Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-12-04
URAxAr oar ROE D1OsmBnE.

On the 2lst Of December, at o'clock III
The morning, the Sun enters the sign Capri
cornus and winter begins. It ia popular
mistake to class December among the winter
months, when, as will be apparent, only the
last 10 days of it really belong TO that in.
clement season. The true winter months are
January, February and March.
At II p. m. of the 3lst Of December the
Sun will be in perigee, or at his nearest TO the
Earth; approaching by that day some
3,b00,00 miles closer to us than he was on
the first day of summer-the 2Oth of June.
1t seems queer that the solar orb, from which
we derive our heat, should be nearest to us
in the coolest weather, but such is indisput-
ably the case.
The phases Of the Moon for December viii
be as follows Full Moen, 3D. lisp. m.
last quarter, 9Th, 6 80 a. m. new Moon, 18th
S.24 a. m. first quarter, 25th, S.21 a. M.
We're the month 20 minutes longer 1t would
have two full Moons.
The Moon will be in conjunction with
Saturn on the morning of the Sd, Jupiter on
the morning OF the Sth, Uranus on the
morning Of the 10th, Venus on the morning
Of the l4th, Mars on the afternoon Of the
18th, Mercury on the morning of the 18th,
Neptune on the afternoon Of the 18th, and
with Saturn again on the afternoon of the
SOth. Except for showing how the Moon
follows the planets around there is nothing of
special interest in any OF these approaches,
as none OF them are very close and some are
invisible There will be no important occult
tations of fixed stars by the Moon during
December.
Mercury is an evening planet now, reaching
his greatest eastern elongstion, 20 degrees
and IL minutes, on the 18th at o'clock in
the evening. About that time he may be
picked mp by those who have sharp eyes, if
the weather be good but his great southern
declination initiates against his visibility.
He should be looked for about degree
south Of the sunset point. Mercury will be
nearest the Sun on the morning of the S0th.
His course during the month will be from
scorpio, across the Milky Way into sagit-
tarius.
One notable thing about Mercurys Decem-
Der track is that it twice crosses that Of the
planet Mars, our nearest neighbor to the
outward side from the Sun. The first Of
these passages occurs at II p. M of the 4th,
when Mercury will be about ~ degrees
south of Mars. On the second occasion, at
midnight of the Goth, Mars will be nearly az
degrees south of Mercury. Neither of these
conjunctions will be visible
Venus, although she passed her point OF
greatest brilliancy as far back as August 18th,
is still charming ornament of the early
morning, as every one whose duty calls him
from his bed before the Sun must have
noticed for himself. Even in her diminished
lustre she still reigns indisputable queen of
the dawn, and can probably yet be seen even
by the naked eye even after the Sun has
risen, (she certainly could week ago), long
after the greater Jupiter. companion Of her
morning flight, has subsidized from view. The
course of Venus during the month is from
Virgo, across Libra, into scorpio Her
diameter decreases from 14.2 seconds on the
LIST to 1924 seconds on the 3lst she rises al
q. m. on the former date and about {, Ii
a. m. on the latter.
In late number OF the Scientific American
Professor Brooks Of the Red House. N. Y.
Observatory, gives some brief details Of in
teresting observations recently made by hin
, Of this planet, In an ACCOMMODATING woot
D | cut he shows three delicate snots ar marking
, which he has traced ON her dse. the natur
| of which il a subiect for curious anacnlat;on
Some astronomers have suggested that thes
spots. which are dftienlt tn ace and are oey
orally easiest in daylight and stranqel
enough, sometimes clearer in a email tell
\ scope than a large one. NAV be seas or oees1
a on the surface Of our nearest planetary neigh
/. Dor. The brightness OF Venus has hindere
a our learning much about her the surfaco
a the planet Mars, though some 20 OOO. O(
miles farther from us al peripee and va,
much smaller, is incomparably better know,
Mars is still lost to view in the rays Of Il
o setting Sun. He has drifted go far away fro
4 us that his diameter measures now only
u trifle over seconds. as against Is secon,
u last January.
a Jupiter rises now about II D. M: he W
rise shortly after on the 3lst, and will
the king Of the evening sky in January. Z
moves over very small arc in the Constell
ton Leo during December while his diamet
: increases from sc. 2 to 1916 seconds, In Il
telescope this giant of the planets, with his fla
tened belted disc and four attendant moon
9 is an object Of unceasing interest, A eoc
spyglass, steadily mounted, will show the
. moons and, under exceptional circumstance
4 in the rare air of mountain summit
they have been seen without a,
!, optical aid, by the possessors of phenom
q nally keen eyes, A moderate sized telesco,
8 will show them with clear ronnd 1iscs
! well as enable its owner to watch their ira
I sits and the transits of their shadows aero
. the disc of their primary. Jupiter ia abo
400, 10000 miles from us and his eouatori
= diameter il $1,000. that OF the Earth hal,
1925. His satellites are placed nv Engl
mann, as a mean from various observers
1880. 2,100. 8. $50 and $50 miles IN t,iamete
, | respectively and, like our own Moon, a
4 .,.- 49, ''''-'o ''No W 'us