The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-05-31
LOVELY VENUS.
The Most Charming May Star In the
Heavens, and Her Course.

Providence journal.
Venus is evening star, and is the fair
est and brightest of the shining brother
hood. An important event occurs in
her annual circuit. On the I'd, at 5
O'Clock in the evening, she reached her
greatest eastern elongation, when she is
40 deg. % min. east of the u Il. Not a
second farther can she go. The invisi-
BILE chain that binds her to the sun has
reached its limit. The fair planet rests
from her labors and stands still in her
course, as if conscious of her surpass-
ing loneliness, and willing that observ-
ers on this planet should have a chance
to admire the fascinating grace of her
presence. But she remains not long
inactive. She turns her course and APP
proaches the sun, or retrogrades at a
far more rapid pace than she receded
from him. Any observer can see this
Tor himself, for the westward move
nent or approach to the sun is easily
traced from night to night as she
threads her way among the stars. This
she will do until she reaches inferior
conjunction in July, when, passing be-
tween us and the sum-, she reappears on
his western side as a morning star, and
will be seen no more in the evening sky
for 292 days.
The apparent course of Venus is
easily followed. After superior con-
junction, she moves in a straight line
eastward to eastern elongation-her
present position-then approached him
till inferior conjunction, and during
this period is evening star. She then
the process, becoming morn
ing star, moving westward till western
and completing the circuit
by approaching him till superior con-
junction, when she is hidden in his
dazzling rays, to emerge again as even
ing star, and rccommences the same
series of oscillations till another synodic
period of 584 days is completed. The
real course of Venus differs greatly
the apparent course, for she re-
in a nearly circular orbit, always
in the same direction, from west to
east, and with an almost uniform rate
Of velocity. Viewed from the sun she
would seem to move in this way.
But the earth is moving in her orbit
with a velocity of eighteen miles a Sec
ond, and Venus is moving with a We
locity of twenty-one miles a second in
4 smaller orbit between the earth and
,he sun. The result of these compli-
Gated movements is that Venus seems
20 move in straight lines east and west
the sun, and to follow closely in his
As Venus appears to terrestrial |
observers, so the earth appears to
Martian observers, oscillating east and
vest in the same way, and sometimes,
ike Venus and mercury, making IL
ransit over the suns disk.
Venus will be the loveliest star in the
heavens through the month of May, as,
e~longation, she turns her steps
westward, moving rapidly toward us,
nd Fastening on to her period of great {
st brilliancy. She will form II de- s
planetary study for the naked 1
and also for telescope observation.
'een through a telescope at elongation
+ a few days after, she takes on the ,
spect of the moon ut her last quarter, :
ialf her disk being illuminated. Then, {
Ike the moon, she becomes a waning !:
less and less of her enlightened !
being turned toward us, more
han enough to counterbalance the
sssened light. AT the end of the
lonth she has nearly reached her cul- i
point, while her high north I
IN ~declination adds to the length of o
er stay above the horizon, and the ia e
orable conditions for observation. O
The beautiful planet is specially in n
on of the striking re- O
,mblance she bears to the earth. In O
re, in density, in position, in the sys- +,
il the length of her revolution. in L
le time of her rotation, in the posses fc
on of an atmosphere, in the form of t.
Or orbit, and in the amount of light
heat she receives from the sun, =,
lie is more like the earth than any
her member of the solar system.