The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-05-12
THE SKIES IN MAY:
Astronomical Events of the Month
Of Flowers.

New York NGiI and Express: The
main astronomical events of this month
are chiefly hypothetical. That is to
say, We must take the word Of astrono-
mers for their existence, for half OF
them are visible only to skilled star
gazers with telescopes, and the other
half are not visible 10 anybody. For
instance. the planet Neptune is in con-
junction with the sun orfthe l6th.i You
cannot see Neptune at any time. and If
you could it wouldn't be at this time,
for he is too close to the sun. The as
tronomers know he is there, for they
have got his gait pretty well calculated,
and as he is a steady going sort of
planet-although perhaps the youngest
of the lot-they can predict his place a
good while ahead with reasonable Ger
tainty.
Mercury conjoins and conjoints, too
on the 3lst, both with Old Sol and Nep-
tune. They say he will be only thirty
two minutes from the latter, and no
body can well dispute it, as both will be
utterly invisible. 1t is promised that
Mercury shall be visible on the 9Th,
next Friday. before sunrise. in the east
ern sky. but people VINO have tried
few times to catch this delusive little
fellow will not be apt to get up at or 5
O'Clock to look for him. Mercury is &C.
Quilted tomorrow, too, by the moon,
but we could not see the occuitatlon
even il we could find Mercury. for il
will not be visible except in Western
Asia and in what is left of Turkey in
Europe.
Another occultation this month is
that of Uranus, about midnight, OF the
18th. AS this IS pretty reasonab bic
hour and the moon will be nearly full
at the time, the sight will be very inter
esting-to those who happen TO have
telescopes big enough to see it. Still
another occultation is that of Aldebar-
an. which is billed for May 5. from to
O'Clock pm. Il there wasn't so much
daylight then, and If the moon and the
star both were not so near the horizon,
perhaps this might also be very inter
esting sight.
From this Barmecide feast of astron-
omical good things that nobody can
see, we turn with some relief TO those
that are visible. The sun is expected
to rise tomorrow about 4 :5S and to set
ut 6:57. The days grow about a minute
longer at each end every day during the
month, until on the 2ist, the sun rlses
at 4 81 and sets at 7:2T. This is, there
fore, a good month in which to play
croquet after supper.
The moon is Just now almost new.
She will be full on the 18th, at S:47. On
the 18th, in the morning. she will be
very near Mars. and on the 18th. still
nearer Jupiter. Her various occula-
tons have already been mentioned.
OF the planets, Venus is now visible
only in the early morning, so that none
of our readers are likely to see her.
Jupiter, Mars and Saturn are still visi-
BILE in the evening. the two former be-
ing quite near each other. and the other
only little way west of them. Mars
and Jupiter are not far from the great
constellation Orion, while Saturn is Is
degrees southwest of Castor and Pollux.
The fixed stars are moving westward
pretty fast The Pleiades are already
lost in the sunset glow, and the Hyades
will be before the month is over, and
then it will not be long before all the
glorious train that has gilded our
winter skies-Castor and Pollux, Rigel.
Cetelgense. Procyon, Sirius. and the
rest-follow, and we shall be left with
only the Scorpion glazing with his
red eye at Antares in the southeastern
horizon. of the more northern stars.
Arcturus. Capella and Vega are all
three visible now in the early evening.
This isn't the great month for the fixed
stars. The sun and moon-barring
clouds-will have things pretty much
their own way.