The Portland daily press., 1882-11-30
The Starry Heavens.
Movements of the Planets in December

After telling about the approaching transit
OF Venus the Providence journal goes on en-
tertainingly with the astronomy Of the month
as follows:
"Jupiter is morning star until the 18th, ard
evening star the rest of the month, On the 18th
at O'Clock in the morning he comes into op-
position with the sun, the most interesting
epoch in his course to terrestrial observers.
The giant planet, the earth and the sun are
then in a straight line with the earth in the
centre. He is then at his nearest point to u.s.
and appears in his brightest phase, superbly
brilliant star outshlniDg every ether in the
heavens, excepting Venus. AT opposition he
rises at sunset and continues to be visible the
entire night He has found many admirers
during November from those who bestirred
themselves early for sight of the comet, as he
looked graciously down from the zenith upon
the intruder on the solar domain. A sad fate
would overtake the comet if il should approach
too near the planet as ii reeedes from sight, for
its orbit would be contracted into an elipse,
and it would be prisoner within the solar sys-
tenn until it broke up into meteors Jupiter
will be in fine condition for observation during
the whole Winter, casting his shadow in a
darkeued room and revealing his moons in an
opera or spy glass. TelescOpists will find rich
material in the temperance of the great red
spot in the exquisite coloriDg of the belts that
diversity his disc and i'll the iuceSsant aDges
taking place among his satellites as they over
take, pass, meet, hide and recede from each
other in endless mazes. As soon as the transit
is passed, the star OF imperial Jove will be in
the ascendant, rising in the east as soon as the
sun has sci, and reigning supreme on moonless
nights. The right ascension Of Jupiter is oh,
80 m, his dec ination is 23o 3 north his dame
ter is 40" 3, and his place is in Gemni.
Jupiter rises now about g quarter before 6
o'clock in the evening; at the end OF the month
he sets twenty-one minutes after o'clock in
the morning.
Saturn is evening star during tie month He
pursues his quiet course as beaming star shin
ing with soft radiance, and still retains his
position near the Pleiades He moves SO slow
ly that he is nearly two years and half in
passing through constellation, SO that it is
easy to follow his track. In the telescope he is
magnificent beyond description, as he lies soft
ly Graded in his wide-open rings surrounded
by hls moons. Our sun is visible as a dot in
the Milky Way 10 the inhabitants of other
worlds clustering around other suns, but the
pride of our system, the ringed-planet Saturn
never seen from any other system outside our
own. The right ascension of Saturn is 3h Ism,
his declination is l5o as north, his diameter is
49,, and his place is IN Taurus.
Saturn sets at half-past o'clock in the
morning; at the end of the month at twenty
three minutes past 3 clock.
Neptune is evening star during the month
and is still in the close vicinity of Saturn max
ing his transit fourteen minutes earlier.
Neptune sets about quarter past O'Clock;
at The end of the month he sets about eleven
minutes after o'clock
Uranus is morning star during the month,
and reaches his quadl AZURE, or halfway house,
on the western side of the sun on the 18th, at
O'Clock in the morning. His right ascension is
1lh 30 m, his declination is 80 80 north, his d.
ameter is ." g., and his place is in the constel-
lation Virgo.
Uranus rises about half an hour before mid
night; at the end of the month about quarter
before IL O'Clock in the evening.
Mars is evening star until the 10Th, and
morning star the rest of the month. On the
10th he is in conjunction with the and
commences the long path that leads to his op-
position on January, 1884. For the earth has
to travel twice around her orbit and then trav-
ell fifty days more to come into line between
the sun and Mars Therefore it is 6S7 days
from one opposition to the next On the 9TH,
the day before the transit, Mars is in close con-
junction with Ven0s, passing g. south, but the
planets are too near the sun to be visible.
Mars sets at thirty-seven minutes past
O'Clock in the evening; at the end of the month
he rises few minutes after O'Clock in the
morning.
Mercury is morning star until the 10th, and
evening star the rest of the month. He is a
busy member Of the brotherhood. On the 9th,
he is in conjunction with Venus, passing 10
IL south On the 18th, at midnight he is in
conjunction with Mars passing 49, south. On
the 10Th, at midnight, he is in superior con-
Junction with the sun, passing his eastern side
and becoming evening star
Mercury rises at half-past six o'clock in the
morning at the end of the month he sets at ten
minutes past o'clock in the evening.
THE MOON.
The December moon fulls on on the 24th at
hfty-seven minutes past 10 o'clock in the morn
ing. The moon is in conjunction with Venus
on the 9Th, and with Mercury and Mars on the
10th, showing how closely the three planets
cluster together on the western side and close
to the sun. The new moon of the 10th is in
G0n1unCfl0n anAG afxr fha
list, and with Jupiter on the 23d, the day be-
lore the full, Planet and moon will be at
their nearest point about half-pasJ nine o'clock
IN the evening, Jupiter passing two and half
degrees north
Thus December presents an exceptionally
beautiful programme for planetary Students
Venus lesds off with grand transit and inferi-
or conjunction. Jupiter comes next in reach
ing the most important epoch of his course,
opposition with the when the eastern sky
seems to glow as he comes above the horizon.
Saturn pursues the even tenor OF his way high
up among the stars. Mars shows throb of
lie as he arrives at CORRECTION with the sun,
and gives promise of sometime reaching oppo-
hition when his tiny moon will come into veiw.
Mercury Is busy enough to deserve the title of
messenger OF the gods. The conjunctions of
Venus, Mercury and Mars with the sun and
with each other show how near they to
the great lnmianry, and how nearly their
tracks touch upon each other.
One more our neighbor, the moon, tries to
prove that she is not member of the dead
world brotherhood to which she has been ruth
lessly consigned. Mr.. Trouvelot ADDS his
weighty authority to the theory that there are
evidences of movement Oh the lunar disc.
This keen-eyed, reliable observer has seen lu-
mar landscapes lose their distnctness as If light
clouds were floating over them, and two of the
great craters iliumined with rare vapor
slightly tinged with purple. Here are indica-
tons OF an atmosphere of some kind, thus con-
Hictmg with established belief. But the astro-
nomical mind is receptive and willing to ac-
cept anything new and strange on sufficient
proof.