The Helena independent., 1892-02-06
MORE LIGHT This month.
Noticeable Increase in Length of
the Pay as February Grows
Older.
What the Heavens Declare and
the Firmament Shows to
Those Learned.

those LodTuS0s
reur corjuactions OF the Moon with
Planets-yenus and Jupiter Meet
The Morning Star.
The increase in the length OF the day
now begins to be percsptlole TO even sh .
most unohserving persons. lns sun iisos
asrEer and earlier each day and sets later
and later. 40 that the business man upon
ratnrninc from his office can enjoy read
;ro thu evening news with the same degree
of comfort that he scanned his mornings
naper being no longer dependents upon
artificial light. Although February has
only twenty nine days to the thirty -one OF
January, the daylight period increases WIN
much greater rapidity, as the sun moves
through four degrees more of dsclinatloh
On i.s way to the equator. "hea 'ne
month closes it will be found that nature Is
shaking of her lethargy and that her forces
are stirring beneath the soil, and soon after
tbera will be plimpses of vegetable life.
The February moon falls ON the l2th,
soys tbe New York Times. The growing
crescent, two days after quarterlnQ. ~ IN
conjunction with Neptune on the 9th. but'
as almost three degrees separate tne tWo'
the meeting is not one for particular a1teh-
tion. Saturn and the moon are III conJunc-
tion three days after the full, but tue
hr;obtnass Of Luna detracts considerably
from the spectacular effect. Two days be-
fore her last quarter the waning moon en-
counters Uranus, on the 18th, and II one
were permitted to see the planet III all lts
GLORY with unaided vision, one should nave
pleasing picture, as the two are less thsn
depres apart, Mars and then Mer-
cnry receive visits in return, the former on
tha e2d and the latter the day of the new
moon, on tho 9th. The conjunctions for
the month are closed by the moon drawing
paar u Jupiter on the 2sth. It will no
doubt be observed that the moon and the
fairest of the planets have made no ap-
pointment for February.
Although tho moon does not devote much
attention to Venus the latter is by no
means slighted, for early on the morning
of the 5th she and Jupiter are IN conJnnc-
tiou. and the event that has been promised
as one of the most important OF tho year,
as far as celestial tableau are eoncesnad,
will take place the evening before. when the
two will bs very close together. From what
has from time to time been said, attention
must have been for the past few weeks be-
slowed upon the two brilliant planets
gradually drawing nearer to each otner.
Language seems utterly inadequate to ex-
press ths fascinating beauty of the peerless
uueens Of the heavens in her present aspect.
Even Sirius, though it surpasses IN brli-
linncy the other suns of space, pales III tins
presence of the brightest gem that adorns
the diadem Of night. Her size is lncreas-
ing. and with it her lustre, until she LOOKS
ern sky shining with far more dazzling
brightness in the crisp, clear winter nights
than sven the moon itself.
She is still oscillating eastward, but will
not reach her greatest distance from the
sun for another three months, when she
will retraee her course. A careful observer
can track the planets path with almost the
g. 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 brilliant. She
ia a crescent after inferior conjunction,
half moon at elongation, gibbous after
that epoch, and her whole disk is lllumined
at superior conjunction. The apparent
variations in the planets diameter are very
great, and are owing to the enormous
change in her distance from tho earth.
The brilliant presence of Jupiter would
PLY 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 is far enough removed
from the scene to be in danger of inter
fering with the roles of the chief actors.
After this meeting, during which the two
planets are almost in one, Jupiter will CON
tinue to draw nearer to the sun, until
in March the phenomenon of con-
junction between the two occurs. and
he will be next seen in the early hours OF ths
day, the leader of the morning stars. Some
time before this he will, however, have be-
come ingulfed in the SUMS bright rays, SO
that when he salutes Venus in passing. he
in reality acknowledges himself vanquished d
and leaves her without q competitor as the
chief of the galaxy of evening stars. AL
though it will be Impossible to see the two
at tho exact houc of the con junction, their
appearance on the evening of the 9th will
be in every way we'll worthy of attention.
The setting of the tsbleau is quite appro-
pirate to the picture itself, as at this season
number of star groups are visible. The
armament never presents more yarle-
gated ana splendid panorama than ii dis
plays in mdwlnter. An hour or two afte
sunset OH any of the nights near the begin
ming of February, Betelguese and Rige
may be seen in the southeast, Sirius LITTLE
lower in the sky in the same quarter, Pro
cyon and the Twins IN the east, and Ca
pelln and Aldebaran nearly overhead.
little later Regulus will be coming up, fol-
lowed shortly by Spica somewhat furthe
to the southwark, These are all among
the brightest stars over visible here, ant
although all may not twinkle when th
curtain rises they will be i'll time to join il
the applause and help along the epioGne.
Neptune is also evening star and is in
good position for telescope observation o.
account of his high meridian attitude. I'll
10 still wandering along in the consteila
18th and will then begin retraclEg his step;
While moving away from Aldebatan, th
bright star that serves to indicate his where
abouts in declination, the right ascensio
of ths two will be alike toward the close o
March, at which time tho planet will b
four degrees north of the star.
Saturn is already becoming more an
more conspicuous and interesting, as
rises, almost due Gust, about 10 o'clock i
the evening, ut which time his sereno ligi
is easily distiuguishable, as there are Lr
few brilliants in this immediate neighbor
hood.
Saturn is 30 fsT off that even at his bes
he is never go bright as Venus or Mars
Jupiter become when they are favorabl
situated. On the globe of Saturn ono ca
sometimes sec q few bands, but they al
faint compared with those of Jupite
There ia no doubt that what one secs upc
Saturn in dense mass of clouds. Indeet
it seems as though he could have compare
lively little solid matter inside for tn
i