Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-01
Written for The EVENING STAR.
THE STARS OF JUNE.
Planets and Consultations that will
Make the Night Sky Brilliant.

THE ASNULAR ECLIPSE OF THE sUN-PLANETs
THAT WILL BE vIsIBLE-THE NoRTHwARD
JOURNEY OF THE sUN-THE GRAND PROCESSION
OF THE STARS THROUGH THE HEAVENS.
The occurrence of special astronomical inter-
est during the month of June is an eclipse of
the sun on the 2sth, but as it is visible only in
South Africa, Arabia. India, and partially in
the East Indies and Western Australia, it is not
likely that observations of any real value will
be secured. 1t is one of the kind known as
dnnuldr eclipses. The moon comes directly be-
tween US and the sun, but as the apex of the
great funnel-shaped shadow cast by the moon
falls short of the earth by several thousand
miles, the effect is that the moons disk is not
quite big enough to cover the sun completely
and a narrow ring or ''annulus'' of sunlight is
left; if the apex of the shadow-cone reached
the earth we should then have the sun entirely
covered-totally eclipsed-a phenomenon of
much greater value to astronomers affording
an opportunity, while the intense light of the
sun Is cut off, to study the upper atmosphere of
our central luminary. The only observation to
be made in an aunular eclipse is to note accu-
rately the instants that the limbs or edges of
the disks OF the sun and moon come together
and separate, and the duration of the annulus
for correcting the lunar tables, and will thereby
enable US to make more accurate predictions in
regard to eclipses and to furnish mariners with
more accurate positions of the moon, upon
which they sometimes depend for longitude.
The sun works his way north until the Dist of
the month. when he enters the sign Cancer
and summer Officially begins. He rises on
this date at Al. 31m. and sets at III. 3lm. making
the day Is hours long, the longest of the year.
The moon is in its first quarter on June g.
fulls on the 18TH is in the last quarter on the
goth, and is new on the 28th.
THE PLANETS.
Mercury continues well situated for observa-
ton till June 9-far north in declination, and
setting nearly an hour after the sum- Advan-
tage should be taken of this opportunity to
catch glimpse OF this rapidly moving member
OF our family Immediately after sunset. On
the 18th he is In " inferior conjunction" and
then passes over to the western side of the sun
to I'LL the role of morning star for the rest of
the month.
Mars is still practically invisible.
Jupiter is the bright star low down in the
southeast during the early part of the evening.
On the oath he Is in opposition with the sun
that Is, he crosses the meridian at midnight.
On the morning Of the 14th, about minutes
past D, he is partly occulted by the moon.
Saturn is in the constellation Leo crossing
the meridian about 4:30 in the afternoon, some
80 minutes ahead of the bright star Regulus
On the Sd he Is in conjunction with the moon.
BY the end Of the month he is too near the sun
to be examined with advantage.
Uranus is readily recognized with the naked
eye little north and east of the 4th magnitude
star, IhetaVlrginis, crossing the meridian about
$50 on June l and about $50 on June 80
Neptune Is still invisible in the SUMS rays.
THE CONSULTATIONS.
The apparent motion Of the sun among the
stars, nearly degree each day toward the
east, has carried several of the consultations
that have been especially attractive during the
spring below the western horizon; they are
replaced by others. hardly less interesting, in
the east.
At about o'clock on any evening during the
earlier part of the month constellation Scorpio
will be seen coming up In the southeast requir-
ing but little Imagination to convert the tortu-
ous trail of stars into the gigantic monster that
terrified Phaeton to such an extent on the me-
morable occasion of his attempt to drive the
chariot of the sun, that he lost control of ApoI-
los horses and narrowly missed disastrous
collision with the earth. The chief star in
Scorpio is the deep red Antares. Further to
the west is the constellation Virgo, its brightest
star Spica about an hour past the meridian
Leo, with its first magnitude star, Regulus, is
nearly due west and the twins, Castor and
Pollux, are quietly going to bed little farther
round toward the north. Ursa Major, more
Familiarity describedby its seven principal stars
forming the clipper" is high up in the north
west, little past the meridian; cassiopeae, with
the five bright stars forming the letter w, is al
most directly under the pole. Lyra is well up
in the east, and is followed by Cygnus further
toward the north and Aquila toward the south.
The bright red star Arcturus of the constella-
ton Bootes is on the meridian, and Just follow
ing it and a little further north is the Northern
Crown. Bootes was called by the Greeks the
Bear Driver, because it seems continually to
chase the Great Bear in his path around the
pole. One story is that Bootes was the sun of
the nymph Colisto, whom Juno, in one of her
customary fits Of jealousy, turned into bear.
Bootes, who had become famous hunter, one
day started up bear, and, not knowing that it
was his mother, was about to kill her, when
Jupiter came to the rescue and snatched them
both up into the sky. W. @. WINLocK,