The Evening critic., 1883-01-25
THE PLANETS IN JANUARY.
Principal New Year Phases of TIL
StarN-The Sigh hts for Early Risers.


Venus is morning star throughout the
month. Though she has had to descend from
the proud position she occupied at the time
of the transit, she is still the fairest and
brightest of the starry throng that makes
the morning sky tremulous with bright
ness Nothing in the line of starry glory
can be more lovely than her appearance in
the eastern morning sky, while the interest
in her present movement is greatly en-
hanced to those who witnessed the tran
sit. They actually saw with their own
eyes the passage of the planet from the
suns eastern to his western side, the
transition from evening to morning star.
The Hesperus and Lucifer of the ancient
astronomers were seen to be but one and
the same star.
Venus makes superb appearance now
in the eastern sky in the morning. Every
lover of the stars who beholds her beaming
face about the 9th of the month will be
fully repaid for the trouble of getting up
early, the price demanded for the exhibit
tion. She then reaches her period of
greatest brilliancy ON the western side of
the sun. She has two of these periods, one
thirty six days before inferior conjunction,
when she is the evening star and the other
thirty.six days after inferior conjunction,
when she is morning star. In the
former case, seen in the telescope, she ap
pears as a waning crescent like the old
moon. In the latter she appears as waxing
crescent like the new moon.
On the 10th Venus is in conjunction with
Eta Ophiuchi, n star in the constellation of
the Serpent Bearer, being two degrees north.
The planet and star will be at their nearest
point at II o'clock in the evening, when
they are below the horizon. They will be
sufficiently near to be worth getting up to
see on the morning of the Goth, when
Venus rises not far from o'clock.
Mars is morning star, but moves at so
slow pace and keeps so near the sun that
he is of little account, excepting to keep
track of his course.
Jupiter is evening star, and reigns
supreme among the glittering throng til at
adorns nights sparkling diadem He was
nearest, largest and brightest on the 18th of
December, when in opposition, and since
that time has been travelling away from
us and approaching the sun. But his light
has not perceptibly paled and no one can
behold the prince of planets, as he comes
glowing above the horizon, rises with ma
jestic tread to the zenith, and descends
slowly to the west, without feeling
of intense admiration and kind of fratcr-
nal pride in his appearance For he is our
brother the show-card OF our system, the
one nearest in size and condition to the
great central luminary which is the source
of physical existence, the dependence for
animate life of every planet in the system.
The concourse of stars surrounding Jupiter
is also to be noted, the most superb constel-
lations and brilliant stars that look down
from the sky form his retinue and grace his
court.
Saturn is evening star during the month,
winning the second place among the even
inn uto Htc cnft aud It.r1t Il lie
present aspect is especially attractive when
compared with the dull murky hue that
distinguishes him under less favorable con-
ditions in his journey around the sun.
For this reason he was considered by as
trologers ominous of evil to those whose
horoscopes wero cast when he was in the
ascendant, and was called i'll. .boding Saturn.
If ancient astrologers could have looked
through modern telescope and seen him
cradled in his rings, and surrounded by
his moons, they must have changed
their views, and decided that human
beings born when such star regued in the
heavens began life under happy auspices.
Since September Saturn has been retr0grad-
ing or moving backward. Toward the end
of the month he will begin to move for
ward orin a direct course. The planets
all seem to move in this way, sometimes
forward or direct, sometimes retrograde or
backward, and sometimes they are station
ary. If Satnrns position in regard to the
Pleiades be carefully noted, the proof that
he travels in this way will be plain.
Neptune is evening star, and is the first
of the trio to disappear below the Western
horizon. He still keeps his place near
Saturn, there being only ten minutes differ
ence in the time of transit.
Mercury is evening star during the whole
month. He reaches his greatest Eastern
elongation on the 22d, at o'clock in the
morning and is then eighteen degrees
thirty-two minutes east of the sun. This
is one of the three occasions when he may
be seen during the year with the naked
eye
The January moon fulls on the 23d, at
2:31 o'clock in the morning. The old moon
is in conjunction with Venus on the 9th,
passing about three degrees south. The
new moon of the 9th is near Mercury on
the 10th, and near Neptune and Saturn
on the 18th. She passes two degrees north
Of Jupiter on the 10Th, and is at her near
est point to Uranus on the 9th. The
moons passage eastward is pleasantly
studied by watching her conjunctions with
the planets. The moon is in perigee, or
nearest to the earth, on the 18th, and she
"runs high" about the 10th. The cloudiess
winter nights will then be superb, the
moon rising high in the heavens, and being
nearest to the earth near the full and near
to Jupiter. Journal.