Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-01-01

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URANOLOsY FOE JANUARY.
The opening month of the new year is
marked by two full Moons. Only 26 minutes
after the midnight bells shall have rung the
requiem Of 1884 the first Of these full Moons
will look down upon the children of men,
weather permitting while the second will
mark the penultimate day Of January, being
due at 10 minutes past II o'clock on the
morning Of the 30th. The Moon enters last
quarter at 1896 p. m. of the 7th is new on
the 10th at 1856 q. M, and will reach first
quarter on the 23rd at S.26 p. m.
On the 4th the Moon will be in conjunction
with Jupiter on the 9Th with Uranus on the
18th with Venusi on the l4th with Mercury
on the 10th with Mars; on the oath with
Neptune, and on the 26th with Saturn. None
OF these conjunctions is close enough to pos.
sess much interest.
Following is list Of the visible occultations
of fixed stars by the Moon during the month,
with the magnitude Of each star January
I'd, 0.SS a. M, l Oanori, mag; I'd, l.33
a. M, d. A. O. 34O7, 6 mag, dura-
ton of occultation hour, II minutes 4th,
25l a. M, Pi Leonis, mag, duration /
hour, II minutes 18th, $40 a. M, Theta
Libre, ~ mag; 2Sth, s.1S p. NJ, lambda
Geminorum, 4 mag; Goth, 4.0S a. M, 6s
Geminorum, 515 mag; 3lst, 1856 p. m, 43
Leonis, So mag. The most interesting Of
these occultations promises to be that OF
Lambda Geminorum, which star has a 18th
magnitude companion about IL seconds
distant.
Mercury is evening planet until the Sd, and
morning planet for the rest of the month. At
O'Clock on the evening OF the Sd, he reaches
inferior conjunction with the Sun, the divid.
ing point between the evening and morning
portions of his orbit. By inferior conjunc-
ton is meant that the planet passes be-
tween the Earth and the Sun-not directly
between except on rare occasions--but q little
above or below our great luminary. at the
approaching conjunction Mercury's path is
above the Sun. Occasionally his path is in a
straight line between us and the Sun, and
then our little neighbor can be seen as a
small black dot crossing the solar disc. The
last transit of Mercury occurred on November
9TH, 1881; the next will take place on May 9th,
1891.
| Mercury ia the nearest planet 10 the Sun
that has yet been certainly discovered, and,
with the exception of the planetoids revolv.
ing between the orbits Of Mars and Jupiter,
ia the smallest known planetary member Of
our system its diameter being estimated al
3,l4O miles. Owing to its dazzling bright.
ness, its nearness to the Sun and the swift.
ness OF its motion, astronomers have learned
very little about this planet. Viewed through
the telescope It, like Venus, exhibits at diff
ferent periods all the phases Of the Moon
being new and having its dark side turned
toward US at inferior conjunction, soon after
wards becoming a slender crescent, theI
going on to half full, gibbous and full, reach
ing the latter phase at superior conjunction
when it passes, at its greatest distance from
us, on the other side Of the,Sun and becomes
again Con March lsth) an evening planet.
There are reasons for suspecting that ONT
or more small planets may reyolve around tht
Sun within the orbit Of Mercury, and som,
astronomers have observed strange object
in transit and supposed now stars during
total eclipses which they thought to be tn,
looked for intra' Mercurial planet For som,
years the existence Of such planet, to which
the name of Vulcan was given, was pro
vlsionally admitted but the inability to fine
this supposed planet at the last solar eclips,
1 TO mako ifa I'D fran ha,
with any possible orbit have led to the dis
missal of Vulcan for the present.
Mercury reaches his greatest western elon
CATION, "a degrees and So minutes, on the
18th, at O'Clock in the morning. For a few
days before and after this event he may b,
seen by early risers. The best time to lool
for him will be on the morning Of the oath
when he will be in conjunction with Venus
The latter is still the most conspicuous objec
in the morning sky, and will serve well as
guide to the smaller Mercury which on thai
morning will be one degree and six minutel
to the north of Venus In the telescop.
Mercury will present the shape Of hall
moon,while Venus will show a disc more thar
three-quarters full.
Venus il morning star during tho month
and up to hor superior conjunction which
does not occur until May.
Mars ia an evening planet, but too near tn,
Sun to BIO seen, He will pass conjunction OF
February 18th, after which he will begin t.
slowly reapproach the Earth, but will not b,
favorably placed for observation until the fal
months. By the close of the year his disc