Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-12-31
THE PLANETS IN JANUARY.

THE PLANETS IN JANUARY
! Mercury is morning star after the Sd of
January. and contributes three important
| incidents tc enliven its record. On the Sd,
at 5 O'Clock III the morning. this smallest,
/ swiftcst and brightest of the planets passes
between the earth and the sun, but fails to
give actual proof Of the occurrence of the
event, being far away from his nodes, where
only t,ansits can occur. The first transit
| of Mercury will not occur till 1891. Then
! Mercury will ne directly in line with the
sun apd the earth, and be projected on the
face OF the sun as black spot so small
t5a. 3 good telescope is required to reveal
bis presence. On the Goth, at S o'clock in
the morning, Mercury reaches his greatest
western clonsation, when he is 24o So west
OF the sun. He will be visible to the naked
| eye as morning star at that time and for a
week before and after the elongation. Mer.
cury and Venus will be in conjunction on
the oath, at 5 o'clock in the morning.
| They will rise nearly at the same time,
| few minutes before o'clock. We
nus is brilliant enough to be easily recog-
| niZed in the southeast, and not far to the
| north. Keen eyed observers will find the
rose tinted planet so difficult to discover
when its place is not known, so easy to pick
up when one knows just where to look.
Mercury and Venus continue their compan-
| ionship during the rest Of the month, rising
on the last day with only difference of six
| minutes in time. Their proximity is, how
ever, only apparent. In reality, Mercury is
moving westward towards elorgation. We.
nus is moving eastward towards superior
conjunction. Venus is morning star during
the month. She is slowly approaching the
sun and her superior conjunction, which
does not occur until May. She is still very
beautiful in the morning sky, as any one
| may see for himself who commands view
of the southeastern horizon and makes an
| nh.erva,ol az hour before sunrise.
Jupiter is morning star during the month.
| al llough iius ranked in astronomical cal
| cualiun, h., is near enough 10 opposition to
, be i .U,:eYh oEj&ct in he cvsnin:t SKY, being
visible nearly tho entire ri@h;. He now
| makes Ii: appearance above The eastern ho-
| riznu ~ Q o'clock in the evening in the
northeast, aud on moonless nights is by far
the brightest star in the heavens. He re-
mains i,Imos! stationary throughout the
| month. moving little farther north, and
| being carried westward for the same rea-
sons that the fixed stars are; that $, by The
earth'- east twarl motion in her orbit. Con-
| seuucntiy he rises about four minutes ear
| lier every night, SO that when January clos
es, he Will be seen looming above the east
ern horizon shortly before Z o'clock. No
one can help being impressed by the impos-
| ng presence Of this l~aGer Of the celestial
| host.
Uranus j. ."ntnEg star. He pursues his
slow ccurs-. withoEi. lGaking the least con-
l i.,x,, vale Inf hn
| lcayir. the ueighborhoud of the sun, and
| consequently drawing nearer 10 the earth.
| II takes Uranus seven years 10 pass through
| q Zpdaca constellation, and eishty-four
| wears 20 complete Il revolution round the
| sun Discovered in 1871, he has made but
one revelation and quarter of another one
| since he became Il known member of the
system. The years are long on the Uranian
| sphere.
| Saturn is evening star. He is only second
| 10 Jupiter IL bri!jancy aud size, and moves
..arcreN on the celestial road. with nothing
| noteworthy to record concerning his pro-
gress When Jupiter rises in the early part
of the mouth, Saturn is nearly on the meri-
Giau: when Jupiter has reached the zenith,
Saturn is sinking below the western hori-
Zon. We have 30 news 10 tell in regard to
this fascinating planet, but we have faith to
believe that something worth knowing viii
be revealed concerning the complex Saturn
ian ripg-system before the 9th cf Septcin-
Der of the present year ushers in the long
anticipated Saturnian perihelion.
Nen,une is evening star. He pursues mis-
| snaillike course through the heavens, far
away lust now from any Of his brother.
planets. He is thirteen years in moving
through y constellation, and therefore it IS
easy to keep the run of his place in the
heavens.
Mars is evening star. He is very near
the sun and completely hidden in his rays.
The first month of the new year holds IN
her gift two full moons. The moon fulls
on the 1st, twenty six minutes after mid
night. and also on the 30th at nineteen
minutes after IL o'clock in the morning.
On the 4th the moon is in conjunction with
Jupiter, and Oh the 9th with Uranus. On
the 18th she pays her respects to Venus,
and on the 14th to Mercury. On the 10th
she is at her nearest point to Mars, and as
this is the day of her change to new moon,
it shows how near Mars is to the sun. In
deed, those who watch the course OF the
moon will find it easy to keep in mind the
relative position Of the planets. On the
9th the moon is in conjunction with Nep-
tune. and on the 26th with Saturn, thus
completing her circuit aud giving the order
Of succession of the planets, drawing near
to the morning stars, Jupiter, Uranus, We
nus and Mercury, and then swinging her
ponderous sphere near the evening stars,
Mars, Neptune and Saturn.-Pror. Journal.
fARD.
I have opened an office at No. 156 King