The Portland daily press., 1882-12-30
The Planets in January.

The astronomer of the Providence Journal
points out Venus, Mars and Uranus as morn
ing stars, aud Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and
Mercury as evening stars during January
Venus makes superb appearance now in the
eastern sky in the morning Every lover of
the stars who beholds her beaming face about
the 9th Of the month will be fully repaid for
the trouble of getting up early, the price de-
manded for the exhibition. She then reaches
her period of greatest brilliancy on the western
side of the sun. She has two of these periods,
one thirty-six days before inferior conjunction,
when she is evening star, and the other thirty.
six days after inferior conjunction, when she
is morning star. in the former case, seen in
Kaleidoscope, she appears as a waning crescent
like the old moon. In the latter she appears
as waxing crescent like the new moon. On
the 10Th, Venus is in conjunction with Eta
Ophiuchi, star in the constellation of the
Serpent Bearer, being two degrees north. The
planet and star wall be at their nearest point
at IL O'Clock in the evening. when they are be.
low the horizon. They will be sufficiently
near TO be worth getting up to see on tho Goth,
and when Venus rises Dot far from o'cl, ok,
Mars and Uranus present no very interesting
features.
Jupiter was nearest, largest and brightest
on the 18th of December, when in opposition
and since that time has been travelling away
from us and approaching the sun, but his light
has not perceptibly paled. S4turn holds the
second place among the evening stars.
His soft and serene light in his
present aspect is specially attractive
when compared with the dull, murky hue
ahat distinguishes him under less favorable
conditions. Since September Saturn has been
reIrogradlng or moving backward. Toward
the end of the month he will begin to move
forward, or in direct course. The planets all
seem to move in this way, sometimes forward
or direct, sometimes retrograde or backward,
and sometimes they are stationary. LII Sat
urn's position in regard % the Pleiades be care
fully noted the proof that he travels in this
way will be plain. Mercury keeps near Sat-
urn, and Mercdry reaches his greatest eastern
eloDgation ON January % at o'clock in the
morning. This is one of the three occasions
when he may be seen during the year with the
naked eye. On the 22d, at elongation, he sets
about half past O'Clock, an hour and half
alter the sun, and may be found by bright-eyed
observers for week before and after that
time. He must be looked for three-quarters of
an hour after sunset, five degrees north of the
sunset point. Fine views of Mercury are often
obtained in the wiuter evening sky, but it
must be exceptionally free from clouds, or the
quest will be in vain.
The old moon is in conjunction with Venus
on the 9th, passing about three degrees south.
The new moon of the Sch is near Mercury on
the 10Th, and near Neptune and Saturn on the
18th. She passes two degrees north CT Jupiter
ON the 10, and is at her nearest point to IRA
nus on the 9th. The moons passage eastward
ia pleasantly studied by watching her cnujunc-
tion with the planeIs The moon is in peri
gee. or nearest to the earth, on the 12eh, and
she runs high" about the 18th. The cloud
less winter lights will then be superb the
moon rising high in the heavens, aud being
nearest to the earth, near the full, and near to
Jupiter.