Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-01-28

4v.2, and he IL in the constellation
Cspricornus.
Mars sets on the LIST not far from q
quarter after o'clock in the evening /;
on the 2Sth he rises about half-past
o'clock in the morning.
NEPTUNE h morning star during the
month. He reaches an important time
mark in his course. On the 9Th, o.
o'clock in the evening, he is in quadra-
ture with the sun on his eastern side,
half his course from opposition to con-
junction being completed. IL we had
eyesight keen enough TO discern our
most distant brother we should behold
him looking down from the meridian at
sunset, for at quadrature he is ninety
degrees from the sun.
The right ascension of Neptune on
the LIST is 3h. l4m. his declination is
16 degrees IL minutes north; his di-
amcter is 2<>.6, and he is in the con-
stellation Taurus.
Neptune sets on the LIST about half
past o'clock in the morning on the
2Sth he sets at half past ii o'clock in
the evening.
VENUS is morning star. Her lustre
grows dim, and her size diminishes as
she draws nearer the sun and rises later
every morning. But she is still besuti-
full to behold, as she makes her appear
ance in the morning dawn an hour be-
fore sunrise. Her diameter is now but
l1".2, against 64>< at the time of her
inferior conjunction. We see, however,
q much larger portion Of her illumined
disc than the crescent she turns to-
wards us when at her period Of
greatest brilliancy. Seen in the tele-
scope, she is now in gibbous phase, like
the moon approaching the full. II, when
nearest the earth, she could take on her
present phase, our sky would show n
planet glorious to behold. On the 1lth,
at o'clock in the evening, Venus is in |
conjunction with Mercury, being ~
north. The conjunction is invisible, |
but the planets will not be far apart on
the morning Of the 18th, when, perhaps,
with the aid Of an opera-glass, the OBJ
server may succeed in finding Mercury.
The right ascension of Venus on the.
LIST is l9h., 32m. 1; her declination is
81 degrees so minutes south; her di-
ameter is ll".2, and she is in the con-
stellation Sagittarius.
Venus rises about O'Clock in the
morning on the 2Sth she rises at near
ly the same time.
MERCURY is morning star. Her
path lies near that of Venus during the
whole month. He makes his transit
on the LIST five minutes before Venus,
on the llth at the same time, and on
the 2Sth he passes the meridian twenty
four minutes later than his fairer neigh
Dor. lie is in conjunction with Venus
on the llth. as already stated.
The right ascension of Mercury on
the lst is l9h., 30m. his declination is
% degrees south his diameter is 6/|,
and he is in the constellation
Sagittarius. Mercury rises on the ist
a few minutes before o'clock in the
morning; on the 2Sth ne rises about %
minutes after & o'clock.
SATURN is evening star. Though he
contributes no incident to enliven the
annals Of the month, he takes the Sc
cond place among the starry hosts that
stud the winter sky, remaining through
the month in position so nearly sta
tionary that he might be mistaken for
one of the distant suns that beam from
the star-depths. A careful observer
will, however, notice the soitness and
serenity of his light in striking con-
trast with the twinkling of his compan-
ions. This is the proof that he is only
planet. shining, like the earth, by
light reflected from the sun.
The right ascension of Saturn on the
lst is 5h., en-; his declinaton is 81 de-
grees 80 minutes north; his diameter is
1915, and he is in the constellation
Taurus.
Saturn sets on the LIST not far from
half-past 3 o'clock in the morning; on
the 2Sth he sets few minutes before .
o'clock.
URANUS is morning star, and draw
ing near to opposition, being the last of
the four giant planets to reach the point
where they are most interesting to ter
restrial observers. At the end of the
month Venus, Mercury, Uranus, and
Mars are morning stars; Neptune, Sa-
turn. and Jupiter are evening stars.
The right ascension of Uranus on the
LIST is l2h., l0m.; his declination is 90
south his diameter is 3" 49,, and he is
in the constellation Virgo.
Uranus rises on the LIST about half
past 0 o'clock in the evening; on the
2Sth he rises at halfpast o'clock.
THE MOON.
The February moon fulls on the 2Sth
at II O'Clock in the evening, so that we
come within an hour Of having no full
moon in February, On the 3D., three
days before the last quarter, the moon
is in conjunction with Uranus. This
means that the planet and moon are at
the time in the same right ascension or
longitude, although one may be several
degrees north or south of the other. On
the 18th, at Is minutes past O'Clock
in the morning, the moon is i'll conjunc-
ton with Venus, and twenty-four
minutes later she is at her nearest point
to Mercury. On the l4th, the day of
her change, she is in conjunction with
Mars. on the Dist with Neptune, on the
Odd with Saturn, and on the 2Sth with
Jupiter.
The moon occults few small stars
as she makes her monthly circuit. the
phenomena being visible in this portion
Of the earth's territory. These occul-
tations are interesting to watch, but the
stars are so small that a telescope is re-
CURED for the observation.
On the Sd there will be an occultation
of the planet Uranus, the member of
the planetary family that comes direct
ly in the moons path six times during
the year. The phenomenon is invisible
in this belt of the earthly domain, but
observers, under favorable conditions,
Iatuoa., {ha Evo.t,nr, ,o,ollol. Of IL /