Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-03-04
bration in his honor having taken place

bration in his honor having taken plac
three years ago. He was discovered Q,
accident, for William Herschel, tie
| discOverer thought he had picked ups
stray comet instead ola world! Ii't
new comet Was duly announced, anC
niathematici ans went to work trying u
compute Its orbit, but ali III vain; tneli
figures would not work. Finally, the
theory WAS started that the astronoml'
cal prize, csIelessly picked up ID the
sky, was an1her in planet revolving
outside of the six planets that had been
known from time immemOrial. With
this clue for a guide, computations
worked like u charm, and soon the new
c. mer was mathematIcaliy imprisoned
in an orbit whose deviatiOns were 10 DC
the means ofshOwiDg the presence OF
stIIl another planet, Neptune, the latest,
though probably not the last, addition
10 the SUMS family as seen by mortal
tyes. There WAS great rejoicing III the
scientific world over the advent Of the
new planet. II was soon found
hat observations had detected his
presence and marked his position
on star maps no less than nineteeif
times, supp0sing nIui 10 be fixed star,
never dreaming that the dim starry
point was q planet. Fiamsteed ha7
seen the star five times, noting 1t on Mt
catalogue as of the sixth MAGNITUDE,
the first observation being IN 1892
nearly q century before HerschePs dts
cOvery. Thermometer came nearer 10
winning the prize, for he had observed
the planet twelve times, making sew
eral observations within a few weeI IN
1865. II he had taken the trouble To
reduce and compare his Observati rus 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 q very picture Of chaos. An
intricate observation of this very star
was recorded on q paper bag that had
contained perfumed hair powder.
Every one Interested in the move.
ments If planets should try to hud
UraI US at opposition as he appears to
the naked eye, as well as to get a peep
al him iE the telescope. 1t Is easy TO
keep the run of his OppOsitIons for they
occur abGut four and u half days later
each year. Thus the opposition this
wear i OH tie 10Th of March; next year
II viii Le on the 2lst Of March, and
so on.
Radiant Venus.
Venus is evening star, and is during
the month a radiant representative OF
the solar fraternity. She seldom pre-
sents more favorable conditions for OBJ
servatop. She is moving rapidly
ECrthward, approaching the earth, ap.
preaching her eastern elongation, and
remaining 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 golden head. On
the 9th at 8 o'clock in the even
ing, she is in conjunc ion with Nep.
tune, as we have already described.
Venus, seen through the telescope, pre-.
sentS the phase of the gibbons m))n
when Passing from the full u the last
quar;tr. There are three points to be
noted in regard to Venus during the
mou,h-ler rapid progress nOrthward,
her piUgrcSs eastward, and her long
SHY aOONp liiC llOliEOu allCl SNb~Nls
These are easily observable to the I'M
scientific observer, and are all due to
her apparent progress in her orbit as
she advances from superior cOnjuuC-
ton to eastern elongation. We can
find no new words TO express the be-
witchipg charm of her appearance as
night after night she sits enthrOned
amid the sunset glow, or beams more
brightly later in the evening fro N the
dark background of the sky, amid the
swarming myriads of stars.
Mercury is morning star, and after
the 10Th the sole planet enjoying this
distinction. He retains the honor only
TIL the 3Oth, becoming evening star, SO
that the month closes with every one oil
our brother planets congregated on the
eastel u side OF the sun. Ga the 3Oth
at o'clock in the afternoon, Mercury
Is in superior conjunction with the sun
passing Eom his western to his eastern
side, in his fleet footed circuit.
The March moon ful's on the 18th, al
20 minutes after > O'clock i'll the even
ing, standard time. She j. in cOnjunc
ton with Neptune on the II, with Sat
urn on the Sd, with Jupiter On the 7th
with Mars on the S.h aud with Uranu,
on the l2'b, paying her respects to eacl
outer planet in the order Of his distance
from the sun, On the 2Gth the m )on i!
! in conjunction with Mercury, the day
before her change. The new moon o
the 9th commences the same ulceas
ing round, passing near Neptune on the
29th and paying her respects to Nenui
aud Saturn on the 3Oth.