Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-08-01

| conjunction with the sun.
The right ascension Of Uranus on the
| the lat Is i2h. In, his declination Is y
degrees So north, his diameter Is
3.2v 4, and he is in the constellation
Virgo.
| Uranus sets on the LIST about Q o'clock
in the evening on the 3lst he sets at
q quarter after Z o'clock.
SATURN Is morning star, AMI by far
the most interesting Of the three planets
that preccde the san. lie rises, on the
LIST, about O'Clock, and when August
closes makes his appearance just after
midnight. He is now q lovely object
TO reward tho gaze Of the observer in
the small hours of the morning. The
mysterious rings are open to their
widest extent, the planet is drawing
nearer perihelion, and is also approach
ing the earth. BY the last Of Septem-
Der ne will be above the horizon at
halfpast 10 o'clock, and will not only
be delightful TO behold with the I'M
aided eye, but will be in a rare posi-
| ton for telescope research.
On the 5th, at o'clock in the after
noon, Saturn is in close conjunction
with Mu Geminorum, q star Of the third
magnitude in Gemini, being A. south.
On the 9th, at 3 o'clock in the after
| noon, he oyertakes Mars. The planets
are in conjunction, Saturn being j de-
gree 20> south.
The right ascension Of Saturn on the
LIST is Oh. l4m., his declination is ~
degrees 30, south, his diameter is l6|,
and he is in the constellation Gemini.
Saturn rises on the LIST at 10 minutes
before O'Clock in the morning; on the
3lst be rises few minutes after mid
night.
MARS is morning star. Besides be-
ing in conjunction with Saturn on the
9th, he is also very near Mu Gemino-
rum. Thus Mars, the star, and Saturn
are almost in line, the star being very
near Saturn. The rare juxtaposition
occurs at 3 o'clock in the afternoon,
when it will be invisible. A small tele-
scope will, however, reveal the actors
in the scene in near approach, and the
exhibition will amply repay the efforts
required to get up so early in the morn
ing.
The right ascension OF Mars on the
LIST is Oh. lm., his declination is % de-
grees 40 north, his. diameter is AS
south, and he is in the constellation
Gemini.
Mars rises on the LIST about half-past
o'clock in the morning; on the 3lst
he rises soon after | o'clock.
NEPTUNE is morning star. On the
18th, at O'Clock in the morning, he
reaches quadrature with the sun on his
western side, and, after that event, he
is nearer to the earth than he is to the
sun, or he appears to be. The month
closes with Neptune. Saturn, and Mars
on the western side Of the sun as morn
ing stars, and with Mercury, Jupiter,
Uranus, and Venus on his eastern side
as evening stars.
The right ascension of Neptune on
the LIST is 3h. 34m., his declination is
IL degrees 81 north, his diameter is
q" 5, and he is in the constellation
Taurus.
Neptune sets on the LIST at halfpast
IL O'Clock in the evening; on the 3lst
he sets at halfpast Q o'clock.
THE MOON.
The August moon fulls on the 25th
twenty-five minutes after midnight. The
moon il in conjunction with Neptune
or the 4th. at Oh. 49m. 2. NJ, being
2 degrees As minutes south. On the
7th, at Oh. 5m. A. NJ, she is in conjunc-
ton with Saturn, being A degrees Is
minutes south. Also on the 18th, forty
three minutes later, at Oh. 4Sm. p. NJ,
she is in conjunction with Mars, being
S degrees 80 minutes south. The con-
junction is invisible, but the waning
moon will be near the two planets on
the morning Of the eth.
On the llth, at Oh. 2m. P. NJ, the
new moon Of the 10th is in conjunction
with Jupiter, being 2 degrees 81 south.
On the 18th, at 3h. 36m. A. NJ, the
moon is in conjunction with Mercury,
being l degree 55> north. On the same
day, but nearly four hours later, at III.
I'm. A. NJ, she is in conjunction with
Venus, being 2 degrees - south.
The crescent moon and evening star,
though not very near each other, will
be fair to see on the evening of the
18th. On the 18th, at 5h. 49m. A.
NJ, the moon is in close conjunction
with Uranus, being IL north. On the
3lst our satellite again commences her
rounds. She is in conjunction with
Neptune for the second time within the
limits of the month at lOh. 6in. p. NJ,
being 2 degrees so south.
August comes richly laden with
planetary events. Venus, the fairest OF
the stars, pays her respects to her au-
gust brother Jupiter, to the swift-footed
Mercury, to the slow-moving Uranus,
while she fills out her portion of plane
tary work by a close conjunction
with Beta Virgins, and fulfils her
monthly duty to the moon. Jupi-
ter, the prince Of planets, pays his
court twice to the smallest Of his
brethren, who can outrun him in the
race, il he can do nothing else. Saturn,
the ripg-girdled planet, and Mars, the
god of war, meet and change places on
the celestial road, aud both planets pay
their respects to the little star New
Geminorum, the approach in the case Of
Saturn being almost an appulse, 4 min.
utes Of arc, the distance between then
being, in celestial mathematics, q small
space to intervene between two heaven.
ly bodies.
The light Of Jupiter grows dim and
fades away; Venus slowly advances
to easy visibility, and will soon put
on queenly apparel; Mercury deigns tc
show his bright face TO terrestrial OBJ
servers; Saturn is superb with his wide
open rings, and the day Of Marian ira
portance nears the dawn.
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