Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-03-04
IN THE HEAVENS
Above Us, Radiant with ligif, II g
Planetar, Hosts are
Playing at Hide and Go Seek Neptune
Meets Venus Face 10 Face, But
Gives Wsyto State Jupiter
and 0ashiug Mars.
10. ,,,r,rs .Eurnol,, Lady astronomer.

Iro, rirfce Jo'rH0lS L0dy astronomer.
Neptune is evening star and rapidly
approaching conjunction with the sun.
Those who follow the movements of
the planets from month to month can
readily perceive their approach to the
sun by the time of their rising and set
ting. Thu; Neptune sets on the last Of
tie month at 8 80 o'clock in the even
ing, about three hours after the sun.
At the end of April he will set about
80 o'clock, half hour after the sun,
and on the 10th Of May he will be in
conjunction, or will rise and set with
the sun.
Neptune contributes an incident to
tie March record. On the 9TH at 8
O'Clock in the evening, lie is in con-
Junction With Venus, being s degrees "a
serunfS south. When referring to the
movements OF the planets, We
usually mean their apparent and not
their real movements. IN reality, the
Planets all reyOlve around the SUI from
west to east. But as we view them
from the earth, who is all the time turn
ing on her axis, the general improve
nent Ul the outer planets, like the sun
and stars, IL westward. Thus Neptune,
bound westward, encounters Venus,
bound eastward. They must meet and
pass each other, and when they reach
the same point of right ascension, they
col 70 no m
the same time they were in the same
declinatiop, there would be an occulta.
ton of one planet by another. This is
very rare occurrence, though by no
| means impossible. There was an oc-
cultatiOn of Jupiter by Mars in 1891
| one of Mars by Venus in 1870, and one
ofYenus by Mercury in 1871. Probably
| no living observer has ever haLeld the
| beautiful phenomenon OF one planet
hiding the light OF another though
| close approaches are not infrequent.
| Neptune, though the third planet in
size in the system, moves at such an
| Immense distance from the earth, that
| the unaided eye can never pierce the
! depths where he dwellS. Even the
| telescope cannot discover much, eX-
| CtptiUg 20 pick up tiny moon, AMI to
! hud out shat, like the moons of Uranus,
| il has retrOgrade motion. We should
he willing to have Mars and Neptune
| change places, hat we might have q
/ nearer view OF the most distant OF the
! motherhood,
Evening EeauIie>.
! saturn is evening star, coming next
to Neptune il the order of rising. He
will be a beautiful object in the western
| sky during the month, making his
transit now about sunset, and holding q
prominent position betH cen his body
guards, the clustering Pleiades on one
side, and red Aldebaran on the other.
Jupiter is evening star. He make
his transit now about 8 o'clock in the
evening, so that he is dark enough for
him to become visible. He seems to
look down upon terrestrial observers
with friendly eyes as he traverseS his
starry path with stately step, and wins
tributes of admiration not unmiXed
with awe from all behOlders, especially
from those who are fortunate enough to
see the superb appearance he presents
in powerful telescope, with his radiant
belts, spots and revolving moons. Our
big brother seems hardly to have
dwindled second since his opposition,
though mathematiciSns say he has di.
miniShed in diameter two minutes, six
seconds since that epoch in his course, a
quantity that Impractical observers Will
find difficult to estipate. The winter
star-lit nights are superbly beautiful
with Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars to
grace the snow.
Mars is evening star. He is stationary
i'm the middle of the mOHth. aud Jupiter
presents the same aspect later in the
month. Mars is still 10 brilliant object
among the stars, but observers will note
that his luster dims more rapidly than
tina. of Jupiter and Saturn. The rlddy
planet l. OF little Importance, excepting
tor month before and mouth after
his opposition. AS this epoch occurs
hut once in two years and fifty days,
tie favorable times for observing our
nearest outer celestial ueighbOr should
be carefully improved. The year 1885
must take its turn before he will again
to as bright as be is at present.
Uranus In His Glory.
Uranus is morning star until the 10th,
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 rs a star oithe sixth magnitude, the
human eye being able to scan this dis
tant orb, though he is nearly l,S00, 0OO,-
600 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 st his nearest point to the
earth. After this event the five outer
| planets are evening stars, and are slI
| travelling from opposition to commune
ton in the following order: Neptune,
| Saturn, Jupiter Mars and Uranus.
There will be no more oppositIons tU
note until December, when Neptune
again takes the lead.
Observers who are willing to take
pains will have little difficulty in fluid.
ing Uranus, but the night must be
mOonless, the sky cloudless aud the at
mosphere clear, or his quest will be in
vain. He Is now moving with snail
like pace in Virgo, between Beta and
Eta, two third magnitude stars Of this
col stelistiOn. A favorable time to look
for him is about 8 o'clock in the even
ing, when he IL about halfway between
the horizon and the zenith. The bright
star Regulus in the handle Of the sickle
is northwest of him, and the loue star
Spica is On the southeast. Those who
find the planet will behold starry
point barely visible and nothing more.
" the telescope, however, Is turned 70
this starry point, it will, in the twink
ling Of an eye, be transformed to ting