Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-03

Prom the Providence Journal

Saturn Is morning etar untr the ssth ana
then evening star II We class the planets Az
cordng TO the interest attached 20 their move
ments during the month. Saturn will undoubt-
eddy win first place. On the 2Sth. at IL O'Clock
in the evening. Saturn reaches his eliminating
point In size and briilancy for the present year.
He Ia then opposite the sun, rising when the sun
sets and setting when the sun rises This is the
point in his orbit when he Is nearest 10 the
earth. thus accounting for the splendor Of his
appearance Astrsight line drawn from the sun
10 the earth would,H extended pass through Sa-
turn Instead OF being l.0i40 600 miles from
| the earth. his distance at conjunction Is ST.
No'"O miles. Iut his nearness TO us IL not the
only reason for his beautiful apprarance His
rings are open nearly to their widest eytent
and he IL approaching perih.ion Which, whils
bringing him more than 100 GOO. 600 niles nearer
the sun than he is when In aphelien. brings him
also nearer 70 the earth He viii therefore, be
3 superb object for observation during the
month, being above the horizon nearly the
entire night and needing one to point him
out as he pursues his shining Course near the
Pleiades and Aldebaran. Clear-sighted ubserv-
ers who can detect one or more of Jupiter'e
| moons with the naked eye, may see him In an
elongated form. on account of his widely -open
rings. telescope OF moderate power will give
surprisingly lovely picture OF the r.ng-Sirdled
planet. and every one interested in astronomy
should. If possible obtain view of this wonder
| ofthe heavens.
Jupiter is morning star throughout the month.
Though he now Yields the first place 10 Saturn,
he fills the second with such distinguished grace
that when his princey head appears above the
eastern hills star-gazers pay involuntary HON.
| age to the nohiest member of the suns family
Observers will now obtain the first glimpse 81
| this planet about hali-past ten O'Clock in the
| evening. As he rises four minutes earlier every
evening. being, like the stars, carried westward
| by the earth's motion I'm her orbit. he viii rise
about half-nast eight O'Clock ut the close Of the
month Those who desire to observe planet
| in a stationary aspect will find brilliant illus
| tration in this beaming planet. for he scarcely
| changes his position during the month.
| Mars is morning star. Though he contributes
| no incidents 10 the annals OF the month, he
wins the third place for the interest he eNcites.
| His increase in size and ruddy color are plainly
| apparent for his diameter has more than dou-
| bed since the LIST Of October As he rises now
| twenty two minutes after Jupiter. he NAV read
brilliant brother. Mars illustrates direct motion
during the month, that q. lie is moving east
| ward according to the signs OF the zodiac
| Venus Is evening star during the month,
the only planet PLAYING this part without
| change. She will not long remain low On tine
list. but will soon put forth her claims 20 notice
| as the fairest of the winter stars Though set
| ting now forty minutes after the sun. al the
| end OF the month she will be above the horizon
| q little more than an hour after sunset. She
must then be looked for two degrees and half
south OF the sunset point. and she will be both
| dim and small In the glowing twilight.
! Neptune is morning star until the 10Th, when
| he becomes evening star. He retains his pre-
! eninence until that time among the planets on
| the morning roll the first to make his appear
| ance in the field. On the 18th. at o'clock In
the morning. the event IN his career most inter-
| esting to terrestrial observers takes place. He
| is in opposition with the sun. As the word i'm
plies. he is opposite the sun. being $50 degrees
| i'm longitude from him, and also at his nearest
| point to the earth. An observer on the sun en-
| dowed with visual power TO take i'm the system
at d glance. would behold the earth. and Nep-
| tune tar beyond directly In line. He would also
| find. just before Neptune's opposition, six OF
| the seven planets. leaving out the earth
| on one side of the sun. and Venus the
| sole planetary representative on the other
| side. The movements of the planets as
| seen from the sun would be far less compli-
| Gated than when they are seen from the earth.
| who Is herself moving, swayed by the same
| laws that govern the suns whole family. Nep-
| tune at opposition is under the most favorable
| conditions for being seen He Is now among
| the small stars of the constellation Aries near
| the boundary line of Taurus and nearly west of
Aldeharan, the only bright star i'm his neighbor-
| hood good telescope sweeping the field
| where ne lies will quickly detect his presence.
| for small ill-defined sphere with perceptihle
disc will suddenly spring into beng while
tn" surrounding stars still remain rs
| mere points Of hight. NrptuHian as
ones. and can find little difficulty in measuring
| the distance OF the fixed stars. While the earth
| has only lS0.ta0.90 miles-the diameter OF her
| Orbit-for a base line, Neptune sweeps round
| the sun in a vast orbit who's, diameter or base
line is $3.50. coo. 600 miles. But there disad-
vantages to counterhalance this advantage It
| takes Neptune l65 Of our years to 80 once
around the sun. and Neptunian astronomers
must wait more than eighty years to make
| measurements i'm opposite points OF the orbit.
/ The In the Neofnaian lky mpa raa
| Ga. little more than the greatest apparent d.
| ameter OF Venus "a seen from the earth Our
| glorious orb to the Npptunans is but brilliant
star, giving only thousandth part of the light
! we enjoy.
Mercury is morning star until the 26th and
| evening star the rest Of the month. On the 26th
| at 1 O'Clock i'm the morning. he is m superior
conjunction with the sun, passing beyond and
below him, and reappearing on his eastern side
| as evening star He takes no active part in the
/ events Of the month. but speeds ON his way the
smallest and the swiftest as well as the nearest
| to the sun among the planets.
THE MOON.
The November moon fuils on the l4th at fifty
three minutes after eleven O'Clock in the morn
ing. On the 9th, the day before the first quar-
7. ter. the moon occults Beta Caprcorni a star of
the third magnitude in the constellation CAPRI
| cOrnus. The disappearance or immersion Of the
star occurs at five minutes after eight O'Clock in
the evening. washington mean time. aud about
twenty-IOur minutes earlier according TO Proyi-
dence time. The EMERSON. or reappearance.
takes place at four minutes after niue o'clock,
the occultation continuing fifty-nine minutes.
The phenomenon is q beautiful one and worth
taking pains 20 see, while the hour of the exhi-
bition is convenient. As the moon travels from
| new to full with her dark edge foremost, the
| dark edge will first overtake the star OBJ
| servers will See it apparently blotted from the
sky. IA it disappears behind the dark portion OF
| the moons disc.
NAsby.
Leander Richardson In John Swinton's paper