The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-04-05
The Starry Heavens.
The Path the April Wanderers Pursue.
Providence journal. ]

lEEOFIueuc0 OOuIud4sl
Saturn is evening star, and deserves high
position on the list during the month, as it is
his last appearance among his peers. He 10
rapidly approaching conjunction with the sun,
ard will be so near him at the close of the
month that he will fade into invisibility, set
ting only about ten minutes later than the sun
This planet closes his present course as even
ing star with charming farewell exhibition
1t comes off in the early evening hours OF the
10Th, when he sin conjunction with Venus,who
is just emerging from her secluson in the suns
all-powerful rays. The meeting of two of the
larger planets is always an interesting event.
but in this case little flight of the Imagination
may endow the planets with kind of con-
sciousness as if the most magnificent member
of the planetary brotherhood, as he made his
exit from the evening sky, paused to congratu-
late the fairest of the stars OF the grand event
of the transit which is to close her present ca
reer of evening star, and vastly increase her
Importance in the eyes of Terrestrial observers.
The conjunction or nearest point Of approach
occurs at O'Clock on the afternoon of the 18th,
Saturn passing nearly two degrees south hof
Venus. If the weather be favorable, the two
planets will make lovely picture on the twi-
light sky. Saturn sets on that evening about a
quarter before eight o'clock, Venus five min
utes later, and. both planets about an hour af-
ter sunset. At the time of the conjunction
Saturn must be looked for about two and
threequarters degrees, and Venus about four
and half degrees north of the sunset point.
Both planets are one hour, or fifteen degrees,
east of the sun. An opera glass, a spy glass
or a small telescope will greatly aid the un-
practiced observer in picking up the planets,
for they are too near the sun and too far from
the earth to be seen under the most favorable
conditions as to size and lustre. Saturn passes
the meridian now about o'clock; at the close
of the month, about eighteen minutes after
MONDAY. Hesets at a quarter before O'Clock;
at the end of the month he sets at eight min-
utes after o'clock
Neptune Is evening star, and draws nearer
to Saturn as they travel on the same path to
conjunction, passing the meridian now eleven
minutes after him, while on the last day OF the
month there is only four minutes in the time
of transit 1t would seem as if the farther off
the planets were, the longer would be the
synodic period. But the reverse proves to be
the case and it must be remembered that in
all observations of the planets, the earth is
constantly moving and complicating the pro-
cess. The three important aspects of the supe-
rior or outer planets, including Mars, and the
four giants of the system, are conjunction, op-
position and quadrature. Neptune, the most
distant planet, requires the shortest time to
complete synodic revolution or pass from
conjunction round to conjunction again. Nep-
tune seems to complete the whole circuit of the
heavens in about three hundred and sixty
seven days, so that it is easy to keep the run of
his conjunetons, that of the present year oc-
curing two days later than that of the last
year, and SO on. His apparent movement
among the stars is very different from his real
movement round the sun, for it takes him one
hundred and sixty-fve years to complete sim
gle revolution. As he was not discovered till
1916, he has completed only about one-tfth OF
his course since he became known member
of the system. On the 21st Neptune and We
nus are in conjunction, Neptune being about
degree and a half south of Venus. The con-
junction cannot be seen, as the far away planet
is never visible to the unaded eye, and is too
distant at present to be favorably situated for
telescopic observation. The event is chiefly
interesting as proof that Saturn and Neptune
are approaching very near each other, Venus
passing-the former ON the 10Th, and the latter
on the 21st. Neptune now sets a few minutes
after o'clock; at the close of the month he
sets at quarter after o'clock.
Jupiter is evening star, and the third on the
list of planets clustering near the sun, though
ne SIaQQS urSt III DElLilaUCy dulOuR HIS DEOlucE
planets. He is travelling northward more rap
idly than Saturn and Neptune, and seems 10
lag behind them, passing the meridian more
than au hour later at the end Of the month.
He will continue to be beautiful object in the
April sky, shining without rival in the west
with some of the most beautiful consultations,
clusters and stars in the heavens to bear him
company. The Pleiades, the superb Orion,
the glowing Sirius are his attendants on the
southwest; Castor and Pollux and the dimly
nj pIa Mara hang QhOva him PrOcvOD
and Aldebaran are not far away. On the
whole glttering concave, no more eligible
locality could be chosen than the one where
the Prince of Planets holds his court. During
the fall and winter, Jupiter has been admira-
bly, situated, not only to marshal the starry
hosts, but also to show his superiority in color
and size over the bright stars in his vicinity.
Nearly twelve years must pass before ne sweeps
round to the same position among the stars,
aud twenty years must complete their slow
circuit before Jupiter and Saturn again pass
each other on the celestial road. Jupiter sets
on the first of the month at 10 O'Clock; at the
close of the month he sets about twenty min
utes before o'clock.
Mars is evening stap and follows Jupiter, be-
ing the fourth planet travelling towards con-
junction. He appears to travel more slowly
than his brother planets, the period OF his sy-
nodic revolution greatly exceeding theirs. 1t
takes him about seven hundred and eighty days
to move from conjunction to conjunction again.
The earth therefore makes two revolutions
round the sun, and then requires fifty days
more to bring her to g. point where she will be
in straight line with the sun and Mars. Two
years and two months must be added for subse-
quent conjunctions or oppositions, and in this
way the planet may be easily identified. There
is but one event of interest on the record ot
Mars during the month. He reaches his quad
rature with the sun on the LIST. This IS the
house between opposition and con-
junction, being ninety degrees, or a quarter
of circle, from each of these points. AT quad
rature. he is on the meridian about six O'Clock,
and will therefore have commenced his descent
10 the west before it is dark enough for him TO
become visible. He is in the sign Cancer, and
not very far from Castor and Pollux. Mars
sets now few minutes before two O'Clock in