Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-05

From the Providence Journal.

may endOw the planets with kind of con-
seriousness as if the most magnificent member Of
the planetary brotherhood, as he made his exit
from the evening sky, paused to congratulate
the fairest of the stars ON the grand event ofthe
transit which is to close her present career OF
evening star, and vastly increase her import
ance in the eyes OF terrestrial observers The con-
junction or nearest point of approach occurs at 2
O'Clock on the afternoon of the 18th, Saturn
passing nearly two degrees south of Venus. IF
the weather be favorable, the two planets will
make lovely picture on the twilight sky. Sa-
turn sets On that evening about aquarter before
eight O'Clock, Venus five minutes later, and both
planets about an hour after sunset. At the time
OF the conjunction Saturn must be looked for
about two and three-quarters degrees, and
venus about four and a-halfdegrees north of the
sunset point. Both planets are one hour, or fif-
teen degrees, east Of the sun. An opera glass, q
spy glass, or small telescope will greatly aid
the Impractical observer in picking up the plan
cts, for they are too near the sun and too far
from the earth to be seen under the most favor
able conditions as to size and luster. Saturn
passes the meridian now about 9 o'clock; at the
close OF the month. about eighteen minutes after
MONDAY. He sets at aquarter before o'clock;
at the end of the month he sets at eight minutes
after o'clock.
NEPTUNE IS EVENING STAR,
and draws nearer to SatuVn as they travel on
the same path to conjunction, passing the me-
ridian now eleven minutes after him, while on
the last day Of the month there is only four
minutes difference in the time of transit. 1t
would seem as if the farther of 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 rs constantly moving and
cOmplicating the process. The three important
aspects OF the superior or outer planets, in.
Guiding Mars, and the four giants of the system,
are conjunction. opposition and quadrature.
Neptune, the most distant planet. requires the
shortest time to complete a synOdc revolution
or pass from conjunction round to conjunction
again. Neptune seems to complete the whole
circuit of the heavens in about three hundred
and sixtyseyen days, SO that it is easy
to keep the run Of his conjunctions, that
OF the present year occurring two days
later than that Of the last year. and SO on His
apparent movement among the stars is very diff
ierent from his real movement round the sun,
for 1t takes him one hundred and sixty-fve
years to complete single revolution. As he
was not discovered till 1916 he has cOmpleted
only about one-hfth Of his course since he be-
came known member of the system. On the
2lst. Neptune and Venus are in conjunction,
Neptune being about degree and half south
of Venus. The conjunction cannot be seen. as
the far away planet is never visible to the un-
aided eye, and is too distant at present to be
favOrably situated for telescope observation.
The event is chiefly interesting as a proof that
Saturn and Neptune are apparently very near
each other, Venus passing the former on the
10Th and the latter on the 21st. Neptune now
sets 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 he stands first in briliancy
among his brother planets. He is travelling
northward more rapidly than Saturn and Nep-
tune, and seems to lag behind them, passing the
meridian more than an hour later at the end Of
the month. He will continue to be a beautiful
object in the April sky, shining without a rival
In the west with some of the most beautiful con-
steiiations clusters and stars in the heavens to
bear him company. The Pleiade, the superb
Orion, the glowing Sirius are his attendants on
the southwest; Castor and Pollux and the dim
iy-shining planet Mars bang above him; ProcyOn
and Aldebaran are not far away. On the whole
giittering concave no more eligible locality could
De chosen than the one where the Prince of
Planets holds his court. During the fall and
winter Jupiter has been admirably 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 he sweeps round to the same
position again among the stars, and 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 minutes before 9 o'clock.
MARS Is EVENING STAR AND FOLLOWS JUPITER,
being the fourth planet travelling towards con-
junction. Heappears to travel more slowly than
his brother planets the period of his synodic
revolution greatly exceeding theirs 1t takes him
about 7S0 days to move from conjunction to con-
junction again. The earth therefore makes two
revolutions round the sun, and then requires so
days more to bring her to the point where she
Will be in straight line with the sun and Mars
Two years and two months must be added for
subsequent cOnjunctions or OppOsitiOns, and in
this way the planet may be easily identified.
There Is but one event Ofinterest on the record
Of Mars during the month. He reaches his
Quadature with the sun on the LIST. This is the
halfway house between opposition and cOnjunc-
ton, being 80 degrees, or a quarter of circle,
from each OF these points. At quadrature he is
on the meridian about O'clock and will there
fore have commenced his descent to the west
before it Is dark enough for him to become vfsi-
BILE. He is in the sign Cancer, and not very far
from Castor and POllux. Mars sets now few
minutes before o'clock in the morning; at the
end OF the month, quarter before / o'clock.
URANUS Is EVENING STAR,
and the fifth and last on the list Of planets NOV
Ing towards conjunction. He still retains his
Interest for Observers as an object of telescope
and naked-eye research, for he has Just passed
periheliOn, and has not yet advanced very far
from opposition. Those observers who have
access to star maps or charts can mark his posi-
ton, and then find the corresponding place
among the stars. 1t Is necessary to know his
right ascension and declination to find his place
on the map for these, in matters celestial, are
as important as latitude and longitude in mat
tiers terrestrial. On the LIST his right ascension
Is II hours minutes and his declinatiOn 6 de-
grees 20 minutes north. He will be found as a
little star of the sixth magnitude in the constel-
lation Leo, west of Regulus and about the same
distance southeast of Denebola, the two bright
est stars Of the constellation. telescope will
quickly prove his existence to the observer for
he Immediately develops disc of delicate sea-
green tint, and Ia beautiful object when thus
brought to view. His position changes slightly
during the month. Uranus sets now few min
utes before o'clock in the morning; at the end
Of the mouth he sets about O'Clock.
MERCURY IS MORNING STAR,
and worthy Of notice for little else except the
fact that he is the sole representative Of the
solar family in the morning sky, for he is too
near the sun to be visible during the month, ex-
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