Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-12-01
LUNA AND THE STARS
THEY'LL SHINE MOST BRIGHTLY IN
CRISP pscEmsER's SKIES.
Five Time. the Moon win show Her Full,
Round Face. While Venus Steals from
Jupiter ass Evening Glory.

The Gun enters the sign OF Capricornus
ON December 21st, and, astronomlcaliy
sneakine. winter then begins. The sun
then touches bis furthest limit in southern
declination. % degrees a minutes, the
DAYS are st their shortest. and from that
time onward for period of six months the
shadows Of night no longer encroach on
the light of day. The path OF the sun lies
40 low in the heavens that the short days
seem TO hasten gloomily to their close,
and It will DO well into the new year before
IT becomes apparent that the sun is again
approaching US.
There will be partial eclipse OF
the sun on Wednesday. says the New
York Times. invisible IN this portion, OF
the globe, and, in fact. 1t so happens that
The eclipse takes place between the space
occupied between the FAR southern coun-
tries OF South America aud the northern
coast of Australia, and so will be visible
10 but yerv few of the worlds inhabitants.
| IL lasts a little more than three hours and
| n half. during WHOM somewhat more than
one-half Of the suns disc will be obseured.
| This portion of the earth viii be more FOR
| tunate next year. for at the time OF the par
| tial eclipse in October 1t will be within the
| limits OF visibility.
The new moon comes in bright and early
| the morning of the ist Although, speak
| ing after tho reckoning by which astro-
nomical data are compiled, there were ave
phases of the moon last month, when II IS
| considered in the time by which events are
usually measured the phase of new moon
| lapses over from November 3Oth TO Decem-
| her 1st This will. therefore, give nye
phases OF the moon for December, ana as
| -, tho QNt IN and
| but day old when the year closes, the
epact for 1891 will be one.
THE MOONS PHASES.
The question has been asked as to the
difference between those phases OF the
moon in which portion of It's disc Is ap-
parently hidden, and its disappearance
| while eclipsed. Recent articles IN the
Times have told about the moon passing
| into The shadow caused by the earths cut
! ting of the suns lignt While the whole
| of the sun is always bright half of the moon
is always in darkness. When the bright
side of the moon is turned directly toward
| the earth a complete circle may be seen,
and IL is said that the moon is at the full.
On other occasions portion only OF the
bright surface is turned toward the earth,
and thus are produced the beautiful cres--
cents and semi-cucles and other phases OIL
| tine moon.
Suppose q case that may aid in clearing
up this matter and, for example, take q
peep through the eyes of the man IN the
moon and see how he views the earth. 10
him the earth probably appears the same
as the moon does to the earth's inha bl-
tants, only very much larger. AT the pc
Rod called new moon. the bright side OF
the earth will be turned directly toward
him, so that he will see an earth nearly
full, and. consequently, pouring forth 4
food of light. Think Of the brightest o.
all the bright moOnlights ever seen, anC
| then try and think Of what it would be Il
there were thirteen moons, all as large anC
as brilliant as the full moon, shining
together. That Is about the sort
of illumination which the lunar IN.
dividual will enjoy under the circum
stances. This earth-lighted side of tn,
moon naturally cannot be compared IN
brilliancy with the sun-lighted side, but
brightness will still be perceptible, 80 thai
when from the earth one looks at the moon
he sees this glow distributed all over the
dark portion; that Is, he observes the fee.
bly-lighted globe clasped in the brilliant
arms of the crescent. At later phase the
dark part Of the moon entirely ceases (
be visible, and this for q double reason
first, the bright side of the earth IS ther
not so fully turned TO the moon, anc
therefore the illumination II receives iron
earthshine is not 80 great, and secondly
the increasing size Of the sun-lighted par
of the moon has such an augmented glow
that the fainter light is oYerpowered by
! contrast.