National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-11-10
PLANETS IN NOVEMBER.
The Tran.,t OF Msresry Across the som.
Disc.

Mercury is morning star this month.
He wins the place of honor on the November
record for on the 7th he makes transit across the
suns disc. Unfortunately. the transit commences
at eight o'clock in the evening, when sun and
planet are safely below tho horizon In this long-
tude aud Il is invisible; but jewellers on the Pa
cifc coast If the sky Is clear, will have a fine
opportunity for observing the phenomenon.
Observers fortunate enough to have access
to good telescope will see Mercury passing
over the suns face, looking like black
ball and taking about five hours for the passage.
Jupiter is morning star till the 18th, when pass
ing 10 the eastern side Of the sun, he becomes
evening star 1fMercury deserves the palm on
the planetary annals Of November as the hero OF
the transit Jupiter will win equal rcnown for the
most brilliant epoch in his course. his opposition
with the sun. This grand event occurs at four
o'clock on the morning of the 18th, when
Jupiter will be nearer to us than he will
again BIO for more than a year TO come He
Will then rise at sunset, being opposite the
sun, aud no one who looks at the eastern sky,
almost as soon as the sun has disappeared below
the western, can fail to recognize the prince OF
planets as with majestic steps he treads his spark
ling pathway toward the zenith. In brilancy
and size he exceeds every star then visible In the
heavens, and wins from every star-gazer tributes
OF wonder and admiration at his magnificent APP
pearance He will be superb objecti In the heavens
during the frosty nights OF November. when the
moon is out Of the way, and for three months TO
come he will outIival every member Of the starry
host in the nightly pageant. He Is only thirteen
days behind Saturn In reaching the same goal.
and passes the meridian when in opposition atiia2
O'Clock, forty minutes behind Saturn. Jupiter is
now about 40s miles from the earth, instead
OF sol 10000, as when farthest away. Neptune on
the 9TH takes his turn In reaching opposition, and
takes his place among the evening stars, reaching
the goal seven days after Saturn and six days
before Jupiter. II will readily be seen how
nearly in line with the earth and sun the three
great planets Saturn, Neptune and Jupiter, are at
the present time and 1t will be interesting to note
II the prepondeunce Of attraction on tho same
side Of the great lumlnary leads to any perceptble
increase of commotlon on his storm tossed sur
face. Neptune Is too SMALL to be seen by the un-
aided eye, but he Is In fine po-
siton for telescope observation. Saturn
is evening star, and still retains his place
as the leader Of the FIVE planets travelling toward
the sun. He would make more brilliant appear
ance IL his rival Jupiter were out of the way.
Mars is morning star, and increasing In interest rs
he takes on more ruddy hue and larger dim en-
sons His increasing northern decination is 10
be noted, for he is now seven degrees farther
north than Jupiter and twelve degrees farther
than Saturn He must, therefore. be looked
for in the northeast rising at SI5 o'clock, aud may
be easily recognized by his fiery color aud the
| line he forms with Jupiter and Saturn above him.
Venus Is morning star, and appears each morning
later above the horizon as she draws nearer SUI
perior conjunction with the sun. She measures
now eleven seconds in diameter while Jupiter
measures forty-six seconds. But her day of
| triumph Will come when in December, 1882, she
| reaches her interior conjunction and treats the
world to grand display at her transit. The sun
is also actor in the scenes that diversity the ex
perience OF his family of worldsduhng the month,
on the 2lst, when the phenomenon OF an annular
eclipse occurs. But the golden ring of light sur
rounding the moons dark shadow will only be
visible In the Southern Ocean and in the southern
part ofSouth Administrations Journal