Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-02
DECEMBER PLANETS.
There is Now No Rival to Jupiter in
the Heavenly Skies
OF INTEREST TO ASTRONOMERS.
A Pretty Picture at the Conjunction Of
Planets This Month.
TIE POSITION OF MARS AND SATURN

limit of its journey December 81 and astro
nomical winter begins. This point in hi
course is called the solstice, and, as the wore
implies, the sun seems to stand still for 6
few days before starting north to ripen bott
our wits and our crops. Months will pass
however, before we can appreciate the in
crease in light and heat and we shall, nc
doubt, have practical proof of the old say.
ing 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, says
a writer in the New York Times. 1t wa:
the jubilee of the year to their simple
natures, the long-looked-forward-to hour
when, with music, dancing and festive offer.
ings, 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 peculiarly devoted
to religious worship. Our own festivities
and thanksgivings at Christmas time are no
more genuine than were the simple faith
and trust that were symbolized by the OBJ
servances of the ancients at the time when
old Sol turned his face northward. Decem-
Der II there is a central eclipse of the sun,
which is the last for the year, but which is
of little interest to u.s. as we can see nothing
of it. People living in the latitude Of
Auckland or Mauritius will have a flne
chance for observation, and our scientists
will have to depend upon their observations
for additional data.
TIE CoNJUNCTIoNs.
The last quarter of the present moon is on
December 4, the new moon comes on the
11th, first quarter on the 18th, and full moon
on Christmas. The age of the moon at the
beginning Of the year gives us the exact
number, 20, which in the church calendar is
a very important number to remember. The
moon is in com junction with a planet when
the center of the moon and the center of the
planet are in the same right ascension or
longitude. The moon at that time may be,
and generally is, north or south of the
planet. The conjunctions 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 second conjunc-
ton is with Uranus on the 9Th, 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 Is and 16. however, there will be
q conjunction with Jupiter and with Mars,
and, if the evenings are bright and clear,
there will be a very pretty picture. AL
though the celestial bodies are not very close
their positions in relation to each
other afford fine tableau.
The full moon in December is high in
northern declInation, so that for two or
three nights we shall have its round, smil-
ing face throughout the night. 1t was only
a few weeks 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 it
faded from view, as getting nearer and
nearer the sun it was absorbed by tine more
powerful light. 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, chal-
lenge Jupiter, and, coming out triumphant
from the contest, reign unrivaled as the
most brilliant gem in the celestial vault.
But, like the ball secured to the end of a
rubber and thrown out from the hand to re-
turn to it on the rebound, so Venus, having
receded to its Iimit-about 45 degrees-irom
the sun, is drawn by irresistible force back
once again toward the center of the solar
system, with which it is in inferior con-
junction on the Sd.
VENUS, JUPITER AND MARS.
According to the ancients, Venus had two
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 ap-
pear in the east before sunrise, where it will
china aftar rh., of pinhfbe oonIlas
have burned out. Venus's diameter is
getting smaller aud smaller, and a year
hence it will hardly be one-sixth its present
size. At the beginning OF December the
planet will be found in the constellation of
the Scorpion.
Jupiter is now without a rival In the
evening sky and can be seen just before the
sun disappears. He is we'll south in decli-
nation and is coming to our meridian earlier
and earlier as the distancet hat separates him
from the sun is gradually lessening. About
the middle OF February the two will be in
conjunction, and when next we see the
giant planet it will be as morning star. He
is chasing Venus. and early in April he
will overtake and pass her. The conjunc-
ton will be close and interesting, although
it will be somewhat too early in the MORN
ing for the majority of star gazers. The
IlBub dsCCASlOn Va Ou buc lSb 10 ~
hours A minutes, his declinatlon is 1S
degrees "a minutes south, and he is to be
found in the constellation of Capricorn
Mars whose approach to Jupiter and de:
parture from that planet formed so interest
ing study for several weeks. is also an
evening star. At present he is not quite
three-quarters of an hour behind his neigh
Dor, but bsfore the month closes the interval
Will be increased to almost to one hour and
and will continue 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 speculation as
10 its composition, inhabitants, artificial
charges, and so forth, than Mars. Scientists
await with impatience the approach of tine
planet to favorable location for observa-
ton in order that If possible some light may
be thrown on many of the vexed questions
that are dividing our astronomers into fac
lions and producing the widest specula-
ions as to what really does exist upon the
surface of our warlike nelghbors.
POSITION OF URANUS.
Neptune and Uranus are at so very great
4 distance that they fail to attract the atten-
ton OF the amateur student of the evening
skies. We are denied our usual monthly
privilege of finding Uranus by his proxim-
lty TO the mopn, as at the time OF conJunc-
ton the waning moon is not visible in the
evening. Uranus was at first thought to be
a star, but closer observations of its disc
showed that it was not star; SO it was then
taken for a comet, and a study of its orbit
was made. This resulted In its being
proved a planet, whose nearest distance to
the sun was at least IA 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. south
western skies shortly after sunset little to