Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-07-04
URANULOGY SOR JULY.

July opens with the sun in apogee; that
Is, at his greatest distance from the Earth.
1t is difficult to realize; but there Is no fact
In astronomy more concluslvely demon
strable than that we are millions OF miles
farther from the Sun at the present time
than we were on New Years Day.
There will be a partia, eclipse OF the
Moon on July 18th, Invisible here, though
within the observation OF pretty much all
the rest OF the world. The phases OF the
Moon for July are as follows: First quarter,
eth, 1853 a. m. full Moon, 12th, 4,0l p. M;
last quarter, 10th, 2,4i p. M; new Moon,
9th, z p. m. On the 25th, at 1891 p. ui,,
there will be an occultation OF Mercury by
the Moon, visible through the telescope.
AT p. m, on the same day the Moon will
occult Mars, but as the Moon Will then be
only half an hour high, this occultation
will be Of still more difficult visibility than
that OF Mercury. On the 22d, at 4 a. M,
the Moon will pass Venus at distance OF
only Al minutes.
Mercury is morning planet during July,
rising on the LIST about 8 AZ II. M, and on
the 3lst at 4 20 a. m. At O'Clock on the
morning ofthe IL h be reaches greatest west
ern elongstion. His diameter will then be
barely seconds, bur his high northern de.
clination and growing brllliaucy will max 9
him quite conspicuous In the early morn.
ing SKY. At l O'Clock on the evening OF
the 9th he will be In close conjunction
with Mars. TIE conjunction itself will be
invisible, the planets being below the hori-
Zon, but 1t may BIZ quite possible to watch
their approach up to the early morning of
that day.
Venus is morning planet, rising about
Fha lat nd 90 he
3lst. Her diameter has decreased from
nearly 60 seconds en- the lst of May to rs
seconds on the lst OF July, and will 60 on
decreasing to 20 seconds at the close OF the
month. Venus was at her greatest brill
fancy on June 9th. being then bright
| enough to be seen by the naked eye In the
day lime. After elongation she retraces
| Ter steps slowly towards the Sun for the
| rest OF the year.
Besides his conjunction with Mercury,
mentioned above there is little to say, Tor
| Mars In July. His diameter ia only four
seconds and will not grow sensibly larger
until the winter months.
| Jupiter is evening planet and. except the
4 Moon, the most conspicuous luminary of
the night. He passed opposition on June
Gath and now rlaes a few minutes before
| sunset His collar diameter is 44A seconds,
| and, though his tremendous southern de-
clinqtion is drawback, his satellites ought
10 be readily seen with good spyglass,
steadily mounted, II looked for In the
zenith say from 10 p. m. to midnight.
Saturn f. evening planet and ap.
| preaching so near the Sun that he will
soon be lost to view, setting less than an
hour after the Sun by the close OF the
| month.
Uranus is evening planet and favorably
situated. his diameter is trifls under
seconds. He sets about midnicht on the
LIST and TWO hours earlier at the close Of the
mouth. Hs Is In the constellation Virgo
about 40 north and 50 east OF the bright
star spica Virginia.
Neptune is morning planet, rising about
2 is u. m. IL. In the constellation Taurus
The ieeter footed Venus passing through
the same constellation. will be In coujnnc
ton with, and ~ to the north OF Nep
tune on the niRht Of the lott
OF July; aud near enough, per
haps. to serve az po inter 10 enable thu
possessoi of u good spyglass who cares tt
rise at or 4 q. NJ, the next morning K
make out Neptune, which is never visibl,
to the unaided eye.