Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-06-06
THE HEAVENS IN JUNE.
The First Eclipse OF the Sun This Year-The
Moon and the Planets.

The First Eclipse OF the Sun This Year-Tbe
Moon and the Planets.
June, the sixth month in the year. says the
New York Times, is quite important as far as
the suns motion is concerned, as on the 21st
the sun reaches its highest point north and the
summer solstice occurs. The meridian point
is the greatest the sunrise height as we'll az the
sunset point are the furthest north. and the
longest day is succeeded by the shortest night
Another important event in the suns career
for the month is the fact that there will be a
partial eclipse on the 9Th, which, although not
visible here, can be seen in that part Of North
America which lies north and west Of . line
drawn through the northern part of Newfound.
land. Quebec, Toronto, Detroit, st. Louis and
portion of Texas and Mexico. This 10 the
first eclipse of the sun for the year and there
will not be another until December, which,
when it occurs, is NJ more favorably situated
for ou- observation than the one that will take
place next Saturday.
The moons monthly visits to the planets be-
gin on the 4th, when the waning crescent finds
Venus and Mercury such close neighbors that
she calls upon them both on the same day.
This proves to us that all these bodies are not
very far removed from the sun, the old moon
Is about to be burned up, as the ancients used
to think, and the two planets are 90 close to
the sun that we can hardly discern them with
unaided vision. Besides these natural difficulties
there exists the fact that the meeting takes
place so very early in the morning that few
persons will be up to see it.
On the It'll there is a meeting with Mars, but
the tiny red star and the one-day-old moon will
not be far enough away from old Sol to afford
an interesting picture.
We next find Saturn and the quartering moon
coming as near together as they will be for the
month. but as they are separated by three de-
grees of declination little interest viii be ex-
cited. Uranus on the 18th and Neptune on the
18th are followed by Jupiter on the 9th when
the conjunctions for the month are brought to
a close.
Venus rises abou. an hour and half before
the sun, and is SO close that in the brilliant
rays Of early dawn the queen of the planets is
no longer capable OF asserting herself Her
diameter is only about one-quarter Of what it
was early in the year, and is daily growing less
as she travels toward superior conjunction,
when it is at its smallest.
Jupiter Is also morning star, and rising al
most four hours ahead Of the sun, surrounded
the central point OF a most beautiful celestial
picture. Ever since his rival, Venus Welded
him the supremacy of the heavens his size has
been increasing and with it his brightness.
Saturn is evening star, and as he is still the
most prominent of the planets in the evening
sky, he remains the greatest attraction for the
ordinary star gazer. He comes to our meridian
about o'clock in the evening. and when dark
ness has made his serene yellow light, will be
found In the southwestern section Of the
heavens in the constellation of the Lion. The
bright star Reguius will serve as a point from
which to measure the journeyings of the
planet. as the distance separating the two is
perceptibly widening as Saturn continues on in
his direct motion eastward.