Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-02-04
STARS In FEBRUARY.
The GREAT INCREASE IN THE
AMOUNT or DAYLIGHT.
-Four Csnjunctions Of the Moon with Plan
sts--venus aud Jupiter Meet Early
In tho Month.

the evening news with the same degree OF
comfort that he scanned bis morning 3
paper, being no longer dependent upon
artificial light. says the New York Times.
Although February hes only twenty-nine
DAYS to the thirty-one of January, the day
| light period increases with much greater
| rapiditv. as the sun moves through tour
| degrees more of doclination on its way 10
the equator. When the month closes IT
Will be found that nature IA shaking Oh
her iethargY and that her forces are stirring
beneath the soil, and soon after there Will
| be gllmpses Of vegetable life.
| The February moon fulis on the l2tn.
| Tho growing crescent, two Gays after
quarteriug, IL in conjunction with Nep-
| tune on the 9th. but as almost three de-
erees separate the two. the meeting Is
not one Of particular attention. Saturn
| and the moon are in conjunction three
days after the full. but the brightness OF
Luna detracts considerably from the
spectacular effect. Two days before her
last quarter the waning moon, encoun-
tiers Uranus. on the 18th, and If one
were permitted 10 see the planet IN all Its
glory with unaided vision, one should
| have a pleasing picture, as the two are less
| than degree apart. Mars and then Mer-
J curry receive visits in turn. the former on
the 22d. and the latter the day OF the new
moon, on the 9th. The conJunctions tor
| the month are closed by the moon draw
| ing near TO Jupiter on the 18th. 1t VIII no
doubt be observed that the moon and the
| fairest of the planets have made no ap-
polntment for February.
IN CONJUNCTION.
Although the moon does not devote
much attention TO Venus, the latter Is by
no means sighted, for early on the morn
| ing OF the 9th she and Jupiter are in con-
| junction, and the event that has been
| promised as one of the most important of
| the year, as far as celestial taDleaus are
concerned, will take place the evening be-
| fore. when the two will be very close to-
! pether. From what has from time TO time
| been said attention must have been for the
past few weeks bestowed upon the two
| brilliant planets gradually drawing
nearer to each other. Language
seems utterly inadequate TO express
| the fascinating beauty OF the peerless
queen Of the heavens in her present aspect.
| Even Sirius, though 1t surpasses IN brill
| liancy the other suns Of space, pales in the
presence of the brightest gem that adorns
| the dladem Of night. Her size Is IN
creasing. and with it her lustre, until she
| looks like another moon suspended IN the
western skv shining with far more daz-
Zling brightness in the crisp. clear, winter
nights than even the moon itself:
She is still oscillating eastward, but VIII
not reach her greatest distance from the
sun for another three months, when she
will retrace her course. A careful observer
can track the planets path with almost
the same ease that he can follow the move
ments Of the hour and minute-hands on
the dial-plate. Her phases. when seen
with the telescope. are striking and brill
liant. She is crescent after inferior CON
junction, half moon at elongation, glb-
bOns after that epoch, and her whole DISK
is illumined at superior conluctl0n. Inc
apparent variations in the planets diane
ter are very great. and are owing TO the
enormous change in her distance from the
earth. -
The brilliant presence Of jupiter would
in itself be an attraction, but the cast
happily contains two stars, and the giant
planet has to give way in importance to his
more charming companion. The moon IN
her crescent phase sheds just enough light
for the proper effect, and 10 Tar enough re-
moved from the scene to be III danger
| of interfering with the roles OF the
chief actors. After this meeting, during
winch the two planets are almost
| IN one. Jupiter will continue to draw
nearer and nearer to the sun. I'M
! til in March the phenomenon or con-
! junction between the two occurs, ami
he will be next seen IN the early hours or
the day, the leader of the morning stars.
Some time before this he will, however.
become ingulfed in the suns bright rays.
so that when he salutes Venus III passing
he i'm reality acknowledges himself van
ouished, and leaves her without competl-
tor az the chief of the galaxy of evening
stars. Although it Will be Impossible to
see the two at the exact hour OF the con-
junction, their appearance on the evening
of the 5th viii be in every way well worthy
of attention.
LOVELY PANORAMA.
The setting of the tableau is quite ap-
propriate to the picture itself, as at this
season number of star groups are ylsi-
pie The ornament never presents a more
yariegated and splendid panorama than 1t
displays IN midwinter. An hour or two
after sunset on any of the nights near the
beginning of February, Betelguese and
RiCel may be seen III the southeast, Sirius
little lower in the sky in the same quar-
Ter. Procyon and the Twins IN the east.
and Capella and Aldebaran nearly over
head, A little later Regulus will be coming
no. followed shortly by Splca somewhat
further TO the southwark. These are all
among the brightest stars ever visible
here. and although all may not twinkle
when the curtain rises they will be IN time
TO JON in the applause and help along the
epilogue.
Neptune is also evening star, and IS In
good position for telescope observation
on account of his high meridian altitude.
lie is still wandering along III the constel-
lation of the Bull. becomes stationary on
the 18th, and will then begin retracing his
steps. While moving away from Aideba-
ran. the bright star that serves TO indicate
his whereabouts in declination, the right
ascension of the two will be alike toward
the close of March. at which time the
planet will be degrees north OF the star;
Saturn is already becoming more and
more conspicuous and interesting, as he
rises almost due east about 10 o'clock IN
the evening, at which time his serene
lieht is easily dIstinguishable, as there are
but few brilhants IN his immediate neigh
borhood.
Saturn is so far off that even at his best
he is never so bright as Venus or Mars or
,jupiter become when they are fayorably
situated. On the globe of Saturn one can
sometimes see O few bands, but they are
FAINT compared with those Of Jupiter.
There is no doubt that what one sees upon
Saturn is a dense mass of clouds. Indeed,
I, seems as though he could have COM
naratively little solid matter INSIDE, for
Tins planet does not weigh so much as bsll
of water the same size would do. Like
Jupiter, il is thought that Saturn must be
hirhly heated in his interior.
MORNING. STAR.
Uranus is morning star, and Is in con-
iuucton with the growing crescent OF the
moon on the 18th. Her night ascension is
IA hours l6 minutes and defamation l3
degrees minutes south, which shows that
the planet is in the constellation OF the
Virpin. There is q very singular cur
cumstance connected with the moons
of this planet, all four OF which re-
wolves in circles 30 perfect that one
eould make true picture OF this
system with pair of compasses. 1t is
f1rther TO be noticed that the four circles
seem to lie exactly i'll the same plane. In
general the orbits of the satellites of the
great planets are eclipses, and, with their
primary body. lie very nearly in the
ecliptlc In which the earth moves. The
moons of Uranus seem 10 have gotten q
twist FROM some accidental circumstance
for which it is not possible satisfactorily to
Mercury. having reached his greatest
western elongation on January 18th. began
| his backward tourney toward the sun, and
| Is already so dimned by the giinting light,
"a it nipples in flowing streams OF radi-
nuoa that ma can no longer see