Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-29
THE RICHMOND DIspATCH-sUNDAY. JANUARY 49, 1888

eouilaterial triangle at the beginning OF
the month. The position Of the planets
in regard 10 each other will be changed
at the end of the month, for Mars is
moving southeast and Uranus northwest.
Planets and star will then form a TRAN
gle. but a very irregular one.
The right ascension OF Uranus on the
LIST Is lSh. 4m., his decination is g. s.
south. his diameter is 3".S, and he is in
the constellation Virgo.
Uranus rises on the LIST ut 10h. Pam. p.
M. On the Goth he risesat Sh. 32m. 2.
NJ.
THE MOON.
The February moon fulls on the 9th
M Oh. Sim. A. M. She is in conjunction
with Uranus on the I'd at l1h. Dom. A.
M, being - 2Y north. She is in con-
junction with Mars on the Sd at Oh.
BON. A. NJ, being % 81 north. The
moon pays her respects to Jupiter on
the 9Th at 7h. 35m. 2. NJ, being 40 2
north. She is at her nearest point to
Venus on the 9Th, three days before new
moon, at 3h. 5lm. p. NJ, being II "a
north. Though the fair planet and
waning moon are not visible at the time
OF conjunction, they will make a charm
ing picture in the southeastern sky
on the morning of the 9th. The moon
then rises at Oh. ION. A. NJ, and Venus
shows her fair face above the horizon at
4h. Am. A. NJ, two hours before the
sun appears and spoils the spectacle.
The moon on the 18th. nearly two days
old. is in conjunction with Mercury on
the 18th at 4h. 19m. A. NJ, being % y
south. Our swiftly moving satellite is in
conjunction with Neptune on the 18th at
Oh. Inn. p. NJ, being B % south. She
is in conjunction with Saturn on the 25th
al 3h. 5m. p. NJ, being IL % south.
The moon near the full, and the bright
evening star in near neighborhood Will
be fair to see. The moon, having COM
pleted the circuit of the planets, swings
her ponderous sphere for the second time
in the month near Uranus. The con-
junction occurs on the 18th at Oh. 3lm.
Z. NJ, the moon being Il % north.
PARTIAL ECLIPSE OF THE sun.
A partial eclipse of the sun occurs on
the 18th, which is invisible in the United
States but is visible in the extreme part
of South America and in the South Pa
cifc and Indian oceans. Ii is the second
Of the five eclipses that will take place
during the year, including three OF the
sun and two of the moon. Eclipses have
periods or cycles, that are completed in
lSy. lid. and 7 or Sh. The early as
tronomers discovered this period and
called it the Saros, and in this way learn
ed to compute eclipses. The five eclipses
of the present year repeat those OF 1870.
The solar eclipse of February 18th is q
recurrence OF the one that occurred on
January 81, 1870 The total lunar eclipse
of January 2Sth was q recurrence OF the
one that occurred on January II, 1870
We give the average intervals between
the series. They are exact in years and
days, but not in hours.
FEBRUARY
does not present stirring record OF
planetary incidents on It's record, but 1t
holds in its gift an additional day, and
thus gives the name OF leap year to the
wear 1888. It is so called because the
year then leaps to 1856 days, while other
years number 36j days. The mean
solar year consists of q little less
than $685. days. TO make the solar
and the civil year correspond, one
day is added TO every fourth year. The
length Of the year, however, is not
Fexactly 1861 days, but is in reality 36jd,
5h, 4Sm., sos, or lin. los less In order
to make up for the displacement the
years denoting centuries are not counted
as leap years unless the first two figures
are divislble by /. The year 1900 is not a
leap year, but the year 2000 is counted in
the list. Every year divisible by 4, ex-
cepting those denoting centuries, IS a leap
year. The February star-lit sky will he
charming. Saturn will shine all night
long. Mercury will be plainly visible in
the evening twilight in the middle Of the
month. Mars and Uranus will appear
before midnight and Jupiter and Venus
will divide the honors of the dawn. The
heavens will be brilliant with superb
array of stars, the brightest that look
down from the star depths. Among
them are the fair Capella, the radiant
Arcturus Sirius, and kegulus, 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 a lifelong source
of enjoyment