Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-11-04
PLANETS IN NOVEMBER.


star He icrits - distinguished place
among The sirning brotherhood during the
passage of the month, for he reaches the
puiGt il, li2 career Of the greatest import.
,ucc to observers Oil !hls planet. II icie-
scorr:s improve III power and rr3ctIccd eyes
! improve il: ability 20 discern, this Is The
portion ut Ncptuuc's course when there VIII
| be :. possibility ol making. discoveries OH h!S
Gi*.au, disc. # may hc only the Suspicion
eta belt Il may be only III ;,u,iii!:i:.a satc:-
l;!c. Tor his is the most that can he :Glilci-
| ;,atr.! from the observation OF al object tt
| wil.n nearest: is 1900, ,uG0 miles away.
! i'hi: grca: event in Ncptunc'S course IN No.
y.n,hcl is his opposition with The sun on the
! 18th a! three o'clock in the afternoon lie
| i then al his nearest point TO the earth, and
is seen III opposition or opposite to the sun,
rising in the cast ;.s the Sin sets III the Wcst /,
and passing irun tie sans western side,
whrrc nc has played the part o. morning
=! star, 10 the sun eastern siHc, where ne VIII
; play !nc part Of evening star. The Garth *
| !h,!. hrtwpcn him and the sun, 50 tHal Il
siraigh; line drawn from the sun through
| The earth will, if extended, reach Neptune.
! Neptune is ncw in fine position for teiescop-
ic observation. He may be found III the
/ cUllSltil1ijGi tpl tl'Otib "ph'i"N'Hb ~
| the rlciadc<. i telescope with an aperture
|! Of twa inches will bring him out i'll favor
able weather rs y small round disc. II re-
mlires :, much more powerful telescope to
| reveal his satellite, il tiny point oi light
close ia The primary. His existence rs .
member o; the sola: family was first known
| in 1916, only thirtyeight years ago, when
| il was discovered hat he occupies lG3 years
| TO make his circuit.
| Jupiter is morning star and passes an
| Important epoch in his course. On the 26t!!,
at !; o'clock iii the morning, he Is in quad
r.;urc with The sun or his western side.
| lie j., then a4 the halfway house between
conjunction and opposition, is 80 west OF
lhc st!u rises at midnight and sets ct noon
day. With telescopes oi sn::iN power and
under ordinary conditions this superb planet
presents he appearance o! u large, round
dis" Higher Eia3niGying powers will show
y slight llattcn:ng NJ the poles. But only
| he Scs; telescopes IL tho hands Of the beat
Observers will reveal the magnificent bells
with their changing tints. and tie S!:t:;i ili""
| from tins 10 time appear and disappear OH
his disc. Powerful telescopes, toe, "ii' bring
| out The approach Of the Sibbous i'has" whcn
Jupiter is in quadraturc. A: common times
he. as wcll rs the other giant planets, ap-
pears like 4 round orb, because oi TIC great
distance. an observation Of the great planet
in gibbons phase is an Astronomical feat diff
lcult TO accomplish. Sometimes there will
| be only q sligh! shade Oh Inc i!!uD iartheat
! from the sun. ii is recorded that in the
clear atmosphere OF Southern Australia, The
second and third satellite have been seen to
emerge at Il sensible distance t:cm the limb
/ o. .hr planet, this proving the reality ct the
| ,ihhUus form.
| .Jupitcr, for six months 10 come, Will ue
| in most favorable condition for observation,
more 80 than wi!l be tie case for Sevcra!
succeeding years !; for his path Ill thc iicaT-
ems ROW turns in i southerly direction,
| while the general law is, the further north
the planet is the moro favorable is lis posi-
tiUH lor observation.
saturn IS morning STAR No incident en-
liyusS his m0noionOuS course during the
month. But he is beautiful to behold rs he
wcnds his quiet way over the celestial
course, approaching tho goal tliat has been
already reached by his more distant brother
planet Neptune, and shining with u Sc
renelv brilliant light among his brother
stats, that gives u forctastc oi the phase he
will ,,rcscn, when, Z year hence, he com
iinrs every condition from which The best
views may be anticipated. In the telescope,
he is magnificent beyond description. We
never behold him through II powerful glass
without wishing that just cncc he could DC
! seer. in The same grand proportions pic
turcd on the sky, where all the world might
have view Of the surprising spectacle, by
simplv turning the eye towards the heavens.
Venus is morning star, but no longer III
the ascendant for il is now her turn TO hide
her "tliminislcd rays" She is getting every
day nearer the SUM- and increasing her dis
tarce from the earth Those who rcmem-
Der her glorious appearance last spring as
evening star, when high up in the north,
will readily perceive the contrast IN her
present phase. But she is lovely even in
her fading lustcr as hanging In the morn
inc sky, she is still the suns bright har-
binger. ;.
Uranus is morning star, and his path lies
very near that of Venus early in the lnonth.
The two planets are in conjunction on the
.Ith at six o'clock in the morning. Mer-
cury is morning star until the 1th when he
becomes evening star. He is in superior
conjunction with the sun on the afternoon OF
that day. -.
| Mars is evening star. He, like most ofhis
broihers. is travelling south. Not long since,
every planet in the system was in north de-
clination. At the end Of the month, Venus,
Mercury, Uranus and Mars are in so'th ar'
clination. Not long since, all the planets
were morning stars Before November
closes, Mars, Mercury and Neptune will De
evening stars.
The earth, as she swings her ponderous
bulk in her orbit, encounters about the 18th
| the November meteor zone. This gigantic
hoop or ellipse consists Of q swarm OF par;l-
cles following Temples comet in lis orbit.
This unfortunate visitor from the star
depths on arriving within the solar domain
,nwarily ventured too near the planet
Uranus. The planet captured the comet,