St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-10
PLANETS IN MARCH.


~ PLANETS IN MARCH.
The attractions for Star Ga=ers During the
Present Month.
Nepture is evening star, and rapidly APP
preaching conjunction with the sun. On the
9th, at O'Clock in the evening, he is in
conjunction with Venus. Saturn is evening
star, coming next to Neptune in the order of
rising. He will be beautiful object in the
western sky during the month, making his
transit now about sunset, aud holding a
prominent position between his bodyguards,
the clustering Pleiades on one side and red
Aldebaran on the other.
Jupiter is evening star. He makes his
transit now about 9 O'Clock in the evening
so that he is nearly half way to the zenith
when it is dark enough for him to become
visible. The winter star lit nights are su-
perbly beautiful with Venus, Jupiter, Saturn
and Mars to grace the show.
Mars is evening star. He is stationary in
the middle of the month, and Jupiter pre-
sents the same aspect later in the month.
Mars is still q brilliant object among the
stars, but observers will note that his luster
dims more rapidly than that of Jupiter and
Saturn.
Uranus is morning star until the 18th,
when his name is registered on the roll of
evening stars. He is then in the height of
his glory to observers on this planet, for he is
visible to the naked eye as q star of the sixth
magnitude, the human eye being able to scan
this distinct orb, though he is nearly Is, 1000,
900 miles away. The reason Uranus is
visible is because on the 10th, at 2 O'Clock in
the morning, he is in opposition with the
sun, and at his nearest point to the sun. AT
ter this event the five other planets are even
ing stars, and are all travelling from opposi-
ton to conjunction in the following order;
Neptune Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Uranus
There will be no more oppostions to note
until December, when Neptune again takes
the lead.
Uranus has been known member of the
solar family only since 1871, q little more
| than century, centennial celebration in
his honor having taken place three years ago.
He was discovered by accident, for Sir Will
liam Herschel, the discoverer, thought he
had picked up stray comet instead of
world. The new comet was duly announced,
and the mathamaticians went to work trying
to compute its orbit, but all in vain; their
figures would not work. Finally, the theory
was started that the astronomical prize care
lessly picked up in the sky, was another
planet revolving outside of the six planets
that had been known from time
immemorial. With this cleW for a
guide, computations worked like a charm,
and soon the newcomer was mathematically
imprisoned in an orbit whose deviations were
to be the means of showing the presence of
still another planet, Neptune, the latest,
though probably not the last, addition to the
suns family as seen by mortal eyes. There
was great rejoicing in the scientific world
over the advent of the new planet. 1t was
soon found that observers had detected his
presence and marked his position on the star
maps no less than nineteen times, suppos-
ing him to be fixed star, never dreaming
that the dim starry point was plant. Flam
steed had seen the star five times, noting it
on his catalogue as of the sixth magnitude,
the first observation being in 1890, nearly
century before Herschels discovery. LON
onnier came nearerto winning the prize, for
he had observed the planet twelve times,
making several observations within a few
weeks in 1860. If he had taken the
trouble to reduce and compare his observa-
tons he might have won the prize twelve
years previous. But he had no system in his
arrangements, and his papers are said to
have been very picture of chaos. An in
tricate observation Of this very star was re-
corded on paper bag that had contained
perfumed hair-powder.
Venus is evening star, and during the
month radiant representative of the solar
fraternity. She seldom presents more favor
able conditions for observation. She is
moving rapidly northward, approaching the
earth, approaching her eastern elongation,
and emaining longer every night above the
horizon after the sun has set, speeding away
from the great luminary on the invisible
, wire on which she seems to be strung like a
golden bead. On the 9th, at 9 O'Clock in
{ the evening, she is in conjunction with
Nepture, as We have already described.
, Venus seen through the telescope presents
/ the phase of the gibbous moon when pass
ing from the full to the last quar-
/ ter. There are three points to be noted in
regard to Venus during the month-her
rapid progress northward, her progress east
ward, and her long stay above the horizon
t after sunset. These are easily discernible to
/ the unscientifc observer, and are all due 10
her apparent progress in her orbit as she adj
vances from superior conjunction to eastern
: | elon gation. We can find no new words to
$ express the bewitching charm of her appear
( ance as night after night she sits enthroned
amid the sunset glow, or beams more bright
: " later in the evening from the dark back
: ground of the sky, amid the swarming
myriads of stars.
: Mercury is morning star, and after the
, 18th the sole planet enjoying this distinction.
S He retains the honor only until the Both, be-
I coming evening star, so that the month
f closes with every one of our brother planets
b congregated on the eastern side of the sun
T On the Both, at 8 o'clock in the afternoon
e Mercury is in superior conjunction with the
. sun, passing from his western to his eastern
side in his fieet-footed circuit.
: The March moons fulls on the 18th, at IL
D minutes after 2 in the evening, standard
: time She is in conjunction with Neptune
on the I'd, with Saturn on the Sd, with Jupi
s ter on the 9TH, with Mars on the 9Th, an(
D with Uranus on the 18th, paying her respects
9 to oach outer planet in the order of his dis
lance from the sun. On the 26th the moor
o is in conjunction with Mercury, the day be
i fore her change. The new moon of tn
! 27th commences the same unceasing round
f passing near Neptune on the 29th, an,
paying her respects to Venus and Saturn OF
n the 30th.
Prospects Frightening.
ST. LOUIS, March S.-The leading glas
E works of this. city have lighted their fires an,
IS others will follow in short time. TIL