The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-09-03
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Planets in September.
How the Starry Heavens VIII Look this
Month.
Providence Journal.l


star Alpha Leonis, or Regulus, the leading
brilliant Of the constellation Leo The planet
and stsr, when nearest together are only twelve
inmates Of degree apart This occurs at s
o'clock on the evening of the 25th, when both
stars are below the horizon. But the morning
of the Goth the picture painted on the sky will
be worth getting up early to see. The observ-
er should command a view OF the eastern
heavens and commence the watch about
o'clock. Venus will then come darting above
the horizon, about fourteen degrees north OF
the sunrise point, and close beside her, not
far from fifteen minutes OF degree to the
south, will shine the bright Regulus, the first
star in the handle Of the familiar group known
as the Sickle. There will be no moon to in'er-
fe.e with the exhibition, and the stars will
shine side by side until they melt away in the
light Of the suns near approach. Venus is
still travelling from her western elongation
toward the sun, with an apparently slow move
ment that keeps her throughout the month
about three hours above the horizon before the
sun appears She is therefore, beautiful OBJ
ject in the morning sky, and still very bril-
liant, although her disc now measures only
uIltcu bcCOuuo VI acStOcs AhoSooo u oaNeJ
seconds as when near her inferior conjunction
last May Venus rises new few
minutes after 2 o'clock; at the end OF the
month few minutes after o'clock.
Jupiter is morning star, and by far the most
interesting to che naked-eye observer of the
four planets that are approaching opposition.
He will be superb object during the nights
of the month, for he may now be seen rising
majesticaly in the east before 10 O'Clock, and
before the month closes he will put in an ap-
pearance before o'clock, and reign supreme
among the starry throng that spangle the firma-
ment on September nights. He is near enough
to become an interesting object for telescope
study, and astronomers are improving the op-
portunity for peep at this king of the worlds
we know anything Of, the brother sphere,
whose huge mass is still in the fiery, chaotic
condition through which the earth passed
millions of ages ago, owing to its smaller di-
mansions. There Is nothing new to be seen on
the disc of the giant member OF the system.
The great red spot still remains as 1t has done
for years. 1t was first seen IN the autumn oI
1878, and it has continued in the same place
ever since, with no change in appearance or
dimensions one Of these days it will probably
disappear as suddenly as 1t came. No one has
vet satisfactorily solved its meaning, and the
theories that it is an opening In the cloud at
mosphere, or the upheaval of solid mass from
the interior are as reliable as anything else we
know about the structure and condition OF the
planet tt at transcends the others In size and
surpasses all but one in the magnihcence and
cou,plexity of its system. 1t gives some idea
of the inmense size of this planet to know that
the great spot is twenty-five thousand miles
long and five or six thousand miles
broad. Another object OF interest on
the Jovian disc is a narrow belt on the lower
or northern part, oetween the equatorial bands
and the pole This was first traced last sum
mer, as q faint grey line, and developed in the
winter into a rosy belt resembling the red spot
in color, and probably attributable to the same
origin. The Inhabitants OF the earth, long as
life continues here, may, perhaps, witness the
process of the first stagesof condensation In this
| far-off planet. But. long before Jupiter be-
| comes the abode of animate life, the planet on
| which we live will probably have filled its mis-
| sion, and will become dead star, ike the
moon As millions of ages will intervene be-
| fore this contamination, we need b9 little dis
| turbed by the events of future so remote.
| Jupiter now rises about quarter before lO
O'Clock: at the end of the month about quar-
| ter before O'Clock
| charming procession Of morning stars. His
present radiant appearance is so different from
his ordinary murky phase, that IL deserves 10
| be- carefully noted. Towards the latter part
| of the month, No Is Oh buo AuCAluAoh az hdAA
| past two O'Clock, and then the planetary as
| pect is indeed fair to see, with Saturn at the
| zenith. bri. liant Jupiter and ruddy Mars
| forming starry line beneath him, and radiant
| Venus Just appearing in the east. saturn IS
now a magnificent object in the telescope, and
| avery observer who has access to one should
| not fail to behold the spectacle that Saturn
nre,ents. the most charming sight the magic
| instrument has ever revealed TO mortal eyes.
