Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1882-12-07


December 6, and morning star the rest
of the month. There will be no hesi.
tation in determining which of the
planets leads the list, for the move.
ments of Venus are more important
than those of all the other planets com.
bined, or indeed of any other celestial
event, even the advent Of another
comet exceeding in proportion our
present august visitor. On the 9th
the grand epoch occurs, for then the
planet, reaching her inferior conjunc-
tion, makes n transit over the suns
face. No intelligent person who reali.
zes its importance will fail to do rs
much toward the celebration of the
rare event as to follow the planets
course, with the aid of piece Of
smoked glass, at some time during the
passage. 1t is the simplest sight
imaginable, tiny black dot making
its way over the sun, but the solution
of the great problem of the suns dis
tance may hinge OH the seemingly un.
important occurrence. Venus will ap.
pear on the suns limb over the whole
United States at nearl V the same mo-
ment of absolute time, at about 500
o'clock in the morning she will leave
it and the transit will end about ,
o'clock, Washington mean time. The
tables of Venus are not quite perfect,
and therefore the predicted time may
differ minute or two from the observ.
ed time. Such is the Importance at.
tached by astronomers to the transit
that millions of dollars will probably
be appropriated by the governments of
different countries and spent by pri-
vate individuals in observing the
phenomenon. Scientific observers will
be numbered by thousands, while no
figures can campute the labor and
painstaking involved in the intricate
processes that enter into the mathe
matical calculations. All that the
most sanguine astronomers expect to
accomplish is the right to add or sub.
tract less than the tenth OF n second
from the suns parallax as now receiv.
ed, though this infinite,imal angular
error represents something like half
million miles in the solar distance. At
half the stations in the most favorable
localities, the weather will prevent oh.
servation, but at the other half, all
that human power can do in Wrestling
the secrets of the sun will be accom-.
plished, and the only opportunity that
will occur for 1913 years will be i'm.
proved. After the transit, we shall
lose the fairest Of the stars from the
evening sky, only for a short time. In
a few days she will reappear in the
East as a morning star; at the close OF
the month she will be superb object
in the morning sky, rising two hours
and half before the sun, and sharing
with the comet, if the celestial visitor
has not left for parts unknown, in the
chief attractions of the celestial view.
Venus sets now few minutes before
) o'clock in the evening at the end of
the month she rises about 4:4j in the
morning.
December presents an exceptionally
beautiful programme for planetary
students. Venus leads off with grand
transit and conjunction. Jupiter
comes next in reaching, on the 18th,
the most important epoch Of his course,
opposition with the sun, 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 a
throb Of life as he arrives at conjunc-
tion with the sun, and gives promise
of some time reaching opposition,
when his tiny moon will come into
view. Mercury is busy enough to de-
serve the title Of messenger of the gods.
The conjunction of Venus, Mercury,
and Mars with the sun and with each
other shows how near they are to the
great luminary and show how nearly
their tracks touch each other. Once
more, our neighbor, the moon, tries to
prove that she is not member of the
dead world brotherhood to which she
has been ruthlessly consigned. Mr.
Trouvelot adds his weighty authority
to the theory that there are evidences
of movement on the lunar disc. This
keen-eyed, reliable observer has seen
lunar landscapes lose their distinct.
ness as if light clouds were floating
over them and two of the great craters
illuminated with a rare vapor slightly
tinged with purple. Here are indica'
tions Of an atmosphere of some kind
conflicting with established belief. But
the astronomical mind is receptive
and willing to accept anything new
and strange on sufficient proof.
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