Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-09-01
The September Sun and Moon.

september has gut entirely lts own,
and it is called the autumnal equinox.
This occurs when the sun enters the
sign Libra, at which time astronomical
autumn begins. This belt of the earth's
domain reaches its fruition. The flow
.ers take on their deepest hues, the trees
that bear fruit are most heavily limbed,
and rich harvests reward the husband
man. Simple existence is blessing in
the charming days of autumn, filled
with sunshine and pure air, and in the
peaceful autumn nights when the moon
floods the earth with silvery light, and
the suns of space shine in solitary
.splendor, or cluster together as they
make their stately march over the spa
cious armament.
The suns declnation on the 1st is
80 q north, on the Goth it is 80 s. south,
the autumnal equinox, or the time
when the sun changes from north to
south, declination having interviewed on
the ODD. The observer will note the
rapid progress of the sun southwark
when at or near the equinox in the
movement of the sunrise and sunset
points southwark, and in the lessening
meridian altitude Of the sun, or, in 9th
er words, of lessened height TO which
it climbs at midday.
The September full moon is popular
iy known as the harvest moon, a ce
lestial phenomenon that all observers
of the times and seasons agree in ad-
miring as the crowning glory of the au-
tumnal evenings The average differ
ence in the daily rising and setting of
the moon is about fifty-one minutes,
the same rs that of her passage over
the daily rising of the moon is, how
ever, subject to great variations on ac-
count of the moons changes in de-
clination and the inequalities of her
motion in right ascension. These vari-
ations attract the most attention when
they occur at the time of full moon.
When the retardation is the least pos
sible the moon rises soon after sunset
at nearly the same time for several sue
cessive evenings. The moon this year
fulls on the 9th, q little more than two
weeks in advance of the equinox. The
full moon. as we know very well by
this time, is always opposite the sun, so
that the latter being in the constelia-
ton of the Virgin we shall find the
moon in the group called Pisces, or the
Fishes. In olden times it was the be-
lief that by direct interposition of Di-
vine Providence the moon rose night
after night at nearly the same time dur
ing the season of harvest to lengthen
the day and assist the husbandmen in
garnering the fruits of the earth. Men
have grown wiser, so they say, and
clearly understand that harvest moon
is inevitable every year, and that it has
no connection with vegetation one way
or the other; but they reverently re-
tain the name made classic by the
sacred associations of the past.
On the fourth, in the wee sma' hours
of morning, Luna and the ruddy planet
are in conjunction, and as they are sep
arated by only three-quarters of de-
gree. we shall have fine chance at
them before bedtime on the third.
Two days after the full moon and the
giant planet almost touch each other to
all appearances, but, owing to the
greater distance Jupiter is from us,
many miles intervene between the two.
The old picture of the crescent and the
star will not, however, be reproduced.
in this instance, owing to the fact OF
the moons disk being too nearly round
ed out to the full. Neptune next receives
his monthly visit, but there is too much
space between the two, even when at
their nearest, to interest us. The wan
ing crescent and the fairest of the plan
cts are the next performers, but they
will attract but little attention beyond
the setting in which the picture is
placed. Mercury and Saturn come in
the order named, but the pale outline
of the new moon and the fact of Saturn
being about to have similar encount-
er with the sun, prevent the meeting
on the 21st being ofany consequence.
That with Mercury occurs so near the
disappearance of the old moon that it,
too, will not be Of moment. On the
23d the moon closes her round with an
exceedingly close visit in the direction
of Uranus-so very close that the local
ity of the planet is well defined by the
moons position.