| The rings are so widely opened that the plan
| cts northern hemisphere is almost hidden
| from view and the disc seems to stand upright
| in the centre of the rings. A comparatively
| wide space intervenes between the third or
| dark ring and the planet. A star has some-
| times been seen in this bit OF sky. Perhaps
| the phenomenon may be repeated at the pre-
| sentation of the rings 1t is a pleasing incl
/ dent in star-gazing to watch he advent o. Sat
| urn above the horizon, for he now rises few
| minutes after o'clocs; at the close of the
month few minutes after O'Clock
| Mars is morning star, and the latest OF the
visible planetary trio to fall into line, fer he is
| now two hours behind Saturn, and more than
| an bour behind Jupiter. He reaches his quad
/ rature or halfway house on the 2lst and IS
| then ninety degrees from the sun and equl-dis-
| tapt between conjunction and opposltlon. he
| appears now nearly of the same size as Saturn,
| tbangh of more ruddy color. This hue will
/ deepen as he comes nearer to the earth,
thonoh he will not reach opposition till late IN
| December. His great northern declination
| during the month IS worthy OF nouce. mars
rises now at IL o'clock, at the end OF the month
| at 10 O'Clock.
| Neptune is morning star, and although in
| visible 10 the naked eye, is in favorable POSI-
| ton for telescopic observation. lie Ioilo"s
| closely in Saturn's track, being only fifteen
| minutes behind him in right ascension, and
| two degrees north in declination. Neptune
| now rises about quarter after O'Clock, only
| seven minutes after Saturn; at the close OF the
| month he rises not far from half-past O'Clock.
Uranus is evening star until the 9th, wnen
| he Joins the concourse OF morning stars. he
is an actor in the only tgo planetary conJunc-
| tions that illustrate the annals OF the month.
/ On the 9th he is in conjunction with the sun,
| "ioined to'' him, as the word slgnlhes, Tor ne
| then rises and sets with the sun, Is az MS
| greatest distance from the earth, and as ire
trieysbly blotted from terrestrial gaze as II no
| suoh great planet tracked resistless course
hetween the orbits of Saturn and Neptune.
| On the Sd he is in conjunction with Mercury,
| the Two planets being less than degree apart.
| The exhibition is, however, strlctiy priVaIe,
powerful beams. Uranus sets on the hrst oil
i the month sDo,t a quarter before seven
i O'clock: at the close of the month he rises not
far from four O'Clock in the morning.
Mercury is evening star throughout tne
| month, and enjoys the distinction entirely to
himself, for he is too near the sun to be OF any
4 Importance to star gaZers, and the TWO evenis
in which he plays part, the conJuncelon Will
Uranus and the new moor are botn lnVlslDle.
But we are as certain of his movements as IL
| We saw them painted on the evening SKY; ne
now sets shortly after half-psst six o'clock; az
| the end OF the month, about quarter aI'er
i six o'clock. sr
rae September moon fulls on the 7th. She
IL in Conjunction with Saturn and Neptune on
| the 18TH with Jupiter on the 10TH, and
1 Mars on the 10Th, passing one degree and a
| quarter to the north. Sne takes ON ner most
| beautiful phase on the morning OF the 2Oth
when three days before her change her waning
crescent hangs south of the radiant planet
| Venus The September moon is also the much
prized harvest moon For four successive
/ evenings after the full, there is only an aver
age difference OF thirty four minutes in the
| ime OF her rising. Her full-oroed splendor
irradiating the east soon al or the sun mas suns
| Ia the vest seems to prolong the quickly iao-
| ing autumnal twilight, while the nignts arc
| full of dreamy beauty under tie sway OF her
mus the planetary aspect OF September,
| while not marked by striking incidents, IS rlch
| in tonics for astronomical study. Ine harvest
moon will flood the earth with its serene light,
and for few nights eclipse the 5eaming stars
i But their turn to shine will come when hef
i short-lived glory wanes, and then too, the
/ commencement of the crisp, frosty nights may
| be anticipated, when planets shine with den'
ttinn dear TO the hearts OF astronomers. DIX
| of the seven planets are on the western sloe OF
| the sun, aud falI into the ranks as morning
l stars. Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Mars, Ve-
i nus and Uranus give the order in which they
/ rise. thoueh Neptune aud Uranus are invisible.