The Portland daily press., 1883-01-30
The Starry Heavens.
Movements of the Planets for February.
fProVidence ,Jonrnall


Venus is morning star, the brightest and
fairest of the throng that grace the morning
sky. She rises now three hours before the sun
shining with the serene radiance that distin.
guishes her, and continues to be visible long
after the lesser stars have melted away in the
star depths, almost In the very presence of the
king OF day. On the 10th, at two o'clock in the
morning, Venus reaches her greatest western
elongatoD. Here her westward course ends.
She is AGO So west of the sun, and can 90 no
farther from him. The memorable laws that
rule her movements compel her to retrace her
steps. The inner or inferior planets move in
this way, oscillating in straight lines west and
east of the sun. 1t is easy to keep the run Of
their paths, especially in the case Of Venus
No planet of the system presents 30 many
points of interest or is SO closely allied to the
planet on which we dwell as Venus She is
our nearest neighbor except the moon is near
ly like the earth in dimensions, in the length
of her day and night, in the possession of an
atmosphere, and in the probable mountainous
condition of her surface. Besides, she gratifes
our aesthetic perceptions by being the most
beautiful star the eye beholda, and she is the
only planet that is visible in the presence of
the MONDAY sun. She is therefore a most in
teresting planetary study. Those who were
eye witnesses of her recent transit have tan.
gible point from which to commence obserya-
ton. They saw for themselves the inferior
conjunction when Venus passed between the
earth and the sun, the transit when, passing
over the suns disk, she. changed from an even
ing to morning star, deserving the suns east
arn cidQ and QnnQarino DO
Since that time she has been moving westward.
rising earlier every morning, passing her peri
cd of greatest brilliancy, and turning more of
her illumined surface toward Us.
On the sixteenth change occurs She Ia
stationary for few days, and then commences
to make her way back towards the sun, for she
has passed her western elongation, one OF the
four prominent points in her path. She will
move slowly, retracing her steps toward the
sun until she reaches superior conjunction in
September, and completes her course as morn
ing star, and completes also half her synodic
period. Observers following the path of the
beautiful star will see that after elongation
she rises later, and that her bright face pereen-
tibly pales until she approaches the sun 80
closely as to be lost to view in his bright
beams.
Venus rises on the 1st a few minutes after
four o'clock in the morning. on the 28th che
rises quarter after four o'clock.
Mars is morning star, ranking second in the
order of position. He holds the honor of plav-
ing part in the solitary planetary conjunction
of the month. He is in conjunction with Mer-
curry on the 18th, at six o'clock in the morning,
being then 40 90 south. Both planets are too
near the sun to besvisible. Mars rises on the
LIST about half past six o'clock in the morning:
on the %, he rises few minutes before six
o'clock.
Uranus is morning star and is fast approach
ing the point when he is in the most favorable
condition for being seen with the naked eve.
He is on the border land between Leo and
Virgo, and observers wbe have small tele-
scopes can easily find him towards the last of
the month in the east, about seven degrees
south OF Zeneboia, a star of the second magni-
tude in Leo. Sweeping the sky in the vicinity
a pale Sea-green star with disk will come into
the field of view, differing entirely from the
twinkling points around him. The sea-greeR
star is Uranus.
Mercury is evening star until the 9Th, and |
morning star the rest of the month. On the |
9th, at six O'Clock in the evening" he is in infe-
rior conjunction, passing between the earth |
and sun. If he were at or near one of his |
nodes, he would make a transit as Venus did |
on the 9th of December. a he does not reach
his descending node until twenty-three DAYS
after inferior conjunction, he passes above the |
sun, and the passage will be invisible. OBJ |
servers must wait until the 9th OF May, 1891, |
for the next transit of Mercury. After inferi- |
or conjunction, Mercury passes to the suns |
western side, and becomes morning star, pur-
suing his course under similar conditions with |
those fully described in the movements of We |
nus. He is near enough to his western elonga- |
ton during the last week in the month to be |
visible to the naked eye, rising an hour before |
the sun, and about four degrees north of the |
sunrise point. Mercury sets on the 1st about /
six O'Clock in the evening; on the 28th, he rises
at half-past five o'clock in the morning.
Jupiter is evening star, and though COM
parison between him and the farest of the
stars now holding her court in the morning sky
is not to his advantage, he makes up the def
cheney in several ways 1t is no trouble to fol-
low his course, for, soon as the evening shades
prevail, he is a conspicuous object in the east,
recognized by an upward glance at the sky, |
while the observer who would see Venus must |
anticipate the dawn at the cost of some self-de-
NAL He is surrounded by a brilliant galaxy
of stars, while Venus regns alone; his position, |
as leader of the clustering brilliants that |
swarm around his path, gives special interest
to his present aspect. Nearly twelve years will |
pass before be will again occupy the same
place in the sky. Observers should therefore
note his present favorable position, and enjoy |
tina superb picture he presents as he leads the
starry hosts in grand procession from east to
west over the celestial track, being now visible
nearly the whole night, and sinking below the
western horizon only few minutes before We
nus makes her advent above the eastern. Ju-
pitef sets on the LIST at four O'Clock in the morn
ing; on the 18th, he sets about a quarter after
two O'Clock.
saturn is evening star, preceding Jupiter
nearly three hours in rising and setting, for the |
distance between the two planets ia gradually |
increasing. He is still an interesting object
among the stars, though perceptibly decreasing
in size and ustre as he wends his way towards
the sun, and travels farther away from the |
earth On the 9Th, at six O'Clock in the morn.