The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-11-30
THE DECEMBER SKIES.
Pictures That Will Overhang
Seattle on Clear Nights.
WINTER CONSULTATIONS OUT.
A Chart OF the Heavens a Unrolied DUR
ing the Next Few wssks-Ths
Star OF Bethlehem.

Were it not for the intervening clouds
the skies overhanging the Queen City
for the ensuing month would present ga
lazy of consultations Of surprising beauty
and grandeur. among which appear some
of the largest and most brilliant stars OF
our entire stellar system and concerning
many Of which have arisen questions of the
utmost interest and importance to the
science of astronomy. The groups of stars
known rs the winter considerations" are
becoming each night more favorably sit
uated to be seen. and before the end OF the
month will appear in the eariv evening and
shine throughout the best part OF the
night, at least beyond the hour when the
ordinary observer cares to remain awake.
Beginning with the planets, Jupiter first
demands attention from his brilliancv and
importance IS the evening star. Venus,
now lying 50 near the horizon as to lose her
light in the rays Of the sun. until about the
Sd of the month. when she will appear as
the morning star. arises in the east just
before the sun. bringing glad news OF
the coming day. Jupiter is By all odds the
giant member Of our solar system, being
larger than all the other planets combined
and having volume at least l. 800 times
that of the earth. He rejoices in the pos
session of four moons. which can be easily
seen with the most ordinary telescope, or
even detected with good field glasses. No
difficulty will be experienced in picking out
this magnificent orb. as he is the only
prominent planet in the west during the
early part Of the evening, and shines with
steady white light Jupiter is unlike
the other planets of our system in
that he is supposed to shine some
little with his own light, his surface fires
not yet having sought the interior, as in
the case of the earth. This fact allies him
more nearly to the sun than is the case
with the remaining planets, while his i'm
mense size and great power of attraction
enable him to perform the very important
Office of sentinel to the sun with respect to
inrushiug and outgoing comets and other
aerial visitors, his force of gravity consider
ably influencing the orbit of some of these
coquettes of the skies. Jupiter has q day
of only ten hours, but makes it up in the
length of his year. which is equal to twelve
of the earth's years, while he revolves about
the sun at the mean distance Of 4S0. 000, 600
miles.
Mars comes next in order. and is but .
few degrees distant from his big compan-
ion. During the early part of November
Mars lay nearer the horizon than Jupiter,
but has been outstripped in the race
through space and now follows instead of
preceding his unwieIdy neighbor. Mars
shines with rudy light suggestive OF
carnage, hence his name. god of bloody
battles" Minerva being the goddess OF.
scientific warfare. The ecoentricitv of this
planet is very great. bringing 1t sometimes
comparatively near the sun. and within
IS, 0O0, 900 miles of the earth, and then
driving il an almost inconceivable dis
lance away. the latter being the cause of
his diminished brightness. Mars has two
moons and diameter of only 1900 miles,
and Is hence about half the size of the
earth, to which he bears many striking re-
semblances. The other planets OF our sys-
tenn are at present either shining through
the day or are too dim to be observed
without the use of an instrument
Passing from the planets to the stars, we
will observe radical change. and it may
not be uninteresting to here note the diff
ference between planet and star. The
former comes from the Greek word PLAN
etes, and means wanderer. This name
is derived from the fact that ancient OBJ
servers noticed that, while the vast major
ity of heavenly bodies maintained rela-
lively stable positions. some few were seen
to wander in and out among the others,
apparently not bound by the general laws
prevailing among the stars. Hence their
n Anne, wanderers. They were subsequently
noticed to shine with different character
of light from all the other orbs, and it re-
manned for still later astronomers to dis
cover that they were shining with the re-
flected light of the sun. hence their steady
brilliancy and the almost entire absence OF
"twinkling." The stars proper are i'm
mense suns off on the confines of creation,
and being huge masses of fiery fame. shine
with their own light The immense size
and distance OF these vast furnaces can be
best imagined when we remember that the
suns nearest neighbor, Alpha Centauri, Is
about Is, 0O0. 00O. 600 600 miles distant, and
whose light reaches the earth after jour-
i,ey of three years.
From the most ancient times it has been
the custom to group the stars into constel-
lations, representing every conceivable i'm
age or shape. SO that birds and animals,
and fishes of every description, have been
discovered among the flying worlds of
space, while heroes and heroines. kings
and queens, lords and ladies fair, chariot
GERS, hunters. water carriers, maids and
lovers in endless array, crowd up the
yaulted slopes of night. OF course these
resemblances are almost entirely imagine
ry, and any one VINO searches the face Of
the skies for the actual likeness to man
or bird will find himself woefully disap-
pointed. They are to be taken on faith.
and with . large amount of imagination
thrown in, and where the reader is told
certain grouping of stars is dog. or bear,
or flying horse. he must say, "Yes, of
course, very plain" and by the eye of
faith see the resemblance as though nature
had turned artist and painted the image In
orbs of glowing light.
Standing. then, in any open space about
Seattle and making Jupiter the starting
point, the first star of importance that
comes within the scope of vision is Affair,
the bold eye in the constellation of the
eagle. This star is somewhat 70 the
northeast of Jupiter. and shines out with .
bright and cheerful light. 1t lies in the
Ger ter of three stars. the other two being
rather dim and of minor importance.
In close companionship with the eagle,
and being bu. few degrees to the east Of
Affair. is the famous constellation of the
dolphin, better known Is Jobs coffin.
The dolphin composes small group Of
four dim stars in the shape Of diamond,
and must bs looked for closely In order to
be observed. When finally seen 1t will re-
ward the search by presenting . beautiful
appearance and lending henceforth An
added charm to the skies.