The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-02-03
the PLANET rs.
February's Charming starilt sky and
It's Brilliant Ornaments.
providence Jourpal.l

Saturn will shine all night long. Mercury
will be plainly visible In the evening twilight
on the middle of the month. Mars aud Uranus
will appear before midnight, and Jupiter and
Venus will divide the hcnors OF the dawn.
The heavens will be brilliant with a superb
array of stars, the brightest that lcok down
from the star-depths. Among them are the
fair Capella. the radiant ArcturHs, Sirius
aud Regulns, with the well-known constella-
tiUn of Orion, the Twins, the Hyades and the
clustering Pleiades. Observers may find
these stars. and many more, with the aid of
the star-nlap, and when once familiar by
name, they will prove lifelong source Of en-
joyment.
Mercury is evening star. He wins the
first place on the planetary records of the
moath, as he is in excellent condition for OBJ
seryation with the naked eye during its pro-
gress. lie reaches his greatest eastern elon-
CATION, or greatest distance from the sun, on
the 18th, at 3 o'clock in the morning, and is
at that time 1So q east Of the sun. He is cas-
lily visible to those who know where to look
for him when at el0ngation, and for the
week before and after. He sets, on the 18th,
an hour and a half after the sun. and may be
found at that time ii it be clear, clOudless
evening by careful observers under the fol-
lowing conditions: Note in the horizon the
sunset points, and three-Quarters of an hour
after sunset Mercury will be visible about 50
farther north. An opera glass will be Of
great aid in tho observation. Before the 18th
he will be farther south and nearer the sun
set point. After the 18th he will be farther
north aud farther from the sunset point.
Saturn Is evening star lie is in admirable
position Tor observation during the whole
month, being lar enough above the eastern
horizon to be easily recognized as soon as it
is dark enough for the stars TO come out
He still forms triangle with the twin stars
Castor and Pollux on the northwest and Pro-
cy0n on the southwest, As his motion Is
now retrograde or backward, he is slowly APP
preaching these stars, and will continue to
do so until the last of March. Many inter-
esting stars are found in the portion of the
sky where Saturn now wends his wandering
course. Besides the triangle alluded to, the
equilateral triangle made up of Procyon, Sir
JUS and Betelguese shines brilliantly to the
southwest; the nebulOus cluster Praesepe
lies east of the planet. visible to the naked
eye on clear nights and resolved into stars
with the aid of an opera glass; and, later IN
the evening, the constellation Leo comes up
further east with its leading brilliant Regu-
lus. and its starry Sickle piercing the sky
depths. Those who have access to tee-
scopes should not fall to obtain view of this
planet of surprising loneliness, with his
reti1ue of rings and moons.
p Neptune Is evening SIdI. he Is III quad
nature With the sun, on the eastern side, on
the 10th, at O'Clock in the morning. He may
be found about 90 south of the Pleiades with
good telescope,an is an interesting object,
when the instrument brings him to view, as
a tiny disc Of a delicate blue color.
Jupiter is morning star. Observers who
have followed his shining course during jan
uary Will not need To be told how superb
has been lis appearance in the morning sky,
as he anticipated the dawn, his stay above
4 pfah f.rl flxr laraA
moved westward from the sun. He is now
far away from his fair rival, Venus, though
the two planets still form a lovely picture
in the east before the approaching sun puts
out their lesser light On the 9th, Jupiter
rises more than four hours earlier than We
nus. On the oath he is in quadrature with
the sun on his western side. As he then
rises, about midnight he will be conspieu-
GUS object in the sky from that time till near
sunrise. Observers Of the starlit sky after
midnight will behold a starry curve of plan
cts and stars marking out the ecliptic or
suns path in the heavens. The curry or arc,
though somewhat irregular, is made up Of |
three planets and three first magnitude stars |
In the following order: Regulus, Uranus, |
Spica, Mars, Jupiter and Antares.
Venus Is morning star. She is still the |
fairest and larg ,st star that shines |
in the heavens. though her lustre has grown |
dim. She is so Tar away from US
that her diameter is only one-fourth as large
TALLY make up for it, a much larger portion
of her illumined disc Is turned towards us.
She presents gibbous phase in the telescope
like that of the moon near the full. On the
LIST Venus is very near Mu Sagatarii, one of
the stars in the bent bow of the Archer, Just
lowering on rich portion of the Milky Way
She rises at that time Oh. 21m. before the sun.
At the close OF the month she is much near
er the sun, rising only In. 25m. before him.
The months are approaching when the fair
est of the stars will cease to form charming
feature In the morning dawn, for she will be
hidden from view In the sunbeams.
Mars is morning star. He is a conspicuous
object with his rudy hue and increasing
brightness, while his near companionship
with Spica adds additional interest to its APP
pearance. Spica, sometimes called the Lone
Star from the absence of bright stars in its
vicinity, rises, on the LIST at 1lh. SIN. p M. in
stars, and shines with blue light.
Uranus is morning star. Observers with |
good visual power may easily find him with |
the unaided eye. The nearest star north |
west Of Spica is Theta Virgins, Of the first |
magnitude Uranus is little more than 10 |
south OF this star. Mars, Uranus and Spica |
form nearly equilateral triangle at the be- |
ginning of the month. The position of the |
planets in regard to each other will be chang
ed at the end Of the month. for Mars is NOV
ing southeast and Uranus northwest. Plan
cts and star will then form a triangle, but a
very irregular one.
The February moon fulls on the 9th at Oh. |
j7ni. a. m. She is in conjunction with Uru- |
nus on the I'd, at 11h. 55m. a. m. being 40 29' |
north. She is in conjunction with Mars on |
the Sd. at Oh. Som. a. m, being % 81 north. |
The moon pays her respects to Jupiter on |
,he 9TH, at 7h. 35m., p. m. being A. q north. |
She is at her nearest point to Venus on the |
,th three days before new moon, at 3h. Sim,
,. m, being 10 "a north.
The moon on the 18th, nearly two days old |
IS in conjunction with Mercury on the
18th at 4h. 19m. a. M, being 80 @ south.
Dur swiftly moving satellite is in
conjunction with Neptune on the 10Th,
1t Oh. lam. p. m, being 80 % south. |
She is in conjunction with Saturn or the
,4th, at 3h. 5m. p. m, being 10 % south.
The moon, having completed the circuit of
planets, swings her ponderous sphere, for
The second time in the month near Uranus.
The conjunction occurs on the 10Th, at Oh. |
3lm., p. m. the moon being 40 % north.
THE SUN.
The sun rises on the LIST at 6h 5Sm. a. M,
and sets at oh. I'M p. m, making the length
of the day lob. 3m. The sun rises ON the
10Th at Oh. 22m., a. m. and sets at oh. 36m. d.
N. making the length of the day 11h. IAN.
The increase in the length of the day, Is,
H. lin. during February. The
increase in the morning is 36m., and In the
evening 35m The day at the close of Feb
ruary is Oh. I'm. longer than it was when at
its minimum length.
l1th which is invisible in the United States,
but is visible in the extreme part of South
and In the South Pacific and Indian
Oceans