Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-02
THE FEBRUARY SKIES.
Jupiter Nearing . Crisis In His Carver
Saturn o Morning Star.


Saturn o Morning Star.
From the New York Star.
February IL not one Of the favorite months
OF the year a. far o. weather conditions are
concerned, but the sun, moon snd stars carry
ont their programs In spite Of lowering clouds
and bowling storms that At this season 20 fire.
quently arise to mar the beauty of the celestial
tableaus. The number Of visible planets dur
ing the early evening hours has apprsciably
lessencd, one after another having yielded to
the irresistible attraction of the sun and been
drawn within the radius of his powerful light.
until they have grown DINNER and DINNER, and
Mt last disappeared from view for the time being,
to reappear, however, as morning stars. and
again TO take up their never-ending wander
ings across the heavenly vault.
Jupiter, SO long the most brilliant and con-
spicuous Of the starry hosts, who came into
view almost before the sun went down, is fast
nearing crisis in his career. We have seen
him gradually growing DINNER and remaining
above the horizon much shorter time after
sunset. until now he il only about fifty minutes
behind the sun. This interval decreases three
or four minutes day until the l3th, when the
two disappear together, and we do not enjoy
Jupiter again as evening star until September.
Mars, whose prominence was a few months
ago largely due to the good company in which
he moved when he and Jupiter were attempt
ing to pass each other. has been constantly
separating from the giant planet until there are
fnlly three hours between the two. Owing to
his moving away from the earth Mars brilliaNcy
has considerably faded. his diameter being
only little over five seconds and half of arc.
He is moving to the northward in declination
and is in the constellation of Cetus, not very
far from Omicion Ceti, one of the most inter-
esting of the stars.
Saturn rises about 8 o'clock and comes to our
meridian about 2 o'clock in the morning. Al
though automatically morning star, we have
his SOFT light throughout the create portion of
the night. and he is the most prominent of the
planets until Venus appears above the eastern
horizon. Saturn is slowly increasing in size,
and about the middle of the month will have at
tanned his full growth for the year. after which
he begins growing smaller. the diminution con-
tinuiug until the middle of August. when he
once more begins to enlarge. He rises earlier
and earlier each succeeding night. there being
two hours difference of time between the first
and closing days of the month. He is still in
the zodiscal constellation Of the Lion. not far
from the star Rcgulus, which marks the handle
Of the sickle and serves as guide to point out
the planet.
Mercury is also morning star and is gradu-
ally approaching the sun, being about one
hour and half below the horizon when the
sun sets, period that Ia decreased at the rate
Of two minutes day throughout the month.
Under no circumstances can we hope for even
a glimpse of this most elusive of planets this
month, as the sunlight il far too powerful to
admit OF his being seen, and even at the time
of his conjunction with the waning moon Luna
Is herself invisible, she is about disappearing
from the celestial stage to reappear ROBBED in
newer, fresher costume to play her part in the
tableaus for the month.
Uranus and Neptune are said to be such WON
derfully grand and mighty planets that it is
but an aSSravatiou to. think of them shining
only for the benefit of the scientist and that
thn t,1 bnaf l.,ax
pair of binoculars for his astronomical OUTFIT
Is denied chance Of seeing their fair faces
Last and most beautiful of al comes Venus
rising some three hours before the refulgen;
beams Of heavens great light usher i'll the
waking day, and shining with unsurpassed
briiilancy. easily supreme among the luminaries
Of her locality. For eight months more none
but the early birds will catch glimpse of this
peerless orb in the full measure OF her glory, as
September will be half over before she will re-
sumo her sway among the evening stars. The
supremacy Of Venus has always been acknowl-
edged. as, for example, in apportioning the
various parts of the hand to the different plan
cts. chiromancy gives the thumb to Venus
from which mankind is supposed to have de-
rived the expression in relation to getting the
gentler sex under his thumb"-while the
forefnger goes to Jupiter, the middle to
Saturn, the ring finger to Sol and the little one
to Mercury.
On the 18th the crescent moon and Mars are
at their closest for the month. Neptune has his
turn on the 10th and Saturn on the Oath. The
serene and steady light of the pale yellow
planet will be rather dimmed by the somewhat
too close proximity Of his neighbor. who, hav-
ing just finished the phase of full moon, will be
too conspicuous to admit Of pretty scenic ef-
fleets. The conjunctions for the month close
with a meeting between the moon and Uranus.
The latter is much too far away, however, to be
attractive, and there are very few of us who
could tell him from the stars that surround
him.