Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1885-04-07
APRIL SKIES.
What Planets are - be Seen I'm the
Heavens by Star Gaxers and AS

-
what Planets - be seen In the
Heavens by Star Gaxers and As.
trOnOmers.
The planets will be unusually bashful
during April. Venus ought to be. always;
but she isn't. This month, however, she
keeps out Of sight entirely. So does Mars.
Old habits are very strong. Neptune goes
out of sight soon after shutdown. This,
however. is no great matter, for Neptune
is invisible anyhow, without q good tele-
scope.
Uranus is very well posted for observa-
ton. If he were q good deal larger, or Q
few million billion miles nearer, we could
see him beautifully. He is in the constel-
lation Virgo, and is nearly opposite the
sun, coming to the meridian about mid
night.
Saturn is evening star, and sets at 1880
on the 18th, and about three minutes earlier
every night through the month. He is in
the constellation Taurus, and appears about
the same size as the fiery Aldebarsn, his
companion, who is really several thousand
times larger, but is q few miles further
away.
Jupiter is monarch of the evening sky.
No other visible heavenly body. except of
course the sun and inoon-compsyes with
him in brightness and apparent size. He
is in the constellation Leo, the largest star
of which, Regulus, shines in the handle Of
the Sickle, and looks like the train-bearer
OF the monarch. Jupiter looks larger now
than he will again for nearly six years.
He is going away .rcn; che sun for awhile,
and will not come back till 1892.
The most interesting Of all the planets to
astronomers this month Is the swift-footed
Mercury. With his usual spirit of con-
trsrlness, which keeps him lodging back
and forth out OF sight behind the sun when
all the other planets are on d~ress-parade,
this month, when Venus, Mars and Neptune
are going into darkness, he skips gayly to
the front, and announces a gorgeous ap-
pearance. He is advertised TO make his
debut soon after sunset every night from
now until the 18th, which will be positively
his last appearance in April. The best
evening is the 9Th, when he will be
furthest from the sun, and will not set
till after 8 O'Clock. He will be found
about 9 degrees north of the sunset point.
and II the night is clear, people who have
an uninterrupted view of the northwestern
horizon will have an excellent chance at
him.
The April moon does not getfull until the
goth. The middle Of the month will there
fore be moonless. There will be q lunar
ocoulation OF Venus on the 14th, but it is
not visible anywhere. 1t would be be,
tween ATTITUDES % degrees north and 30
degrees south, if 10 did NOT occur IN The
daytime.
The fixed stars are moving slowly to the
west. The first six signs of the Zodiac are
| visible now-Aries next to the sun, and
Taurus, Gemini, Cancer and the rest follow,
ing. The most brilliant stars are Sill
visible. Aldebaran, Procyon, B~etelguese,
| Riga, Sirius, Regulus, Castor and Poiiux'
Spica. Arcturus, Vega, and early IN the
morning Affair. Antares and Oapella' all
| Of the frat magnitude, may be picked out
easily. Altogether, the skies OF April Will
present a not d~iscreditable appearance or
II they do not it will not be their fault.