Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-03
THE FEBRUARY HEAVENS.
Progress Of the Sun Northward-The
Moon and the Planets.

Moon and the Planets.
From the New York Times.
The first view Of the sun can now be had
about m, and the days are ten hours and
nineteen minutes long. During the month he
gets A. so nearer the equator, and the days at
the close Of the month are heightened by just
| about one hour.
| The moon fulls on the 4th at o'clock in the
evening, and should the night be clear the sight
will be well worth seeing, as the moon is high
in northern declination and will be visible
throughout the hight. On the 9th there will
be conjunction with Saturn; on the 10th with
Uranus. On the 18th the moons phase will be
that of last quarter, on which dase there will be
| conjunction with Mars. On the 18th there is
| the new moon, which is in conjunction with
Jupiter and Mercury. On the 18th our satel-
lite completes its circle of monthly conjunc-
tons with the planets by passing fairly close to
Venus. To the naked eye few of these con-
functions will be attractive, SO many of the
brilliant planets being at the time unfayorably
situated for observation.
Jupiter, although morning star, is hardly vet
visible in the eastern sky being still rather too
close to the sun; but as the month advances we
shall gradually see more of his brilliant luster.
In the spring he will be~yisible in the morning
hours, in the summer during the whole night,
and in the evenings for the remainder of the
year. The observer is never at q loss for an
object when Jupiter is above the horizon. His
four satellites are continually affording inter-
esting phenomena for study by the amateur
and this year the fourth satellite-Calypso-
which usually escapes eclipse by the planet and
shadow, will figure quite prominently in the
list Of events.
Mercury. the unstable one, has recently be-
come morning star. 1t was almost the only
evening star last month, and it Is now in the
constellation of the goat. Even the most
patient of star gazers could not catch glimpse
OF this planet unaided by glass; and it will re-
main hidden until about the time of its west
ern elongation from the sun early in April
Saturn begins the month as morning star,
but on the 18th Of the month it is in opposition
with the sun, rising at the latter SETS and after
that date 1t ranks among the evening planets.
An observer who knows the star group famil-
iarly designated as the Sickle will readily be
able to find Saturn, as he is serenely shining
degree to the eastward of Regulus, the bright
est star OF the group. AS one degree is nearly
twice the diameter of the moon, the gradually
lessening distance between the star and planet
Will form an interesting feature, particularly
as the two come quite close together, after
which the space between them gradually
widens.
Uranus and Neptune are nearly at opposite
stations IN the heavens, but unfortunately are
well beyond our vision, their general position
being distinguished by bright stars of the first
magnitude in the same general locality, Uranus
being close to Spica which comes to our me-
ridlan about o'clock IL the morning, quite
well down in the southern portion of the
heavens, while Neptune, the outermost men,
Der of our system, is not far from the brilliant
Aldebaran, one of the brightest twinklers in
the winter skies. which comes above the horizon
nine hours earlier.
Venus, after her close conjunction with Jupi-
ter, continues on her way eastward toward the
sun, and, like her rival, is conspicuous by her
absence, as she is near the sun that we are
not able to distinguish this most sparkling of
all the gems. On the 18th she is in conjunc-
tion with the sun, and, passing to the other
side. she again takes up the role of queen of
the evening skies, where for the greater part of
the year she will remain. reaching her greatest
elongatlon east OF the sun on September % and
being at the greatest brilliancy October %.
The chief interest among the planets for the
year centers about Mars, which remains morn
ing star until May q, when occurs the .'appo-
sltlon OF Mars" At this time the earth, planet
and sun will all be in the same straight line
and consequently we shall be nearer the Mar
lans than at any time during the year. These
appositions come about every twenty-six
months and every fifteen years they occur when
the two planets are nearest to each other.
THE FIXED STARS.
When one is conversant with the positions of
few of the principal stars he has at his COM
mand the means of ascertaining the where
abOuts of the remaining stars of the first mag
nitude. A slight effort of memory only is re-
CURED We all know the whereabouts of the
North star and probably most of us are by this
time well acquainted with the constellation
known as the Great Bear or more Familiarity as
the Dipper. The two stars forming the outer
portion of the Dipper are called the Pointers,
as they always point toward the Pole star
With this as beginning we can find the other
bright stars. The planets, wandering about as
they do, are not included in these rules of
plumb. A line from Polaris through the star
at the outer end Of the handle of the Dipper
passes through Arcturus. one of the brightest
stars line from Polaris perpendicular to the
direction of the Pointers and OH the opposite
side to the Great Bear passes at 4S degrees dis
lance through the beautiful white star Capella,
and in this same line and about the same dis
lance on the opposite side of the pole is a
bright star in the Harp called Vega. About %
degrees to the eastward of this star and almost
the same distance from Polaris is the brightest
of the group, known as the Swan.
A line drawn from Polaris, between Capella
and star near it to the eastward passes lust
to the west of the grandest of all conste llatons,
Orion. which, from the beginning of astronomy
and probably long before astronomy was
thought of, was figured as giant: sometimes
giant hunter, sort of celestial Nlmrod; some
times as warrior. No one can mistake this
most beautiful group, now so favorably situated
for attracting our attention and commanding
our admiration, as the two bright shoulder
stars, Betelgeux and Bellatrix, the brilliant star
Rigel on the giants advanced foot. the trebly
gemmed belt. and the pendant sword-tipped
with bright star, distinguish Orion unmistak-
ably.
Approaching the middle of the southern por-
tion OF the heavens can now be seen the bright
est of all the stars, Sirius, the famous dog star
which was originally one OF Orion's hunting dogs
and whose burning breath WIS supposed to
breed pestilence, fevers and plaques. This
star is in rapid motion and is rushing from us
at the rate of about thirty miles per second and is
already SO far that his light has been no less
than twenty years on its way to us. so that in
reality. instead of saying We see Sirius, we
ought to say We see where he was some twenty
years ago. The young astronomer will no
doubt find it interesting to notice how. six
months hence, the stars which are now rising
at any given hour in the east will be found at
the same hour setting in the west while those
which at any hour are now setting in the west
will be found six months hence rising in the
east.