Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-04-01

The phases OF the Moon during April are !:
New Moon, 4tk, $50 a. m. !; first quarter.
18th, 3.44 p. m; full Moon, 18th, 1853 p. m. /;
last quarter. 18th. OILS a. m.
II the two approaching comets pan out as
well ae predicted, they will carry OF the
Lions share OF attention during the closing
days Of April. In q letter, dated the nth
inst, Professor Lewis Swift OF the Warner
observatory, says:
"Barnard's comet on the day OF Its
greatest brightness (May 24th) will be about
2Oo north towards tho north starr from the
Pleiades or seven stars. 1t Is now about 40
north OF Alpha Arietis. 1t is visible through
small telescopes Fabry's comet is now In
a vacant part Of the sky some 12o north
west OF Alpha.Andromeda, low down In the
northwest. On April 90th 1t will be some
A. from east OF the place where Barnard's
will be when brightest month later. II
will bs unique II not an altogether I'M
heard-of spectacle of two bright comets In
the same quarter of the heavens being
almost simultaneously visible. Fabry's or
the Paris comet, as it 10 often called, Will
probably become visible TO the naked eye In
less than two weeks from now, and for
tunately, moonlight will not Interfere with
its visibility, neither will Il but very little
on April 30th, when brightest. IL may be
advisable to note that the two comets. both
being visible to the naked eye, will, on
April 22d, be within 80 OF each other. 1t
may be also interesting to state that on
February 22d Fabry'sand Brooks comet were
but 20 Am. apart, and with a telescope OF low
| power both were In one field. On April 2bth
| Fabry's comet will cross point which Bar
nard's comet will pass on March 22d, and
May Goth Barnard's will be where Fabrys
had passed Is days previously. 1t Fabry's,
| not Darnard's, comet that Is supposed to DO
identical with Miss Caroline Hersehels
comet of 1885,"
Brooks comet, the third of which Mr.,
| Swift speaks, has about disappeared from
| the view of observers In this latitude.
Mercury came out quite conspicuously at
/ its March elongation, Notwithstanding that
/ 1t was at nearly its minimum elongation
| distance from the Sun. 1t Is now rapidly
/ rushing to its inferior conjunction, on the
9Th prox., when it will become morning
| planet reaching Its greatest western elonga-
lion on May It'll. As morning planet II
| will be visible TO early risers by the close OF
April. On the morning OF May LIST there
| will be a very close conjunction Of Mercury
with the waning Moon, which rises on that
morning at IS, one hour and seven minutes
ahead OF the Sun. The nearest approach
of Moon and planet will be at 7.36 a. M,
Mercury being only six minutes south of
the lunar crescent. They will be close
enough before sunrise, however, to make q
pretty spectacle.
Venus Is a brilliant sparkler now in the
early morning sky. She attained hel
greatest brilliapsy on the Goth inst. Al
$50 this afternoon she is In conjunction
with the Moon, at u distance of 10 Sam
north. On the night of April Goth they will
be In much closer conjunction, with Venus
only 19m. north of the Moon, but the ap
proach takes place hours before they will
have risen in this locality. At q o'clock OF
the morning of April 30th Venus will reaci
western elongation, 46o 9m. from the Sun
She will thenceforward slowly reapproaci
the Sun, reaching superior conjunction OIL
December I'd.
Mars has begun to wane. His disc, nov
scant IA seconds In diameter, dwindles t.
ii seconds by the close of April. He 4
still, however, good subject for tele
scopie inspection; moderate instrumen
being sufficient to show the snow cap OF
his south pole. To distinguish any OF tn
markings which close observers have foun,
upon his disc requires a fine glass and
practiced eye,and the recent opposition la
not been u particularly favorable one 70
such Investigations. Neither will that O
1888 or 1890 be; but In 1892 the Earth an,
Mars will be much closer to each other an
the excellent conditions of the opposition
of 1887, will be repeated. 1t was In 1877
that the two diminutive moons whic
accompany Mars were discovered by tn
Washington observers.
Jupiter is exaelently placed for observa
ton during April. He will make anothe
close approach to the Moon-29 minutes
at 6.55 on the morning of the 10th prox. ii
visible here. Visible transits OF Jupiter
satellites may be looked for on the follow
ing nights In April: Satellite l, on the 6tl
, 8th, 18th, 18th, 22d and Goth; Satellite II, o
the 7th, 14th and 25th; Satellite III, on til
18th, 18th Bnd 25th. There will be n
visible transit of Satellite ~, but transit
its shadow may be partially observed on til
! early evening of the 9Th and an eclipse (
the satellite on the night of the 30th.
Saturn has gotten too low down In Il
T evening sky to be of much interest to Il
ordinary observer and neither Uranus n,
Neptune promises anything Of special int
i, | est during April.