Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-03
THE MARCH HEAVENS.
The Astronomical Spring Begins on
the 20lh of the Mouth.
VENUS WILL BE THE MORNING STAR
Both Mars and Jupiter Are Now Illuminat-
ing the Evening Sky.
ANCIENT NOTIONS OF THE PLANETS

| tCOuOlulCdi sPiihS bS-iuss anu dS Tile EOlueD
rays once more illuminate the North Pole
the days and nights are equal all over the
globe The equinoctial crosses the ecliptic
every year when the sun enters Aries, but
not at the same point 1t retrogrades abo nj
80 seconds of arc in year, and this com.
plicated movement is called the precessio.
of the equinox.
This backward movement continues for
about q, 900 years, when a new cycle be-
gins. Ii the earth were a perfect sphere
there would be no procession of the equi-
noxes. There is however, protuberance
OF matter at the equator, and the powerful
influence of the sub and moon acting upon
this forces the earth to respond to the at
traction and causes a rolling or wabbling
motion OF the pole of the earth around the
pole of the ecliptic, in a small circle, and
with so slow a motion that revolution is
completed in about $4,000 years. The
change in the polar star is another result of
this movement. The present pole star will
not hold that distinction 1000 years hence,
but will be replaced by the bright star
Vega.
Movements of the Sun and Moon.
The sun rises on the 1st about 80 and sets
shortly before z, the day being one hour and
quarter longer at the close of the month
than at its beginning. The March moon
does not come in until the 10th. Before the
waning moon takes its departure it is in op-
position with Jupiter, Venus and Mercury,
but planet and crescent are rather too far
apart and the meeting at too early period
of the day for any but the earliest risers to
obtain view. Mars and the young moon
meet on the 18th, followed two days later by
conjunction with Neptune. On the 23d the
moon and Saturn come fairly close to each
other, but the disk of our satellite is too well
rounded to admit to Saturn's light being
seen to advantage.
! One of the most important events, as far
as the church calendar is concerned, occurs
| on the 10Th, when the moon fulls. The
Sunday following this full moon is Easter
Sunday, from which the dare of Ash
Wednesday and other church days are reck-
oned. Conjunction with Uranus on the 9th
closes the lunar events ior the month.
Venus is morning star. and is during the
month peerless among the planets. She Is
| the iLost glorious object that adorns the
| armament during the early morning hours
| among the myriad hosts that glitter and
| twinkle in the celestial world archiug above
| the observer who rises in time to behold the
enchanting picture.
Venus Approaching Conjunction.
Her luster has been growing dim during
the past two months, though the change can
scarcely be perceived. She is approaching
the sun now, and will be 20 minutes nearer
/. that luminary when the month closes than
Ishe is to-day. 1t requires 220 days to make
h. Il
rior conf JUNCTION, which occurs on September
1S, but only 72 days are necessary in passing
from interior con junction to western elon-
CATION. The conclusion has been reached by
astronomers that the period of rotation of
Venus around her axis is equal to the period
of revolution around the sun, and that the
actual period of the length of the day in the
planet is 224 of our days. Nothing has so
far been disclosed in relation to the progress
Of the eIght-hour labor movement, as to
whether laborers appear to be paid by the
dav or by the hour.
Jupiter is also morning star, but lust at
present he is not very brilliant. He has
not emerged sufficiently from the suns ravs
to admit of our seeing him, as he rises only
half an hour ahead OF the sun. He is, how
ever, gradually widening the distance, and
at the end of the month will be up one hour
and half before sunrise, and as his size is
gradually increasing he will be beautiful
object some little time before morn begins
cleaning in the East. Jupiter is moving
rapidly to the westward, and is approaching
Venus as the latter moves to the eastward,
and the two are also getting closer together
in declination. Venus moving north with
greater rapidity than Jupiter, so that early
in April there will be = rare treat afforded
US, as the two brightest planets will be in
conf JUNCTION.
Saturn an Interesting Study.
1t will be we'll worth the sacrifice of por-
ton of the morning nap to take a peep at
the time of the event, as the conditions are
much more favorable than is usually the
case.
Saturn is morning star until the 4th,
when he reaches point 900 from the sun,
or what is known rs opposition, which, OH
account of its being the most favorable for
observation, is the one in which astrono-
mers like best to catch him. Owing to the |
motion of the earth, the times when the |
edge of Saturn's ring Is turned toward us do |
not accurately correspond to those when it |
is turned toward the sun, and the points of |
the planets orbit in which this may occur |
range over a space of several degrees The |
most interesting times for viewing the rings |
with powerful telescopes are on those rare |
occasions when the sun shines one side |
of the ring while the dark side is directed |
toward the earth. On these occasions the |
plane of the ring if extended far enough, |
would pass between the sun and the EARTH
Saturn's declihation to-day is 50 49, north,
he comes to the meridian shortly after mid
night. his polar diameter is 16' 6". and he is
found in this constellation of the Lion.
Mars is evening star, and to careful OBJ
servers who have followed his course and
noticed his gradual reduction in size and in
appearance from the fiery red and very
bright planet to the very modest proportions
he has attained will probably have but little
difficulty in picking him out, rs his ruddy
glow has not entirely faded out, and he re-
mains above the horizon almost three hours
after sunset When he does disappear he
goes down about nine degrees to the north
ward of the spot at which the sun SETS
Mars, Mercury, Neptune and Uranus.
1t is difficult, however, to realize that this
can be the planet that aroused so deep and
worldwide an interest at his opposition in
1888. His right ascension is l hour and SO
minutes, his diameter 5 :, and he is in the
constellation of Aries.
Mercury is morning star until the 23i.
when it is in superior conjunction with the
sun and becomes again an evening star. He
is now too close to the sun to be seen with
unaided vision. Even were the distance
greater, the southern declination Of the
planet would render it almost impossible to
pick him out in the early twilight. He Is
rapidly coming north, and his size is also
increasing very fast, so that we shall soon be
able to see him at his best.
Neptune is evening star, and we can get
very fair idea of his Whereabouts it we look
midway on line extending from the bright