Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-05-02
ASTRONOMICAL.
swYIPrNa rHE HEAVENS WITH TIE
ZIG TELEscoPE.
The Planets for May-Nsreury, Neptune,
Mars; Their Movements and Posi-
tions-The Noon OSCILLATIONS.
lProvidence Journal

lTfONfutnre Joufnsist
NEPTUNE is evening star until the
10th, when be chan. es his role to that
Of morning star. He wins the first
place on the monthly record, IN i'm
portant epoch occurring in his course
Is viewed from the earth, for he is in
conjunction with the sun on the 10th,
at o'clock in the morning, finishing
his course on the SUMS eastern side, to
reappear on his western side as morn
ing star. He is the first Of the four
giant planets to arrive ct conjunction,
but will be followed by Saturn, Uranus,
and Jupiter, who will reach the same
goal before the year closes. Neptune,
slthough the most distant ofthe planets,
has the shortest synodic period
Of any of them, excepting Mercury,
moving from conjunction to copjunc-
ton in about 36S days. The reason is
that the farther off a planet is the
slower it moves, and the larger is its
orbit. 1t takes Neptune les years to
complete revolution around the sun,
and thirteen. years to pass through a
zodiacal constellation. Therefore, while
the earth makes her annual circuit
through the twelve consultations Of the
zodiac, Neptune has avanced through
but small portion of one Of them. 1t
takes the earth about four days to
overtake her far.awsy brother planet.
When this occurs the earth, the sun,
and Neptune are in line, and the
event is called conjunction. The best
telescopes cannot find the planet in this
part Of his course, for he is not only at
his most distant point from the earth,
but is eclipsed in the suns rays. Those
who wish for q telescope peep at the
planet must wait six months for more
favorable conditions. lie is then an
interesting object, with his disc Of deli.
cate blue, and his one tiny moon, the
merest dot of light. Doubtless a nearer
view would reveal q retinue Of moons
and disc crossed by belts Of varied
hue like those Of which we obtain such
charming pictures in Jupiter and Sa-
turn, the only planets who surpass him
in magnitude.
The right ascension Of Neptune on
the LIST is 3h. 3lm., his declination is
10 20> north, his diameter is 2.//6,
and be is in the constellation Taurus.
Neptune sets on the lst about 7:45
o'clock in the evening on the 3lst he
rises soon after $3.50 o'clock in the
MERCURY is morning star through
out the month. On the 9TH, at 9
o'clock in the morning, he reaches his
greatest western elongation, being then
2Gs 26/ west OF the sun. This is one
of the three times Of the year when he
is visible to the naked eye in the east
as morning star. The conditions are,
however, not very favorable, on account
Of the planets being SO far south Of the
sun. When at elongation, he is loo
south Of the sun, and rises only about
an hour before him. For this rea-
son the sky must be excep-
tionally clear, and the observer must
know just where to look if he hopes to
obtain a glimpse before the coming sun
has blotted him from the sky. The
superb views of the swift-footed planet
that were enjoyed in April in the west
ern sky will not be repeated in May in
the eastern sky. Southern observers
will be more fortunate in this respect.
The farther south Mercury is found at
his elongations, the better is their view.
The farther north he is found at the
same points, the better is the view from
northern skies.
On the 3lst, at | O'Clock in the
Mercury, approaching supe-
ror conjunction, meets on the celestial
road Neptune, the new morning star,
receding from the sun. They are 80
apart at the time of conjunction, Mer-
curry being north of his big brother. AS
both planets are invisible, we must be
with fancying how they
would look if our eyes could pierce the
veil that hides them. To the inhabi-
tants of the smaller planet--if there be
any-the sun appears seven times as
large as he does in our sky. To the
dwellers on the larger planet-if there
be any-the sun is but day.star, hav-
ing about the same dimensions as We
nus when in her brightest aspect.
The right ascension Of Mercury on
the lst is III. Am, his declination is 80
81 north, his diameter is s." g., and
be is in the constellation Pisces.
Mercury rises on the lst few min
utes before 4 o'clock in the morning;
On the 3lst he rises abo ut a quarter
before 4 O'Clock.
JUPITER is evening star. If Nep-
tune and Mercury win higher rank on
he monthly record for contributing in
,idents to its annals, Jupiter stands
first among the evening stars for the
superb appearance he makes as leader
Of the starry host. lie is still the most
brilliant member of the starry quar-
.ette, consisting Of Regulus, Mars,
Jupiter, and Spica, which arches over
head on cloudless nights, not only plea
sing the eye with its combination of
planets and stars of the first magnitude,
put also showing, as fat as
t reaches, the position Of the
'cliptic or suns path in the heavens.
The distance between the four
,tars differs little from that recorded on |
he lst of April, but the stars rise on
he LIST Of May about two hours earlier
han they did a month ago. The earth's |
notion eastward in her orbit gives the
tars an apparent motion westward,
making them appear to rise about four
minutes earlier every night. This
.auses a difference Of two hours in a
month. The relative position Of the
liked stars to the ordinary observer
'emains unchanged, but the planets
re always moving. Regulus and
,pica remain at the same distance
rom each other. Mars, on the LIST
# May, is in direct motion, or moving
Jupiter at that time is
etrograding or moving westward. Ju-
liter is on the meridian on the lst OF
day at 10 minutes after 9 O'Clock in the
vening. One only needs to look above
It that time to recognize the Prince of
Planets at glance. Regulus and Mars
re then descending in the west, and
mica is approaching the zenith We