The Portland daily press., 1883-12-03
Planets in December.

lfIoVluence journal
Venus is evening star and wins the place
OF honor as the most interesting member of
the solar family during the month. She
may be distinctly seen soon after sunset in
the west, short distance-two and half
degrees-south of the sunset point Lovers
of the stars will rejoics to behold once more
her beaming face. Since the goth of Sep
TENDER, when she became evening star, she
has been too near the sun to be visible, bat
has now so far advanced towards eastern
elongation that she may easily be picked up
as a small, serenely bright star, remaining
above the horison for an hour after the great
lumimary, from whom she borrows leave to
shine, has sunk below it. 1t will be an in
teresting study to note the increasing
size and brilliancy of the fair even
ing star, as night after night she fingers
longer before setting, travelling slowly
northward, as well as eastward, until at the
end of the month she will be found above
the horizon two hours after sunset. Observ-
ers who command a view of the western hor-
lion, will see on the last day of the month
Venus setting and Jupiter rising at nearly
the same time, as one planet sets thirteen
minutes after the other rises.
Saturn is evening star, and if Venus takes
precedence as presenting more interesting
aspect, Saturn holds the palm for being the
largest and most beautiful of the evening
stars, while he continues visible from sun
set nearly to the lovely hour when the
morning light is breaking No one familiar
with the Pleiades can fail to recognize Sat
urn, for he hangs below this cluster, and
west OF red star known as Aldebaran. He
is travelling towards the sun and receding
from the EARTH In reality his size and
brightness are decreasing, though it would
take keen eye to detect any diminution in
the beauty of his appearance.
Neptune is evening star and presents but
one claim to notice during December. He
is the first of the evening stars to make his
appearance, being high up towards the me-
horizon before sunrise.
Mercury is evening star, and adds nothing
of Importance to the incidents of the month
ly record. He, like Venus, is travelling
from superior conjunction, though he far
outstrips her in the race.
Uranus is morning star, and attains dig
tinction in his class as the only planet con-
tributing an incident to the monthly notices.
On the Goth, at O. clock in the afternoon.
he is in quadrature with the sun, having ac-
cOmplished half his course from conjunction |
to opposition. Since his last opposition he |
has been in an exceptionally favorable posi- |
ton for observation concerning his disc and |
figure. The last time he was in an equally |
favorable position was in the years 1912 and |
1913. Professor Young has improved the |
for many views of him through |
the great Princeton telescope. He detected |
on the disc, shadowy resemblances
to the belts on Jupiter's disc, and hopes to |
use them as data for determining the time |
of the planets axial rotation. Professor
Schiaparelli, of Milan, improved the same |
for making series OF observa-
lions on the figure of Uranus. The results |
agree with those made by Professor Nader
in 1912 and 1843, and indicate that
Uranus has the greatest ellpticity of
any of the planets excepting Saturn. The
European observers make the planets clip
ITCHY equal to one-eleventh. Professor
Young's results on similar observations
make the elipticity little less, or one-four-
teenth To those who have only seen |
tiny sphere of a delicate sea-green hue, it
seems almost beyond belief that powerful
telescope welded by practiced hand can
reveal belts on his disc and an elliptical out |
line to his figure.
Jupiter is morning star, the present being
the last month in which he will play this
part for some time to come, for his increas-
ing splendor and the early hour of his rising
are sure indications that he is near opposi-
ton. He will be the most superb star in
the heavens on moonless nights throughout
the month, appearing above the horizon now
at half-past o'clock, and rising earlier every
night until at the end of the month he will
appear at half past six o'clock. The famous
red spot that for five years formed so inter-
esting feature on the planets surface, fad
ed away during the last winter and spring,
and has not been seen since the middle of
May, when it was exceedingly faint. No
one can tell if il will be seen again, for no
one has discovered the cause that produced
1t. If any vestige remain, it will surely be
found by some of the great telescopes used
in scanning the face of our giant brother.
Interesting telescope observations have
been made on the Jovlan disc that give pos
tive indications of an atmosphere envelop-
ing the huge planet. Satellites and stars
disappear and flash up again when occulted
by the planet. This phenomenon has been
observed and can be explained by
The Intervention of clouds in the planets
In OSCILLATIONS, the clouds
may intercept for time the light of the sat-
elite or star, which may flash up again as
soon as the cloud has passed. In the case
Of satellites eclipsed by the shadow of Jupi-
Ter, the flashing at intervals OF the light OF
The satellites may be caused by their passage
through darker regions in the penumbra of
she planets shadow due to such clouds.
Mars is morning star. He may readily be
by his proximity to Jupiter, as
ruddy star short distance southeast of his
more brilliant rival. Just now he is wan
iering away from Jupiter and drawing near
to Regulus, the bright star on the east. He
will soon reach opposition, and for month
before and month after that event will be
seen in the brightest phase he will attain
Tor more than two years.
The December moon fuls on the 18th at
minutes after 10 o'clock STAN