjunction,
and starts on a new course. Any un'elll-
gent observer can follow the movements
Of this beautiful planet. and V rify with
( his own ewes the laws when ic"u.
! late her seeming progress through
! the SkV. Let him remember that un-
tl the 20th she moves eastward; af'er
/ thi, time size i stationary for icW 'da'>.
ana then TctfacrS her steps, moving rapidly
wcStw lrd, ard glowing every night with
increasing splcndor until next May. For
l.aaN 4 linz az Il
time. and for two mouths We have nothing
to note but her rapid approach TO the sun,
her w0udrOuS brilliiEcv making her plainly
visible in the DAYTIME and her pcrceptble
shadow on mo0nlcss nights. She moves at
apparently 80 slow a pace that, once having
Impressed upon the mind the prominent
points Of her course, it Is easy TO keep the
track forever after
The other Important epoch in the Fcbru-
airy phases Of Venus : her conjunction
with Jupiter, which occurs exactly at mid
night on The evening OF the 2lst. The two
planets will then meet and pass each other
Venus being a little more than thlee de-
grceS north OF Jupiter. Last autumn Ju-
p,er was Just coming up in the east, Wh'le
Venus, nearly al her most distant point,
was descending in the west, the whole
celestial area intervening between them.
Ever since they have been approaching,
and the distance 10 be ACCOMPLISHED be-
fore they meet, quickly 10 separate, i
lpJinly apparent. Ii Venus would o0ly
occult. or pass over Jupiter. y would be
u sighi t. be remembered for life inc, bat
she wcudS on her re,ISlles> path three de-
grCe, to the north, and students Of the stars
must be contcnted with comparatively beau
tful aspects when trau>Ceud"Dt ones are be-
yond their reach. Venus and Jupiter, there
fore. divide the Donors Of the month. and
no one who looks above on starit nights can
fail to detect the two most bnlli1nt stars
that ad0rn The celestial sphere. Venus VIII
Ice known al glance, A. fareSt and bright
ct Of The twnkling tram; and Jupiter,
! pcrched above her on the ceIcStia! pathway,
though SbOrn OF his brightest RAYS a. he
travels far from earthly domains, i second
only To The starry queen. Venus now sets IL
@ O'Clock at The end Of the month about a
quarter before 10 O'Clock.
| JUPITER : evening star, and, il he cannot
carry OF the palm for lbe radiauc, OF his
shining, ne contributes TO the annals of the
month extraordinary illustrations Of con
tinuel elemental warfare which may reason
ably STRENGTHEN the fii'h Uf believers in The
| theory OF planetary influence a. partial
cause Of the sun-Spoi period. 10 be sure,
! ne passed pcribtliOn Two mDnibS agO, ana
| is nearly ut his greatest distance from the
earth But when vast orb IKE the >ur Is
excited II does not calm down 10 its normal
condition in a minute, for the Influence
continues after the cause l. partially re-
moved. II Jupiter is increasing his d.
tance. the three planets beyond him are al!
approaching their peIiheIa. and pulling
up0n the sun with a combined though lesser
attraction, and It VIII moi be strange II the
present conditions OF disturbance continue
| in a milder form for some tine to cone.
SATURN l. evening star, ard presents few
points of interest during the month, a. be
| follows closely in the wake Of the more biz
| liant Jupiter, in Ike manner recediUg from
/ the earth and approaching conjunction with
the sun. The lessening distance between
the two planets l. a point 10 he specially no.
ucod. Saturn now sels al II O'Clock, at the
end OF the month about ha,f-past O'Clock.
MERCURY is evening star, and, like Venus,
reaches his greatest eastern clongalton on
the s3d A. he j. nearer The sun than We
nus, his chain Is not much more <than nan
as long. and be keep. much closer to the
sun. H. may pOsSlOle be plcke0 up 10f
few nights before and after the 23i, as ne
is then above the horizon for about an bour
and a dali after su0set. He must be looked
where che sun went down, and about the
same distance south OF Venus, and at about
half the distance between Venus and The
horizon. We take special pains TO point
out The position Of thi, shy planet for a
sisni OF R,!s something worth remembering.
Mercury sets now at baifpast ) O'Clock; at
the end Of the month sb0uly after O'Clock.
MARS is morning star, and Is coming TO-
wards us, dough preSenti0s little 10 inter
et observers. He is slowly gaining in
brightness a0d size. and may be easily re.
cOsnized by his rudy light. rising ABOUT
an hour ana a Gali before sunrise. He rises
now about qGarter before O'Clock few
degree, sOuIh OF abe point Of sunrise; at toe
last ef the month Sc rises about 3 O'Clock.
UR4AUs il mOrGiEg star and is fast draw
ing near hi, opposition with the sun. when
bright eGcs may dfse2fO hi presence with
out the ald OF a ielescopP. lie Uses nov ~
8 o'clock ia the evening; at the end OF the !
m0nib at q o'clock
The FeDTEary moon fG:!s on the 10 IA,
having c0mmenced be; cOuIAe on the 2gh |
OF January. She threads bef way impair
TALLY amoHg the clustering members OF Inc
s0iar family, paying her couri 10 venus on
The "a, Jupiter OF TOE I'd, Saturn on TOE
i,h, and Neptune on tue 5'h, but TIE con
IugetIoDs are not near enough to be OF spe'
fs.f.. fi,x.sa