The Portland daily press., 1882-11-06
The Starry Heavens.
Movements of the Planets for November
Prevalence journal. ]

bnen nearest the earth, for the sun, the earth,
and Neptune are in straight line with the
earth in the center. Though he is one hun
dred and eighty million miles nearer to us than
he is at injunction, his distance at this point OF
his orbit is more than twenty-six hundred mil
miles. For this reason he is never visible to
tue naked eye, though he is the third planet in
size in the system. At opposition, as the word
implies, his place in the heavens is opposite
tie sun; he then rises when the sun SETS, and
comes to the meridien at midnight. He may
now be readily found in a good telescope,
where he develops a small disc, but he is dsu-
ally dull and il-defned, while it requires a
practiced eye t. pick up his tiny satellite. His
nearness to Saturn will be help to those who
wish to find him in the telescope. Neptune's
right ascension is 3 hours minutes; his decli-
nation is 15c 20 north; his diameter is a. 6,
and his position in the heavens is in the con-
st llation Taurus
Neptune rises on the LIST at half-past o'clock
in the afternoon; on the Both, he sets about q
quarter after O'Clock in the morning.
Saturn is morning star until the 18th, and
evening star for the rest of the month. On
the 14Ih, at 10 o'clock in the evening, he
as far as observation on this planet is con-
cerned He is then in opposition with the sun,
reaching the point five days later than Nep-
tune, and fulfilling the same conditions, excel :
| in the matter of distance, that have been de-
| scribed in the case of his more distant brother
planet. Fortunately for terrestrial observers,
he does not travel on the systems verge, for
| then his rings and moons would be barely per-
! ceptible, Saturn in opposition is always worth
| looking at, but the additional claims to atten-
| ton he now offers cannot be too strongly i'm
pressed upon the minds of planetary students.
He is in high northern declination, and the
law is the farther north the planet the more
| favorable for observation. His rings are OPEN
| ing to their widest extent, which largely in
| creases his size and brIllianoy. He is approach
| ing peribelion, the three conditions uniting to
lend sn ecldt to the opposition Of 1882 II
seems strange to unaccustomed ears that Sat
urn should rank as morning star when he rises
before O'clock in the evening. BUTT is one
of the laws of astronomy that the outer planets,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune are known
as morning stars from conjunction to oppos-
ton and evening stars from opposition to con-
jul elton. When they are morning stars we
give the ime of rising; when they are evening
stars We give the time If setting The right
ascension of Saturn is Oh. 28m., his dtclihaIion
is l60 % north, AID HIS diameter Is 49, His
place IS IN the conste llation Taurus, differing
little from that Of last mouth.
SaluID fuses about quarter before O'Clock
III the evening"; at the end of the month he SETS
at quarier before O'Clock in the morning.
Jupiier is me rniDg star during the mouth
aid the brightest Star in the heavens while he
is above thu horizon, for before he reveals his
preset ce the sbort-lived glory of Venus has
passed, The pe eless planet being below the hor-
ION. 1t is we'll to note the incre sing distance
between Jupiter and Saturn, which has now
reached more than two hours difference i'll the
time of rising. The right ascension of Jupiter
IL Co., 5a., lis declination is 23o north, aud his
dismeter is 42'' 6. His place is i'll the canstel-
latloD f1emlni.
Jupiter rises a few minutes before O'Clock
in the evening; at the end of the month he
rises few minutes before o'clock.
Uranus is morning star during the month aud
poss, ssrs little interest for the student. His
right ascension is 11h. 3lm., his declinatiop is
$50 ncrih' and his place is In the constella-
ton Virgo.
Uranus rises about half-past O'Clock in the
morning. at the end of the month he rises
aboat half an hour after midnight
Venus is evening star and initiates the mo st
brilliant event of the month at its commence
ment. On the first day of November she
reaches her period of greatest brilliancy, and
she is now glorious to behold, being bright
enough to be seen by the naked eye in the day
time, when the observer knows her position
She is also beautiful object in the telescope,
where she takes on the phase of a waning cres-
cent, which beco les larger, sharper aud thin
ner as she advances towards inferior coDJunc-
ton. The best telescope view is obtained In
| the day time, for her light, which is .unpleas-
antly dazzling on dark sky, is then subdued
| to lovely pearly lusre. Under these condi-
tions, in a good telescope, she is superb OBJ
| lect, lovely crescent nearly as large as the
moon. The uneven outline of her Termination
or inner boundary line, is also beautifully
-h.nneht -A.Aa ia -a4trihntad to tho snnliqht
shining on he mountain tops That diversity
her surface.
