National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-06-03
IN THE SKY.
Astronomical Notes from TInvcrford Col
Icre, Near Phi n IcIpIiIR.


Venus aud Mercury are now near to each other
the most conspicuous stars In the west In the even
ing. Venus will continue to recede from the sun for
some time, and will increase III brightness. Mcr-
curry is Just now ut its create distance from the
SUM- and the NEST fayorably situated for Observing
For few nights, from to 500 o'clock, 1t may be
found n little west Of Venus. As these planets de-
rive their light entirely from the sun, and arc ro'
yolying around It, they, at different times, turn
more or less of their bright faces to u.s. and hence
exhibit phases like tho moon. telescope VIII
now show Venus gibbous and Mercury half full.
Even Gullleos llttlo and imperfect glass eau utut
the phases of Venus, but being somewhat vi 9noer- GER
cry ON record, he announced IL in Latin ana
gram, which, translated, reads:
"rhcso unripo things are now Vainly galnered
by iran posing the letters this would be made to
Srhc mother OF the loves initiates the phases OF
Cynthia" .,-,-,.-,.,,,
spots which exist on It's disk Whatt they arc Is not
known, but by Watching them the time OF thc
planets rotation on its axis eau be detoTmlncl
| riis seems to he about the same as that OF the
| earth, perhaps u few minutes less. -,
Weiss comet is now naked-eyo object. The
| best timo to sec 1t Is in the morning. rOm 2 10
O'Clock. 1t IS rapidly increasing, IL brlshtness
| but as II approaches the sun Will bJ moro ana
more obscutui By its rays, so that as spectacle II
will not DO very brilliant. On the 10Th II almost
occulted n s!ar of the fourth magnitude in tho
| O. nstellation Cassiopeiu. Its nucleus was then
seen to be much larger, though not SO bright US
| the star II Is now low down in tho northeast III
the carly morning. II is comet OF large size aud
activity, nnd were 1t more iavOrably situated,
| would be II brilliant object.
Mars is now in Cancer, west OF the meridian n II
| the evening. Its brightness aud ruddy color VIII
| enable anyone to pick 1t out. During the next
| month 1t moves ON toward tho east among tho
stars passing close By Regulus in Leo on the night
| OF the 26th. -,
Jupiter and Saturn are morning stars, not well
| situated for Observing. They rise little btforo
| the sun and can be seen In the dawn.
| sun spots OF great magnitude have frequently
exist d during the past month, on several occa.
sons being visible tO the eye, protected by smoked
glass As any spot visible 10 tue eye must be HbLu
10000 miles in diameter, the vast magnitude Ol
somo of them and of the forces which produce and
modify them, very suddenly Sometimes, may be
| imagined.
English journals,speak of remarkable changes
IN sun spots, coinciding almost exactly with Oul
recent bright aurorRs. That the two phenomenl
are sopehOw connCc ed, either as cause and eilec
or as different effects of n common cause, may nov
4 he considered as established.
II. II. Warner, of Rochester, renews his come
prizes for 1882, and adds thereto prizes for irag
mens of meicoroids picked up on the earth-s2y
If the fragment contains organic fossils ana S0O
they do not.-IrtpdrcdJ for The Public Ledger.