Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-30
VENUS AND JUPITER
brilliant and Curious Spectacle Promised
Soon to "Stnr" Gazers-

n Brilliant and Curious Spectacle Promised
Soon to "star' Gazers-
written for TIE EVENING star by J. Morrison. NJ.
b.. Ph D.. Nautical Almanac ofioe.l
Inc most casual observer cannot fail TO notice
two very brilliant stars in our western sky after
sunset; they are the planets Venus and Jupiter
which are now rapidly approaching that posi-
ton relative to the earth which is technically
called conjunction. The brighter and more
western one is Venus.
They are both moving eastward and north
ward. or, as astronomers say, their motion
in right ascension is direct, but Venus is rap
idly gaining on Jupiter ami will overtake him
on February at am, when their apparent
distance from each other will be only fifty-
seven seconds (of arc) from center TO center or
thlrty-four seconds between their nearest
limbs Unfortunately, however, both planets
will be below the horizon of Washington at this
time.
They will rise together at sh. Aim q m and
set at Sh. GIN. pm. For an hour or two before
ttinS on the evenings of both February and
February they viii be SO close TO each other
that the unaided eye may not be able 20 sepa-
rate them. To most persons they will proba-
bly, appear as one planet. Venus will pass
Jupiter on the south side and separate from
him at the rate of about nine-tenths of q de-
gree per day. As seen through a telescope of
innocent spectacle Jupiter being attended by
his four satellites and Venus showing only
about four-hlths of her entire disk. Such a
close conjunction of these two planets is a rare
phenomenon and one that those now living
may never see again.
The ignorant and superstitious Of former
times regarded such astronomical phenomena
as the forerunners of some great civil or ply
steal commotion. such war, pestilence. fam
Inc. earthquakes, &C., but it is hardly neces-
sary to state that they possess no such signifi-
canoe. The present remarkable conjunction
has no connection whatever with the Chilean
imbroglio. the Russian famine with any
other calamity which may occur hereafter.
Conjunctions Of the planets are O necessary
consequence Of the arrangement Of our solar
system, and any civil or physical commotion
occurring at or near the time Of such phenom-
ena Is simply an accidental coincidence, and
nothing more.
At the approaching conjunction the earth,
Venus and Jupiter will be very nearly in the
Same straight line. and since they all move
around the sun in the same direction and with
Inherent, but variable, velocities. they must
necessarily, some time or other, arrive at, or
very nearly ct, the same relative position again
and again.
The subsequent. conjunctions, however. will
not necessarily occur at the same points in
their respective orbits.
1t will be interesting to trace the apparent
course OF these two planets for the next six
months. Although both are moving eastward,
the apparent angular distance OF Jupiter from
the sun IS becoming less and less every DAY.
de VIII therefore soon become lost to view in
the splendor Of the suns rays, will be in con-
junction with the sun on March 90 after which
date he will rise before the sun and become q
morning star.
Venus, however, will appear to move farther
and farther from the sun until she attains her
maximum angular distance or greatest eastern
elon8ation, which will be on the 30th OF April.
when her apparent angular distance from the
sun will be about 451a degrees After this date
she will apparently approach the sun, though
still moving eastward In right ascension, attain
her greatest brilliancy on June 2 and become
stationary on the 18th of June, when she will
be moving directly toward the earth. or, to
speak more exactly, the straight line joining
the centers of Venus and the earth will move
parallel to itself, SO that to a spectator on the
earth the planet will appear for some time to
preserve the same absolute direction in space.
Up to this point in her apparent path
her motion will be direct, but she will now
change her course and move westward or retro
grade as it is called; pass between the earth
and sun or arrive at inferior conjunction with
the sun on July 8, after which act she will be-
come morning star; again become stationary
on July 81 and attain her next period of great
est brilliancy on August Is.