No one who has studied this charming planet
need be told that the variations in her appear
ance are very great. When atsuperior coDjunc-
ton and beyond the sun, she is one hundred
and sixty million miles distant, and presents
The appearance of a small round disc IL in di-
ameter. When at interior conjunction, where
she will be on the 9th OF December, she is d-
rectly between the earth and the sun, is only
twenty-five million miles distant, aud, il her
whole face were visible, she would be b" III
diameter. But her dark side is then turned
toward The earth and she is visible. Between
these positions she exhibits all the phases OF
the moon from full to new. The law of her
movement is that the nearer she comes to the
earth the smaller IS the portion of her illumin-
| ated disc; but the larger would her disc appear
| if the whole of it were visible. Her greatest
briliancy as evening star occurs thirty six days
| before her inferior conjunction. After that
her lllumined crescent diminishes SO rapidly
| that the increasing proximity to the earth is
Insufficient TO make up Tor her lessening light,
and her glory yisibly wanes. This month Is,
therefore, the Time TO enjoy the lovely evening
star, winch, at its close, will after a few days
De eelipsed iii tie suus rays, aud will Tor many
months cease to shine In the evening SKY.
The southern declinaticn of the bright planet
snortens her stay above the horizon. aud pre-
vents her from taking on her most fascinating
aspect The right ascension of Venus ID In,
52m., her d. clnatlon is 28o south, aud her d.
ameter is AZ Her place is in the eonstella-
tiau Sagitarius
Venus sets about half-past 6 O'Clock in the
afternoon at the close of the month she sets a
few minutes before five O'Clock.
Mars is evening star aud approaches con-
junction. His right ascension is l5h, IAN,
aud is declination is 16o south. His place is i'll
the constellation Libra.
Mars sets abont bali-psst o'clock in the ev-
eDiDg; at the end OF the month he sets about
haif-past O'clock.
Mercury is morning star throughout the
month. On the 7th he re ches his great 81
eongation, aud is then 19o 3 west OF the SUI
For few days before and aiter that time he
may ne picked up as beautiful morning star
LII viii DO The only oppo tuuity for a glimpse OF
him during the rest OF the year. He rises on
the'7tn few minutes after O'Clock, an hour
and a half before the sun, aud must be looked
Tor o. north OF the sunrise point, but IL is OF no
use to look for him uhlsss the sun be excep-
t;onally clear. The first magnitude star Spica
> not far from lin. The right ascension of
dercury is IL b 28', his defamation is 70 IL
south, and his diameter is g. His place is
in the constellation Virgo.
Mercury rises on the LIST few minutes after
o clock i'll the morning; on the Both he rises
about half-past six O'Clock.
THE MOON.
The November moon fulls on the oath, at
ing. The old moon pass,s near Mercury on the
morning of the 9th. The new moon of the
10Th passes little less than one degree north
of Mars on the 11th, and the three days old
crescent is at her nearest point to Venus on the
13th. She passes uear Neptune on the 23d, near
Saturn on the Oath, and near Jupiter on the
26tb.
Thus November contributes a brilliant rec
ord to the planetary annals of the year. Venus
rejoices.in her period of greatest brilliaLcy.
Neptune and Saturn arrive at opposition with
in five days of each other. Jupiter increases
in SIZE and bright ess as night after night he
comes earlier above the horizon Mercury
makes positively his last appearance during the
year as morning star, when bright-eyed OBJ
servers may hope for glimpse of his shining
face. Students of the stars will find no end to
the enjoyment of following the track OF these
bright wanderers among the stars in the crisp,
cool November nights. The more closely they
fol ow the movements, the more intense will be
ks...- 1ofo far TalQ