The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-11
THE FEBRUARY STARS.
Sights and Scenes Among the Planets
During This Month.

! During This Month.
Mercury is evening star, and presents an
appearance beautiful enough to repay the
observer with the naked eye. He reaches his
greatest eastern elongation, or greatest dis
lance from the sun, on the 18th. He is easily
visible to those who know where to look for
him when al elongation, and for week be-
! fore and after. He sets on the 18th an hour
and half after the sun
Saturn is evening star. He is in ad-
mirabe position for observation during
the whole month, being far enough
| above the eastern horizon to be
easily recognized as soon as it is dark
! enough for the stars 10 come out He still
! forms a triangle with the twin stars Castor
and Pollux on the northwest, and Procyon
| 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.
Neptune is evening star. He is in quad
! nature with the sun, on the eastern side, on
! the 10Th at o'clock in the morning He
| may be found about q south of the PleiadeS
with a good telescope, and is an interesting
! object when the Instrument brings him to
view, as a tiny disk of delicate blue color
Jupiter is morning star. Observers who
| have followed his shining course during
January will not need to be told how
ing sky, as he anticipated the dawn, his
stay above the horizon constantly length
| ening as he moved westward from the SUM-
| He is now far away from his fair rival,
| Venus, though the TWO planets still form
| lovely picture in the east before the APP
| preaching sun puts out their lesser light
| On the Doth Jupiter rises more than four
hours earlier than Venus. On the oath he
| is in quadrature with the sun, on his west
ern side. AS he then rises, about midnight,
he will be a conspicuous object in the sky
| from that time till near sunrise
Venus is morning star She is still the
! brightest fairest and largest star that
shines in the heavens, though her lustre has
grown perceptibly dim. She is so far away
| from us that her diameter is only one
| fourth as large as it was at inferior con-
| junction, but to partially make up for it
much larger portion of her Illuminated
| disc is turned toward us. She presents
| gibbous phase in the telescope like that of
| the moon near the full
| Mars is morning star. He is a conspicu-
Gus object, with his ruddy hue and increas-
| ing brightness, while his near companion
ship with Spica adds additional interest to
| his appearance. 1t is one of the we'll
| known stars, and shines with n blue light.
Mars, his ruddy tint in striking contrast,
! will rise about eight minutes later, few
| degrees to the northeast of his companion.
Uranus is morning star, and with Mars
and Spica form nearly equilateral triangle
! at the beginning of the month. The posi-
| ton of the planets in regard to each other
! will be changed at the end of the month, for
Mars is moving southeast and Uranus north
west. Planets and star will then form a
| triangle, but very irregular one.
The February moon fulls on the 9th.
| She is in conjunction with Uranus on the
I'd, with Mars on the Sd, with Jupiter on
| the 9TH and at her nearest point to Venus on
| the Sth. Though the fair planet and wan
ing moon are not visible at the time of con-
| junction, they will make a charming pic
| ture in the southeastern sky on the morning
| of the 9th. The moon then rises oh 10m
| a. m, and Venus shows her fair face above
| the horizon at 4. 46m. a. m, two hours be-
| fore the sun appears andspoils the spectacle.
| The moon is III CONJUNCTION with Saturn on
| the oath.
The sun, in its movement north at the end
| of February, will have increased the length
of the rays by 2h I'm. over the minimum
in December. A partial eclipse of the sun
| will occur on the 18th, which is invisible in
! the United States. February does not pre-
sent a stirring record of planetary incidents
on It's record, but it holds in its gift an ad-
ditional day, and thus gives the name of
| leap year to the year 1888
The February starlit sky will be charm
| ing Saturn will shine all night long.
Mercury will be plainly visible in the even
| ing twilight on the middle of the month.
Mars and Uranus will appear before mid
night, and Jupiter and Venus will divide
the honors of the dawn. The heavens will
| be brilliant with a superb array of stars,
the brightest that look down from the star
| depths. Among them are the fair Capella,
the radiant Arcturus, Sirius, Regulus, with
the well-knOwn consultations of Orion, the
| Twins, the Hyades and the clustering
! Pleiades. Observers may find these stars,
and many more, with the aid of the star
map and when once familiar by name,
they will prove lifelong source of enjoy
ment.