The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-11-10

The night that follows the morning clear,
rainbow bridging our darkened skies,
Are the round Of our lives from year to yearl
Planets in November-A Grand Dis
play.
Mercury is evening star until the 7th, and
| then morning star for the rest of the month
He wins the place of honor on the November
record, for on the 7th he makes a transit across
the suns disc. Unfortunately, the transit
commences at O'Clock in the evening, when
sun and planet are safely below the horizon in
this longitude, and it is invisible: but dwell
ers on the Pacific coast, if the sky is clear, will
have fine opportunity for observing the pbe-
nomenon. Observers fortunate enough to have
access to a good telescope will see Mercury
| passing over the suns face looking like black
bail, and taking about FIVE hours for the pass
age. The event is interesting as a celestial
curiosity, as well as for it's connection with
various astronomical problems. The cause of
this transit may be easily explained. AS Mer.
curry revolves within the earth's orbit he must
come between us and the sun at every inferior
conjunction. If his orbit lay IN the same
plane as that of the earth there would be
transit at every revolution, But his orbit is
inclined seven degrees to the earth's orbit, and,
therefore, he must be at or near his nodes or
crossing points, or else he will pass above or
below the sun, and there will be no transit
The earth arrives at Mercurys nodes or cross
ing points about the 10th of November and
the 7th of May therefore transts of Mercury
must occur near these dates. The earth makes
| thirteen revolutions in nearly the same time
that Mercury makes tifty-four When, there
fore, a transit has occurred at one node, after
an interval of thirteen years the earth and
Mercury will return to nearly the same relative
position, and another transit may occur at the
same node The last transit at the ascending
or November node was on November 4, 1868;
| the present one occurs on November 7th and
the next one may be expected November 10,
1895. The same is true of the descending or
May node. The last transit was most salts
factorily observed in this city ON May 6, 1878.
The next may be looked for May 8, 1891. This
is the general law, which, however, is subject
to variations, for transits may occur at the
same node at Intervals of seven years, and a
transit at either node is generally preceded
or followed after an interval of three years
and half by one at the other node.
AS soon as it was known that Mercury NOV
ed around the sun it was evident that the
planet must sometimes pass between us and
the sun. AS the planets diameter is too small
| to allow him to become VISIBLE to the naked
eye in this position, many years passed before
astronomers observed a transit. Gassendi was
the first to see an actual transit, in 1851, and
he came near losing the sight, as he expected
the planet would look much larger than it did.
1t was not till 1877 that an observation OF sci
entific accuracy was made. HALEY, while at
St. Helena, was the fortunate observer. Tran
sits of Mercury are Of comparatively little
consequence when compared with those of
Venus. She is so much larger and nearer than
Mercury and her translts occur so seldom, at
| intervals of and 235 years, that they are
looked upon as among the most important
phenomena that terrestrial observers can study.
Venus will make transit on the 9th of De-
cember, 1882, which will be visible through
out this country. The study of the less i'm
portant transit of Mercury will be good
preparation for the much grander event, pro-
duced by precisely the same causes.
Mercury reaches his inferior conjunction at
the same time the transit occurs, and then
passing to the western side of the sun, plays
the role of morning star for the rest of the
month. He moves rapidly in this part of his
course, and on the Gath arrives at his greatest
western elongation or most distant point from
the sun. He rises then about quarter after
8 O'Clock, an hour and three-quarters before
the sun. 1t is the only opportunity tor OBJ
serving him as morning star before the year
| closes, and his southern declinatlon will in
crease the difficulty Of picking him up. He
must be looked for seven degrees north of the
sunrise point. Mercury sets on the LIST of the
month about twenty minutes after o'clock in
the evening" at the close of the month he rises
at half-past O'Clock in the morning
| Jupiter is morning star till the 18th, when,
| passing to the eastern side of the sun, he be-
comes evening star. II Mercury deserves the
palm on the planetary annals of November as
| the hero OF the transit, Jupiter will win equal
| renown for the most brilliant epoch in his
course, his opposition to the sun. This grand
| event occurs at o'clock on the morning of
the 18th, when Jupiter will be nearer to US
| than he will again be tor more than year to
come. He will then rise at sunset, being op-
posite the sun, and no one who looks at the
| eastern sky, almost as soon as the sun has dis
| appeared below the western, can fail to recog-
| nlZe the prince of planets as, with majestic
steps, he treads his sparkling pathway towards
| the zenith. In brilliancy and size he exceeds
every star then visi BILE in the heavens, and
wins from every star gazer tributes of wonder
and admiration at hismagnifcent appearance.
| He Will be suberb object in the heavens dur
| ing the frosty nights of November, when the
moon is out of the way, and for three months
to come he will outriyal 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 at forty-two minutes past II clock
forty minutes behind Saturn. Jupiter is now
about four hundred and eight million miles
| from the EARTH instead of five hundred and
| nlnety-one million miles, as when farthest
| away. One hundred and eighty-three million
miles, the difference in distance, is something
our finite powers can form but little concep-
ton of, but it is of insignificant dimensions
when used in celestial distances. For the dis
lance OF the earth from the sun, more than
ninety million miles, Is the unit OF measure
| Of q vnd or
Alpha Centauri, the nearest star in the myraid
host, being estimated to be more than two
hundred thousand times as far from us as the
| sum- In comparison with these distant
shining orbs, Jupiter is our near neigh
| Dor, and his mean distance from the sun
is not much more than five times greater than
our own. This supurb planet Iow rises about
half-past o'clock at the end of the month,
he sets at half-past three O'Clock in the
| morning.
Neptune is morning star until the 18th, when
he takes his turn in reaching opposition, and
thereafter takes his place among the evening
stars, reaching the goal seven days after Sa-
turn and six days before Jupiter. 1t will be
readily seen how nearly in line with the
earth and the sun the three great planets, Sa-
turn, Neptune, and Jupiter, are at the present
time, and it will be interesting to note it the
preponderance of attraction Of the same side
of the great luminary leads to any precep'ible
| increase of commotiOn on his stOrm-tossed
surface Neptune is too small to be seen by
the unaided eye, but he is in fine position for
telescope observation. Neptune is near Saturn
passing the meridian about quarter of an
hour after, and being three degrees farther
north He rises now about eleven minutes af-
ter five o'clock in the evening at the close OF
the month he sets at a quarter after O'Clock
in the morning
Saturn is evening star, and still retains his
place as the leader of the five planets travel.
ing towards the sun. He would make more
brilliant appearance This rival Jupiter were Out
of the way. But is now in one of the best as