Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-01
Planets in March.

| From the Providence Journal.
| Neptune is evening star and rapidly approach
| ing conjunction with the sun. Those who fol-
! low the movements of the planets from month
/ to month can readily perceive their approach to
| the sun by the tine of their rising and setting.
| Thus Neptune sets on the last of the month at
| iiaf-past nine O'Clock in the evening, about
| three hours after the sun. AT the end Of April
he viii set about half-past seven O'Clock. q half
| hour after the sun. and on the 10th of May he
viii be i'll cOnjunctiOn or will rise and set with
! the sun.
Saturn is evening star, coming next to Nep-
tune in the order of rising. He will be beau
| tlful object in the western sky during the
| month. making his transit now about sunset
and holding prominent position between mis-
| body guards the clustering Plciades on one
side and red Aldebaran on the other.
Jupiter is evening star. He makes his transit
| row about o'clock in the evening SO that he is
! nearly hail way to the zenith when it is dark
enough for him to become visible He seems
! 10 look down upon terrestrial observers with
/ friendly eyes he traverses his starry path
! with stately step. and wins tributes of adnira-
tiOn not unmyed 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.
| Mars is evening star. He is stationary in the
middle OF the month. and Jupiter presents the
! ! Il
brilliant object among the stars, but observers
VIII note that his luster dimS more rapidly than
| that OF Jupiter and Saturn. The rudy planet
/ Is OF little importance, excepting for month
before and month after his opposition. IS
this epoch occurs but once in two Years and fifty
| days. the favorable times for observing cur
nearest outer celestial nciglibOr should be care
| fully improved. The year 1886 must take its
turn Before he will again be us bright as he is
| at present.
l'r3nuS - n,Orr;Dr ctor until ba 18th who,
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 star of the sixth magnitude the
human eye being able to scar this distant orb
though he is nearly eighteen hundred million
niles 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 near
/ est point TO the earth. After this event the
nve outer planets are evening stars. and are all
travelling from opposition to conjunction in the
following order: Neptune Saturn, Jupiter,
! Mars and Uranus
| Uranus has been known member of the solar
! family only since 1881, little more than CEN
| fury. centennial celebration in his honor hay
! ing taken place three years ago. He was dis
| covered by accident. for Sir William Herscfel
/ the discover thought he had picked up stray
! comet instead of a world! The new comet was
duly announced. and mathematician went to
work trying to compute its orbit but all in vain
/ their figures would not work. Finally the the
DRY was started that the astronomical prize.
eaFelessly picked up in the sky, was another
| planet revolving outside the six planets that
| had been known from time immemoria With
/ this clue for guide computations worked like
/ a charm, and soon the new conner was mathe-
| matically imprisoned in an orbit whose devia-
lions were TO be the means of showing the pres
ence of still another planet, Neptune the latest
/ though probably not the last, addition to
the suns family as seen by mortal eyes. There
was treat 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 star mars no less
than nineteen times. surprising him to be fixed
! star never dreaming that the dim starry Eoint
was planet. Flamsteed had seen the star five
times. noting it on his catalogue as of the sixth
| magnitude the first observation being i'm 1890
nearly century before Hcrschel's discovery
l-tMonn!er came nearer to winning the prize,
for he had observed the planet twelve times,
making several observations within a few weeks
| IN S-69. Ii he had taken the trouble to re-
/ duce and compare his observations he ,nrht
! nave won the prize twelve years previous But
/ he Lad no system in his arrangements and his
! papers are said to have been very picture Of
ci!aOs. An intricate observation of this very
/ star was recorded on q paper bag that had con-
/ tanned perfumed hair powder
venus Is evening star. and Is during the
| month radiant representative of the solar fra
ternlty- She seldom presents more favorable
conditions for observation. She is moving
| rapidly n0rthward, approaching the earth,
approaching her eastern eIongation, and
remaining longer every night above the hori-
/ Zon alter 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 Neptune as
| we have already described. Venus seen through
| the telescope presents the phase of the gibbOus
! moon when passing from the full to the last
/ quarter. There are three points to be noted in
| regard to Venus during the month-her rapid
/ progress northward. her progress eastward and
| her long stay above the horizon after sunset
/ These are easily d:scernbe to the unscientifc
| observer. and are all due to iier apparent pro-
eress in her orbit as she advances from superior
| conjunction to eastern elOngaton
Mercury is morning star and after the 10th
the sole planet enjoying this distinction. He re-
/ tains the honor only till the 30th, becoming
evening star, so that the month closes with
/ every one of our brother planets congregated on
/ the eastern side OF the sun On the Both. at 3
O'Clock in the afternoon, Mercury is in superior
conjunction with the sun. passing from his
western to his eastern side in his tleet-footed cir
cult.