Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-04-02
URAxoLoeY roR APRIL.

new at 0.6l a. m. OF the 18th, at FIRST quarter
at 6.l9 p. m. Of the 2lst and full at LA a. m.
OF the 2sth. There will be no OCCUPATIONS Of
stars by the Moon worthy of special attention
during April.
The Moon will be in close conjunction with
Mars and Venus on the 14th, but unfortu-
nately neither conjunction will be visible
here. The conjunction with Venus becomes
an occultation to the jewellers between the
parallels of 2So N. and $50 s.; a belt extend.
ing from the southern extremity Of Florida
to the lower portion Of South America. In
this locality the Moon and planet will be only
six minutes apart at their nearest approach,
but this unfortunately happens at o'clock
in the afternoon. The Moon will be in con-
junction with Mercury and Neptune on the
10th, with Saturn on the 18th, with Jupiter
on the 29d, and with Uranus on the 26th.
Mercury is evening planet until the 9th.
when he passes superior conjunction with the
Sun and becomes morning planet The most
favorable opportunity Of the year for observ-
ing this planet will be during the next two
weeks, he being at his greatest elongation on
the Sth. He should be looked for about
three quarters Of an hour after sunset and
about 90 north of the sunset point, and, with
favoring weather will not only be easily seen,
but will be quite conspicuous. On Sunday
evening, at 7.l5, Mercury was already so
bright as to arrest attention at once. Viewed
through the telescope he now presents very
nearly the appearance Of q brilliant half
Moon. On the 2sth Mercury will be in close,
but invisible conjunction with Venus.
Venus has almost disappeared from the
morning sky, rising now less than half an
hour before the Sun. She reaches superior
conjunction with the Sun on May 9TH, one
week after Mercury's inferior conjunction,
and will become visible as evening planet
about the last o; next month. At superior
conjunction Venus is on the opposite side Of
the Sun, at her greatest distance from the
earth, and has her bright side turned toward
US. II We could see her then, with sufficient
magnifying powers feat which owing to
the great brilliancy Of this planet can be
nearly accomplished with good telescopes, we
should find her looking perfectly round and
bright, phase corresponding to the Moon
when full. At inferior conjunction on the
contrary, as in the transit Of 1882, Venus is
at her nearest and her dark side is turned
towards us, corresponding to the moon when
new, rs in the eclipse of two weeks ago.
Mars is morning planet creeping slowly
towards and heaying into view about the
close of April when he will rise nearly an
hour before the Sun.
Jupiter remains the glory OF the evening
sky. Nearly every one has watched him
during March, keeping close companionship
overhead with Regulus, the brightest star in
the Lion. Planet and star will continue this
companionship without much change in their
relative distances during April. Jupiter Is
moving away from us towards his apheliop.
He will be again at perihelion and in his most
brilliant guise in the autumn Of 1892.
Saturn il getting rather low in the western
sky, but is still well worth looking at. He
will be at his best next fall, after which his
rings will gradually turn from us until, eight
years from now, we shall only see their edges
as faint line. After that the other or
northern side Of the ring system will grad
ually come into view.
Uranus is an evening planet, and fairly
Is practically lost in the glare Of the setting
Sun, he reaches conjunction with the Sun
on May 18th.
"a very good description Of the stellar sky
Is furnished by Professor Sharpless in recent
article, applicable now for about p. m.
Assuming that any one can find the
Dipper, nearly overhead, and by the Pointers
in it locate the Pole Star, the next step will
be to trace out the Ursa Minor, or the little
Dipper, in which the Pole Star Is at the
western end Of the handle. He will then
find the head OF Draoo, an irregular quad
rilateral Of stars in the N. N. T. and follow
the winding Of its body along a line OF stars,
extending first northery, then upwards, and
westward, crossing the meridian, just below
the Pointers. Cassiopeia, just opposite the
Pole Star from the DIpper, is nearly settling
in the N. N. W., the top of its W being
turned towards the Pole Star. A little
farther around towards the west is Perseus
containing, besides several bright stars, two
beautiful clusters and the interesting variable
star AlgoL Still farther around to the Weet
that brilliant portion Of the heavens Orion,
Taurus and the two Dogs Is just leaving us
for the season. The bright star Just in the
west is Aldebaran; up towards the Pole Star
from this is Capella in the constellation
Auriga. South OF Capella are Castor and
Pollux fin Gemini. The bright object over
the head OF Orion and between Aldebaran
and the twins Is the planet Saturn.
On the meridian, just south of the zenith,
are two bright stars, the brightest OF which
is the planet Jupiter, The ether is Regulus,
in the constellation Leo Northward from
Regulus is row Of stars shaped like SICKLE
This il In the shoulders OF the Lion, and the
rest Of the constellation stretches of to the
eastward. Adjoining it on the east is a
group Of faint stars, constituting Berenice's
hair, and east Of this is Bootes, embracing
the bright Arcturus. East Of Bootes and q
little northward is semicrcle of stars, max
ing the Northern Crown. Bootes reaches all
the way to Draco in the north, and thus our
circle Of the heavens in this direction is COM
pleted In the southeast is the bright star
Spica in Virgo. To the eastward OF this ia
the quadrilateral of Corvus. In the south.
west, there is Sirius and the other stars Of
CAMS major, and towards the zenith is CAMS
Minor, with Procyon. East of the latter is q
faint object, easily seen by the naked eye on
a moonless night, the nebula of the constel.
lation Cancer.