Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-09
THE SKY FOR NOVEMBER.


close This Month-Conjunction OF Plan
cts and an Eclipse of the Moon-The
Evening and Morning Stars.
New York Times.l
The speed of the sun slackens noticeably
during November. The daylight Is dimin-
ished by an hour, as it is 10K hours in
length to-day and only 91< on the 30th. The
conjunctions for the month begin with
visit to Saturn on the 7th, Urbanus on the
10th, Mercury on the 18th, Venus on the
14th, Jupiter on the 18th and Mars on the
same day. None of these is very close, but
on the 18th, when the three heavenly bodies
are together, the picture will be lovely, as
the sweet regent of the sky will be in cres-
cent shape and the two planets will be only
ten minutes apart.
A partial eclipse of the moon will take
place on the 26th, which will not be'vislble
in this Latitude, but can be seen in Asia,
India and on the Pacific. Only little
piece of the moon is obscured. The moon is
at its full on the day OF the eclipse, and it is
only when in that phase that an eclipse is
possible. The moon being illuminated by
the light of the sun, the earth coming in be-
tween the two cuts off the suns rays and
forms a shadow. As the moon enters the
shadow portion OF her surface seems to be
cut off and to disappear entirely, and her
visible portion continually grows smaller
until, in case OF a total eclipse, her whole
disk is immersed in the shadow. In about
half OF the lunar eclipses the moon passes
so far above or below the center OF the
shadow that part of her body is in it and
part outside at the time of greatest eclipse.
This is called partial eclipse of the moon.
In fhrc from, . f1r1 ha
enters the outer shadow, or penumbra, until
it leaves, there is an interval of more than
four hours, the time in the deepest shadow
being II minutes.
At the beginning of the month Venus,
Mars and Jupitr are evening stars; Neptune,
Saturn, Uranus and Mercury morning
stars. While greater In number, the
brilliancy of the latter group does not COM
pare with that of the former, as Saturn is
the only one that is at all attractive. Early
risers will find him in the morning in the
eastern SKY, about four hours before the
dark is trimmed with a length of bright
horizon. The size of the ringed planet is
gradually increasing, and as he gets to our
meridian two hours earlier at the close Of
the month than at its beginning, before the
end of the year we shall see his serene
yellow light shining in the eastern sky some
time before midnight. Saturn is to be found
in the constellation OF the Lion.
Uranus and the far-distant Neptune are
in the morning group, the former in the
constellation of Virgo. not very far from
Mercury, the two having just been in con-
junction. Uranus is moving further to the
westward away from the sun, and now
rises about $50 in the morning. Mercury
is retracing his steps toward the sun, and is
now no longer in a favorable position for us
81 ~ ic In, h
the moon on the 18th, but as this is the day
of new moon, we shall not be able to witness
the meeting.
In spite of the beauties of Venus, a
greater portion of the interest in the even
ing planets centers in the meeting between
Jupiter and Mars. 1t has been an interest
ing thing to watch these two planets as they
slowly decrease the distance that separates
them, and this will be intensified as the
time draws nearer the period of conjunc-
ton. The presence of the moon will add
greatly to the loveliness of the Iableau. Un-
fortunately for thorough enjoyment of this
rare picture, Mars, the last-named body.
has now drawn so far away from us as no
longer to appear so important as we once
considered him.
Jupiter has Just passed the point of quad
rature with the sun and is in fine position
for telescopic observation. According to
the best determinations the diameters of the
satellites of Jupiter range between {. 200 and
3, 700 miles, the volume of the smallest of
the four being very near that of our moon.
Venus is at present the brightest of the
5000 stars that stud the sky. Even the
broad sunligks does not entirely shut her
out from view. and the full moon scarcely
dins her luster. She has just reached her
period of greatest brllliancy, but there will
be no perceptible diminution of her light
for several weeks to come, as her diameter
is increasing as she comes nearer the earth.
Venus and the moon are in conjunction Oh
the 14th, but they are too far separated fol
scenic effect.