Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-01
THE HEAVENS IN DECEMBER.
Jupiter Now Without Rival in the Evenins
Sky.

EveOlmR
| Sky.
MARS AN OBJECT or GREAT INTEREST TO AsrRoN-
oMERs-sATURN NOW GEMS THE coRoNEr OF
THE MoRN AND MERCURY Is AN EVENING STAB
THE WINTER soLsTIcR.
The sun gets to the extreme southern limit O,
its journey December 81 and astronomical
winter begins, says a writer in the New York
Times. This point in his course is called the
solstice and, as the word implies, the sun seems
to stand still for few days before starting
north to ripen both our wits and our crops.
Months will pass, however, before we can ap-
preciate the increase in light and heat, and we
shall no doubt have practical proof Of the old
saying that as the days begin to lengthen the
cold begins to strengthen
In the days Of the old heather nations the
year began when the sun started north 1t was
the jubilee of the year to thei- simple natures,
the acknowledgements hour when. with
music, dancing and festive offerings they paid
homage to the rude deities they worshiped
and in whose power they had implicit faith.
To them the sun was the great representative
deity and the winter solstice the time pecu-
liary devoted to religious worship. Our own
festivities and thanksgivings at Christmas time
| are no more genuine than were the simple
|
| observances OF the ancients at the time when
old Sol turned his face northward. December
IL there Is central eclipse of the sun. which is
the last Tor the year, but which is of little in
| terest to us, as we can see nothing of it. Peo-
| pie living in the latitude of Auckl or Mauritius
will have q fine chance for observation. and
/ our scientists will have to depend upon their
| observations for additional data.
The last quarter of the present moon is on
December 4, the new moon comes on the 18th,
| first quarter on the 18th and full moon on
Christmas. The age of the moon at the be-
ginning OF the year gives us the exact number,
twenty, which, in the church calendar, is a
very important number to remember. The
| moon Is In conjunction with planet when the
| center of the moon and the center of the planet
are in the same right ascension or longitud, =.
The moon at that time may be, and generally
| Is, north or south of the planet. The conjunc-
| tons for the month begin with Saturn on the
4th and end with the same planet on the last
day OF the year. Neither Of these is sufficiently
close to attract particular attention. The sec
| ond conjunction is with Uranus on the 8th. but
| as We can seldom see the planet this meeting
also has but little significance Venus is too
close to the sun when her turn comes and
Mercury can be included in the same remark.
December 10 and Is, however there will be a con-
junction with Jupiter and with Mars, and, if the
evenings are bright and clear, there will be a
very pretty picture. Although the celestial
bodies are not very close together, their posi-
tions in relation to each other afford a fine
tableau.
The full moon in December is high in north
erly declnatiOn, SO that for two or three nights
we shall have its round, smiling face through
out the night. 1t was only few week ago that
In the midst OF the peculiar tint Of yellow green
so brilliant in the western sky soon after the
sun had touched the horizon Venus could be
seen shining serene and bright, but gradually
| 1t faded from view. as getting nearer and nearer
the sun it was absorbed by the more powerful
hight Almost the entire year Venus has proved
the chief attraction of the evening planets.
We have watched it emerge from the glare of
the sunlight, challenge Jupiter, and coming
out triumphant from the contest reign I'M
rivaled as the most brilliant gem in the celes-
tlal vault. But. like the ball secured to the
end OF piece of rubber and thrown out from
the hand to return to it on the rebound, so
Venus. having receded to its imit-about
forty-fve degrees-from the sun. is drawn by
irresistible force back once again toward the
center Of the solar SYSTEM with which it is in
inferior conjunction on the Sd.
According to the ancients Venus had two
names-Hesperus when it was evening star and
Phosphorus when it was morning star. As it
now joins the latter group and will be west OF
! the sun we shall next see it appear in the east
before sunrise, where it will shine long after
| the rest of nights candles have burned out.
Venus's diamete- is getting smaller and smaller
and a year hence it will hardly be One-sixth
OF its present size. At the beginning of De-
| cember the planet will be found in the con-
stellation of the Scorpion.
Jupiter is now without rival in the evening
| sky and can be seen just before the sun disap-
pears. He is we'll south in declination and is
coming to our meridian earlier and earlier as
the distance that separates him from the sun is
gradually lessening. About the middle of Feb
ruary the two will be in conjunction and when
next we see the giant planet it will be as morn
ing star He il chasing Venus and early in
April he will overtake and pass her. The con-
junction will be close and interesting, although
it will be somewhat too early in the morning
for the majority Of star gaZers. The right as
censioa of Jupiter on the LIST is 20 hours A
minutes, his declinatior is IS degrees "a min
. utes south. and he is to be found in the con-
stellation of Capricorn.
Mars, whose approach to Jupiter and depar-
ture from that planet formed so interesting
study for several weeks, is also an evening star
At present he is not quite three-quarters of an
hour behind his neighbor. but before the
! month closes the interval will be increased to
almost one hour and three-quarters and will con-
tinue to get wider and wider in the course of
the coming year. just at present there Is no
heavenly body that gives rise to more specula-
ton as to its composition. inhabitants, arti-
fetal changes. and so.forth than Mars. SCENT
| lists await with Impotence the approach of the
planet to a favorable location for observation
in order that if possible some light may be
thrown on many of the vexed questions that
are dividing our astronomers into factions and
producing the widest speculations as to what
really does exist upon the surface of our war
like neighbOrs.
Neptune and Uranus are at so very great a
distance that they fail to attract the attention
of the amateur student of the evening skies.
We are denied our usual monthly privilege of
finding Uranus by his proximity to the moon.
as at the time of conjunction the waning moon
Is not visible in the evening. Uranus at
first thought to be star, but closer observa-
tions Of its disk showed that it was not q star;
so it was then taken for a comet, and a study of
its orbit was made. This resulted in its beng
proved planet whose nearest distance to the
sun was at least fourteen times that of the earth
from the sun.
Mercury is evening star, and as he is growing
larger and getting further from the sun we shall
be able to. see him in the southwestern skies
shortly after sunset a little to the southwark Of
the point at which the sun disappears The
spring of the year is more favorable for seeing
the planet than the autumn; but if one looks
steadily at the point referred to he will find
Mercury shining with brilliant white light
| brighter than any fixed star, except Sirius. 1t
does not seem bright as it really is because it
can never be seen except when very near the
horizon; then, too. its brilliancy varies consid-
erably owing to the great eccentricity of its or
| bit and the great changes in its distance from
| the earth.
Saturn is now the fair star that gems the gilt
| tering cOronet of morn. He rises about six
| hours in advance of the sun and is larger and
more beautiful than at any time since the early
, months of the year. He is in the constellation
| of the Lion, not very far from the brightest
| star of that group. Regulus. Early risers will
| find him well up in the northeast section of the
/ h. hsuh ~,.x l..