The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-09-02
m. .y.ur1E. OF THE HEAVENS.
- .... MOON. and stsrs I'm Sep
tsmber.
,,.o,,asnce Journal. I

-,nss snioying this distinction through
~ IN. whole month. On the lith NJ 8
on, IN The morning he reaches his great
.s,.rn elonestiou, and IL then 26o ~
Wv. - the sun. Though nearly at ais
s.,n,um distance from the sun, IT VIII ne
-, , cav matter TO pick him up on account
~ "a: southern declination. At eionga-
liz no acts at Z O'Clock in the evening,
shout three-ouarters Of an hour after sun
80 II will take sharp eyes 10 discern
hin, an the west at that time, anu
To- few DAYS before and after. But u ~
he ls,t visible appearance as evening s',u
dnring the veal. Fortunately, the orlgn'
star Sn,ca Ia a guide 10 his WHEREABOUTS
ar shv nlsnnet being a little distance 10
rho west Of the star, and nearly To- SCUM
The WIGHT ascension Of Mercury Is ~
hours II minutes. his declination Is = oV
south. and his diameter is ".
Mercury sets on the Isl al twenty MN
utes past O'Clock; at the emu oi '"e
month he sets about O'Clock. ,o.,
VENUS il morning star untii 'ne 1ou',
and then evening star Tor Ten months ~
come. On the Goth, at ocioch III .v
evening. she is In superior cohluucuoh
with the sun, and for time her qusen',
nresence is lost TO sight, for she y echps.u
In the suns rays. IL has taken TINS uiien
ing traveller over the ceies'iai ioau ~
since the 9th OF December 10 Ieaon VIZ
opposite portion OF her orbit as seen ,lpu
the earth. She was al the .lihe y, W.
honorable transit in inferior conjunc-
ton nassing directly between us and the
ann With her dark side turned towards us.
Very many observers enjoyed the rare
privilege OF beholding the passage when
they saw the planet crossing the sun
disc in the form OF a tiny black point. Al
superior or outer conjunction she VIII
mass beyond the sun at a distance from the
earth of l6O, 0OO, 900 miles, and " she were
not hidden in the sunlight, would present
the appearance OF small round disc l0>
In diameter. At inferior conjunction she
mass. A between us and the sun, ut dis
fance OF 25,00O, 900 miles, and Is inyisible,
excepting ut the time OF q transit, her dark
side being turned towards ia. Her disc
Is then COZ in diameter. aud. II her bright
face was turned towards us, We should DE-
hold superb Young moon whose daZzling
brilliancy would dim the lrIstre OF the stars.
Since inferior conjunction she has oscll-
lated westward from the sun, reaching her
extreme eongation and retracing her steps
towards him, in the odd way in which she
seems 10 move. Though Venus is but III
days i'm making half her revolution around
the sun. it takes her 292 days to complete
half her synodic period, or reach the point
where she. the earth. and the sun are in
the same straight line. For while she is
moving i'm her orbit at the rate OF twenty
one miles a second, the earth moves IN II
mucb larger orbit at the rate OF eighteen
miles a second. and 292 days must pass be-
fore they come into line IN travelling from
one conjunction to the other, and 5Si days
are required to complete IN entire synodlc
revolution.
These points being well fixed i'm the mind
the brilliant course Of Venus for the next
fen months il easily traced. After superior
conjunction on the 10th she passes from
tbe SIMS western To his eastern side and
becomes evening star. For month or
two she will be hidden in the sunbeams,
but In November sharp eyes Will PICK her
I'D as a small, brilliant star shining III the
western twilight for short time after sun
set. She will be superb In the " inter eve
niugs az she oscillates on her invisible chain
towards elongation, and the midsummer
of another wear will make It's advent before,
retracing her steps towards the sun. she
comes again 10 inferior conjunction. There
are four epochs to be impressed on the me
morv i'm tracing the movements of the in
ferIor OF inner planets. These are inferior
conjunction, western elOngatiOn, superior
conjunction, and eastern elongation. III Il
easier 10 follow the course OF Venus while
evening star, for it does not require the eX-
ertion of early rising to reward obserya-
ton. Students Will, therefore, anticipate
her resppearance in November, and can
l. wit ~ lnfgiIlWlnt
nrehension of the reasons that produce her
apporently devious path. On the 18th, at
nj O'Clock I'm the morning, Venus is in con-
junction with Uranus. passing as north.
The event is interesting, "a it shows the
nroximity Of the two planets, the former
being nearly ready to pass to the suns east
eru side, while the latter has just passed TO
his western side.
The right ascension Of Venus is ION.
28m,, her declination is 10 30/ north, and
her diameter is l0'/
Venus rises on the LIST at O'Clock in the
morning; on the 30th she sets few mln'
utes before o'clock III the evening.
URANUS IL evening star until the 10TH
when he Joins the morning stars, revers'
ing the role that Venus plays during the
month. On the 10th, at o'clock in the
evening, he is IN conjunction with the
sun. After conjunction, he appears
on the western side OF the sun, and
becomes morning star. All the oute'
planets OF the system are then on
the suns western side, and all are
travelling with varying speed towards
opposition, in the following order: Nep
tune heads the list, rising about half-past
O'Clock. Saturn follows an hour later
Mars appears shortly before midnight
Jupiter takes his turn at O'Clock. Uranus
is too close to the sun to he Of any account
Venus and Uranus form admirable illustra
tions Of the difference between the Superior
conjunction Of an inner planet and the con
junction OF an outer planet. In the forme
case Venus seems TO pass from the sun
western side 10 his eastern. In the latte
case Uranus seems to pass from his easter
side 10 his western. In reality, the planet
all revolve around the sun from west I
east, their apparent movements being du
10 the fact that they are viewed from tn
earth, which IL n moving observatory
Viewed from the sun, their movement
would be much less complicated.
The right ascension Of Uranus is l hour
So minutes; his dcclnation Is 30 81 nortl
and his diameter is 3/.4.
Uranus sets on the LIST few minut,
after Z O'Clock In the evening; at the en-
OF the month he rises ten minutes before
O'Clock in the morning.
Neptune Is morning star. He retain
the distinction Of being first on the list
appear above the horizon. He viii al
be the first 10 reach opposition. for d
earlier In the evening a superior plan
rises the nearer he is to this importa
goal. .ll
The right ascension OF Neptune is 3 hou
lS minutes his declination Il i6o ~ mort
and his diameter is 2".8.
Neptune rises on the LIST about half.pa
O'Clock In the evening; on the 30th
rises about han-past Z O'Clock.