Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-30
HIS SOLAR MAJESTY NEAR.

Next Thursday VIII Find Him Only O0.S22.-
600 Miles From This Little EartI,- Two
PnrtialEclipses on His Rnnning schedule
for -GIlmpsss Of Mercury, Mars,
Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and
Neptune.
All sights are alike to thy brightnessi
What If thou waken the birds to their song dost
thou waken no sorrow;
Waken no sick to their pain; no captive to wrench
at his fetters?
Smile on the garden and fold, ana on maidens
who sing at the milking
Flash into tapestried chambers, and peep in the
eyelids Flowers.
Showing the bissful their bliss. s.-Kin0siey.
So the Greeks regard the sun in their
mythology. And It does not seem that we
should be too enlightened or matter-of.fact TO
find pleasure in their stories about nature. For
example, they typifed the sun by the god
HeIios or Sol, who had magnificent palace in
the East, whence he stated out each morning
In chariot drawn by four horses At evening
he reached his palace in the West. How he got
back to the East again was not explained He
saw and heard everything and was able to
witness against those OF the gods who did
wrong.
The earth is nearest the sun ON the second
day Of the year. on which day she is only y0-
$4,000 miles from his solar majesty. In the
early part Of the month the day increases in
length at the rate of about half minute daily.
The sun will be eclipsed twice during the
year 1880, but neither of the eclipses viii be of
much Importance. The first win be On June II,
and will be visibleso q certain extent in all the
continents of the Eastern hemisphere OK.
cept Australia; but the moon will be
SO far away from the earth at the time
that she will not hide the whole disk of
the SUM- but win for certain places Of the earth'S
surface obscure the central part leaving ring
all around. on account of which such an eclipse
Is called an annular eclipse. The next solar
eclipse will be on December12, and will partake
OF the same nature at the beginning and end,
but will be total for q small region. It will be
visible in the Indian and Antarctic Oceans and
the southern part Of Australia.
Mercury is evening star until the 10Th. when
he passes to the western side Of the sun and
becomes morning star. On the 18th he ID at
that point in his orbit where he is separated by
the greatest angular distance from the sun, as
seen from the earth. Mercury, the sun and the
earth are then at the apices Of an approximate
ly isosceles triangle, Mercury being 100000
miles from the earth and %, ,0OO. 900 from the
sun. and the earth 81, 900, 600 from the sun. The
angular distance between the sun and planet
will be 16o 81. This elongation may be consfd-
cred q moderately favorable one, and the planet
may probably be seen easily with field glass
few days before and after the 18th. On the 9th
utes after the sun; on the 18th he sets at 6:4S p
NJ, hour and 50 minutes after sunset. His aI1-
parent diameter at the eiongation Is 0ps, and
he Is In the constellation Capricornus
Venus may be seen in the early morning for
-, Ao. t. a.
she soon loses herself in the suns bsams. and
viii pass beyond the sun from west to east be-
coming evening star, on the 18th Of next
month. On the first day of the year she rises
at 7:46 A. NJ, 40 minutes before the sun Her
apparent diameter Is 1912, and she is in the
constellation 6agittafius.
Mars is morning star, rising ct 1;5S on the
OF the 9th, ana at 1:S3 on the 18th. On |
the lst OF the month he Is in the constsila-
ton Virgo, about l0e east Of Spica; later on he
gets into Libra. His apparent diameter is 6".4, |
and the phase is gibbous.
Jupiter, the king Of planets, has withdrawn |
himself from our view, and will not be visible /
to earthly gaze for several weeks to come. On |
the 10Th of January he passes behind the sun |
and becomes morning star.
Saturn is morning star, but rises in the early |
part Of the evening" and can be observed BY 10 |
or ii O'Clock. The rings may be well seen, their |
plane making an angle OF about 90 with the |
planet is 1915. Saturn may be Identified by
the star Regulus, in the we'll known sickle of |
the Lion. The planet Is about 70 east of this |
star. and rises on the 9TH 1t 656 p NJ, and on |
the 25th at 1852 P. n.
Uranus is morning star, rising on the MORN
ing Of the 10th, 81 minutes after midnight. He |
s in quadrature, i. e., 9eo west Of the sun, on I
The 10th of the month. Uranus is still in the |
constellation Virgo. about 50 east and 10 north |
1f Spica, or Alpha Virgins.
Neptuneis evening star. crossing the merid-
An at g:l9 on the evening Of the 5th, and at 7:5D
1t1 the 25th. He sets on the 9th at 4s54 A. N.
Neptune is IN Taurus. between the Pleiades |
and Hyades, and1es than half degree north
IS not visible to the naked eye.
The moon will be eclipsed but once during |
The year 1896, but will come very close to being /
schpsed at another time On the morning 0fthe |
ID Of June she will pass very near the shadow
Of the earth, but as the size Of the penumbra
20 the earth's shadow depends largely on the
condition Of the earth's atmosphere, it cannot
be predicted with certainty whether the moon
will enter the shadow or not. Such close APP
1foach of the moon Is called Lunar Appulse.
rhe only lunar eclipse Of the year will be on
;he 26th, but will not be visible in this country
Luna's phases for the month are as follows: |
Full moon, January g. 1877 A. NJ. last quarter,
January IA II :68 A. NJ; new moon, January q,
Lac A. NJ: first quarter, January % ll6 A. M.
BERT E V. LUTY.
PITTsBuRe December o. 1880