Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-03-08
THE HEAVENS.
HE Planets In March-Beautfes "a
be Seen Through a Telescope.

be Seen Through Telescope
Uranus is evening star after the 9th, and
wins the place of honor among the plane
tary brotherhood on the monthly records.
Two important events in his movements
bring him into prominent notice. The first
in order of time is his opposition with the
sun. The second is his perihelion. His
| opposition occurs at IL o'clock ON the even
ing Of the 9Th. He then rises above the
eastern horizon as the SUI sinks below the
western, being seen at a point In the heavens
opposite the sun, as the word opposition
implies. In the case of Uranus, who, even
at his nearest approach is nearly seventeen
hundred million miles away, opposi-
ton simply makes him more easily
picked up by a naked-eYe observer, for
he never appears larger than a sixth
magnitude star. the smallest In the scale of
visible stars. He may now be found on any
clear, moonless night, still Flooding on his
slow course in Leo, a constellation plainly
recognized by the well known stars within
It's boundaries forming the Sickle. Those
who have star maps can mark his exact
position on the cnart and will find him in a
line with Regulus, the brilliant star in the
handle of the Sickle, and forming nearly
Denebola, star of the second magnitude
In the tail of Leo. About o'clock is a
favorable time for observation, as Leo is
then half way between the horizon and the
zenith. The oppositions of Uranus occur
about four and a half days later each year.
so that it is easy to keep the track of them
But the important event of the month is
the perihelion Of Uranus, which occurs on
the 25,h, when this distant planet sweeping
around his vast circuit reaches his nearest
point to the sun. This event takes place
but once In eighty four years.
Mercury Is morning star, and the only
planet that fills this role throughout the
entire month. He reaches his greatest
western elongation, or most distant point
from the sun, on the 21st. He will be a
charming object in the morning sky between
the middle and close of the month, and will
reward observers for getting up early 10
take peep at him, If he is as clearly visible
and takes on as many varied tints as dis
tinguished his appearance In the February
evening sky. He must be looked for eleven
degrees south of the sunrise point and from
tbree-quarters to an hour before sunrise.
Saturn Is evening star, and leads the trio
of outer planets that will soon cluster close
ly round the sun. He passes the meridian
now about O'Clock In the afternoon, so
that he is well on the. westward track when
he makes his appearance among the stars
Saturn sets now at half-past 10 O'Clock; at
the close of the month he sets about quar-
ter before 9 o'clock.
Neptune is evening star, and follows so
closely in the wake Of Saturn that he is only
twenty-three minutes behind him In passing
the meridian. He is meyer visible to the
naked eye.
Jupiter is evening star, and proves his
right to the title of the Prince of Planets by
his present brilliant aspect. He still reigns
supreme among the stars, though he has
been diminishing in lustre and size since his
opposition, last November. He passes the
meridian tWenty-three minutes after Nep-
tune, and about three quarters of an hour
after Saturn.
Mars is evening star, and presents few
features during the month to attract atten-
ton. He is travelling on the long road that
leads to his next opposition in January,
1884, and until its near approach he will play
an unimportant part on planetary annals
He looks now like large red star as he fol-
lows In the wake OF Jupiter, tagging behind
though bound for the same point-coniunc-
ton with the sun. Mars now sets few
minutes after 3 O'Clock In the morning; at
the close of the month he sets a few minutes
before o'clock.
Venus is evening star, but only eight DAYS
past her superior conjunction with the sun,
and still so near him as to be completely
III ulo AaJo' nut, dlluOu2n now IN
visible, she mas entered on the grand career
as evening star, which will end in her infe-
rior conjunction on the 9th of December
when the great astronomical event of the
year may be expected, as she makes her
transit or passage over the SUMS disc. Care
full observers may possibly discover her at
the end of the month, for she is then about
three-quarters of an hour above the horizon
after sunset. Venus sets now few min
utes before 9 o'clock, just after sunset; at
the close of the month she sets few min
utes after o'clock.
The March moon fulls on the 4th. On
the 9Th she passes near Uranus. On the
18th, two days before her change, she passes
six degrees north of Mercury. The waning
moon and the swift-footed planet will both
be visible on the morning sky, and the pic
ture viii be worth getting up early to see.
On the 22d the moon is in conjunction with
Saturn and Neptune. On the 23d the four
days'-old moon passes near Jupiter, about
a degree and half north, the most inter
esting conjunction OF the month. On the
Goth she pays her respects to Mars.-ProOi-
f7oslco Logars10I