Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-04
TIE PLANETs IN MAY.
Incidents that Mark tho March of the
Planets During tho honth.


Venus will commence to run her course
as evening star at midnight tonight,
when an event occurs in her career that
gives her prominent place on the annals
of the month. She is in superior con-
junction with the sun, passing beyond the
sun, making her advent on mis- eastern
side, clinging closely to him for time.
and hiding herself in his brilliant rays.
AS the weeks roll on she will emerge from
her seclusiOn, shine with htful glow in
the golden twilight, and before the sum-
mer wanes will be the lOveliest object in
the western evening sky, while winter
will commence in earnest before she
reaches her point of greatest distance
from the sun. No true lover of the stars
can gaze unmOved upon this beautiful
planet, as like a golden bead strung on an
invisible wire, she oscillates eastward
from the sun until her goal IS reached on
Dec. =, and then retraces her steps to-
wards the great orb to whom she is linked
by chains lighter than gOssameT, but in
destructible as the material universe
itself. On the 18th Venus moving east.
ward from the sun is in conjunction with
Neptune, moving westward from the sun.
plume at monday on the 18th is in
conjunction with the sun, passing to the
suns western side, and commencing his
course as morning star. He is the first
OF the giant planets TO reach the goal,
though the other members of the quartet
VIII follow his example In due time.
Neptune is in conjunction with Venus on
the It'll.
Jupiter is evening star throughout the
month. His course is marked by an in
teresting event. On the l7th, at 10 O'Clock
in the morning, he is In quadrature on
the suns eastern side. Jupiter In quad
nature is almost as impressive as Jupiter
in opposition; for, as the sun sinks below
the western horizon, this superb planet
holds his court in the zenith.
Mercury is morning star, and may be
visible TO the naked eye under the best
conditions Of wind and weather, for the
present is the first of the three times in
the year when there is any prospect of his
being visible TO the naked eye as morning
star. The observer must re keen-eyed
who succeeds in finding him. He rises
on May % about an hour before the sun,
and nine degrees south of the sunrise
point. On May 10 ana 30 he is in conjunc-
ton with Mars.
Mars is morning star, and is near Mer-
curry during the whole month.
Saturn is evening star. He is now a
conspicuous object in the western sky,
but a. the close OF the month will be too
near the sun TO be of much account.
Uranus is evening star. At the close of
the month Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and
Uranus are evening stars; Neptune, Mer-
curry and Mars are morning stars.
The May moon falls on the 18th, at 81
minutes after 3 O'Clock in the evening.
The moon speeds on her course without
meeting a single planet until the 18th,
when she is in conjunction with Mars,
and in conjunction with Mercury four min
utes later, passing % degrees north. She is
in conjunction with Neptune on the 14th,
about three hours before new moon. and
with Venus on the same day, three hours
after new moon. On the l6th she is at her
nearest point TO Saturn, on the Goth to
Jupiter, and on the 23d to Uranus, be ng
| / degree IL minutes south. The close
conjunction with Mercury on the 18th IS
an O, cutatiOn to observers more favor
ably situated, and so is the conjunction of
Uranus that takes place on the 23d an oc-
cultatlOn to observers at the right points
in the far south