The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-03-03

The astronomical contributor of the Prov
idence Journal announces Neptune, Saturn,
Jupiter, Mars and Uranus and Mercury as
morning stars, although the former on the
10Th becomes an evening star. Neptune on
the 9th, at Q O'Clock in the evening. is In
conjunction with Venus, being 30 81 south.
when referring to the movements Of the
planets we usually mean their apparent and
not their real movements. In reality, the
planets will all revolve around the sun from
west 10 east. But as we view them from
the earth, which is all the time turning on
her axis, the general movement of the outer
planets, like the sun and stars, is westward.
Thus Neptune, bound westward, encoun-
tiers Venus, bound eastward. They must
meet and pass each other, and when thew
reach the same point of right ascension they
are said to be in conjunction If, at the
same time, they were in the same declina.
ton there would be an occultation Of QUE
planet by another. This is very rare &C.
eurrence, though by no means Impossible.
There was an occultation of Jupiter BY Mars
in 1851; one of Mars by Venus in 1890 and
one OF Venus by Mercury in 1887. Proba-
MY no living observer has ever beheld the
beautiful phenomenon of one planet hidinq
the light of another, though close approaches
are not infrequent.
Mars is Stationary in the middle of the
month, aud Jupiter presents the same as
pect later In the month. Mars is still bril-
liant object among the stars, but observers
VIII mole TIA his ustre dims more aodly
than that of Jupiter aud Saturn. The rnddv
planet IS Of little importance, excepting for
month before and month after his opno-
sltion. AS this epoch occurs but once in
Iwo y ars aid fifty days, the favorable times
for observing our nearest outer celestial
neighbor should be carefully imnroved
Tue year 1886 must take its turn before he
wiz again be as bright as he is at present.
Uranus. on The 10Th, is in the height of
his glory, for he is visible to the naked eve
as star of the sixth magnitude, the human
eye being abe to scan this distant orb.
though he Is nearly eighteen hundred NIL
lion miles away. The reason Uranus is
visible is because on the 10th, at o'clock in
The morning he Is in opposition with the
sun and at his nearest point to the earth.
Observers who are willing to take pains will
have little difficulty in finding Uranus, but
the night mast be mocnless, the skv coud-
less and the atmosphere clear or his quest
Will be vain. A favorable time to look for
MIN Is ABOUT O'clock in the evening, when
he is about halfway between the horizon
and the zenith. The bright star Regulus in
the handle Of the Sickle is northwest of him.
and the lone star Spica is on the southeast.
Ihose who lind the planet will behold a star
ry point barely visible and nothing more.
II the telescope, however, is turned to this
starry point. 1t will, in the twinkling of an
he TRANSFORMED 70 Il
delicate greenish hue, very Interesting OBJ
Jse the color being entirely different from
that of any other planet.
Venus seldom presents more favorable
conditions for observation than now, She
is moving rapidly northward, approac hing
the earth, approaching her eastern elonga-
ton, and remaining longer every night
above the horizon after the sun has set. We
nus seen through the telescope presents the
phase OF the gibbous moon when passing
from Tue full to- the last quarter. There are
three points to be noted in regard to Venus
during the month-her rapid transit north
ward, her progress eastward and her long
stay above the horizon after sunset These
are easily discernible to the unscientific OBJ
server. and are all due to her apparent
progress in her orbit as she advances from
superior conjunction to eastern elongation.
The March moon fuls on the 1lfh at forty
minutes alter O'Clock In the evening, STAN
dard time. She is in conjunction with Nep-
tune on the I'd, with Saturn on the Sd, with
Jupiter on the It'll, with Mars on the 9Th
and with Uranus on the 18th, paying her
respects to each outer planet in the order of
his distance from the sun. On the 26th the
moon is in conjunction with Mercury, the
day before her change The new moon of
the 9th commences the same unceasing
round, passing near Neptune on the 29sh
and paying her respects to Venus and Saturn
on the Both.