The morning call., 1893-10-09
STARS OF OCTOBER
Long Nights and Brilliant
Planets.
THE ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.
Jupiter the Glory of the Heavens-A
Race Between Saturn and Mars.
The Hunters Moon.


The sun is now Fastening away toward
the south. says the New York Times. and
we shall find the days at the months close
! almost an hour and half shorter than
they are at present There is almost four
and three-quarter hours difference be-
tween the days length when October closes
and its duration at the time OF the sum-
mer s0lstice. What chiefly distinguishes
the sun in astronomical annals for this
month is the fact OF there being an annuar
eclipse on the 9th. AS the relative po-
sltons OF the earth and the sun are chang
ing, it sometimes happens that the sun
comes exactly into the position OF the line
OF intersection. When this is the case, the
earth, at the time of full moon, lies directly
between the moon and sun; the moon is
thus plunged into the shadow of the earth.
the light from the sun is intercepted, and
We say that the moon is eclpsed. The
moon sometimes only pa rtially enters the
suns shad ow. in which case the eclipse is
a partial one.
When on the other hand, the sun Is situ-
ated on the line of Intersection at the timo
between the earth and the sun. and the
dark body of the moon then cuts off the
sunlight from the earth, producing solar
eclipse. Usually only part Of the sun is
thus obscured, forming the well-known
partial eclipse. If, however. the moon
passes centrally over the sun then we may
have either of two very remarkable kinds
OF eclipse. Sometimes the moon entirely
hints
sublime spectacle of a total eclipse, which
tells us so much as to the nature of the
sun. Occasionally, however, even when
the moon is placed centrally over the sun,
thin rim of sunlight is seen round the
margin of the moon. We then have what
is known as an annular eclipse.
1t is very remarkable that the moon is
sometimes able 10 hide the sun completely,
and sometimes fails to do so. IL happens
curiously enough, that the average appar-
ent SIZE Of the moon Is equal to the appa T.
ent size of the sun, but owing to the fluetu-
atoms in their distances the actual appar-
ent sizes of both bodies undergo certain
changes. it may happen that the appar-
ent size of the moon is greater than that of
the sun. In this case a central passage
produces total eclipse, but it may also
happen that the apparent size of the sun
excee DIS that of the moon, in which case
central passage can only produce an an
nular eclipse.
We spoke last month about the glorious
harvest moon, whose mission was to
lengthen the day for those interested in
gathering the fruits Of previous months of
labor. In October there is another moon
almost equally famous, which has received
the name Of the hunters moon, whose
mission is to make longer DAYS for the
benefit of the sportsman. This moon
comes in on the 9th, the same day, of
course, that the eclipse of the sun occurs,
has the phase Of first quarter on the 18th,
is full on the 25th and IN last quarter on
the 31st. Again, aud for the last time this
year, do we find five phases of the moon in
lunar planetary conjunctions occurs on
the 9Th. when Mars and the all-but-faded-
out crescent come very close to each
other. We cannot, however, see this
meeting or either of the principal actors
at that time owing to their being so near
the sun. On the following day Saturn and
the moon are as close together as they will
be in October. This happens just two
minutes before the old moon gives way TO
the new.
Mercury and the growing crescent are
quite close to one another on the 10th, but
our satellite has not yet passed far enough
from the suns engulfng rays to be visible
without the use of telescope. Uranus is
passed on the following day at very re-
spectful distance. followed by a meeting
with Venus two days later. Then comes
j upiter's turn the day after the full of the
moon. with Neptune next in order.
Neither Of these meetings, which close the
monthly role. is of Importance to US. as
there is wide space separating the heav-
emily bodies.
Mars we now find grouped among the
morning stars. where he is destined tn re-
main the remainder OF the year. Last
month we saw him in cOpjunctio with
hsah u ~ 4. ~
an evening star. He has been gradually
growing fainter as he withdrew from the
earth. but from this on he will increase in
size, and at the close of the year his disk
will be the same as it was in April
Saturn should probably be- given the first
place in Importance for the month, as he is
in conjunction with the sun on the Sth,
after which he will be ranged among the
morning stars. He and the moon are In
conjunction on the 9th. and on the 31st he
overhauls and passes Mars. Watching this
race would be very agreeable occupation
40 doubt, and one filled with Interest, but,
unfortunately, the sun has them all to
himself, and his light is too powerful for
an unaided vision to pierce. Both planets,
when in CONJUNCTION, are in the constella-
ton of the Virgin.
Mercury Is an evening star, and Is bound
TO the eastward end of his tether, where he
will arrive early in November. He is as
close 10 the moon on the l0tn as ne can get
for this season, and will meet Uranus on
the 10th in the constellation of Libra. quite
close to the borders of Virgo, which seems
grand rallying center for October planets.
four of them being almost within the limits
of that con stellation.
Uranus is also an evening star, near
which the moon passes ON the 18th. and.
as we have said above, Mercury on the
10th. This superb planet is plunged into
space to such remote distance that even
the best of our modern telescopes cannot
make OF it striking picture. We can see.
Herschel did, that it has measurable
disk, and from measurements of that disk
1t is concluded that the diameter of the
planet is about LOO miles. This is about
four times the diameter of the earth, which
would result in volume for Uranus sixty
four times as great as our sphere. Ii we
may trust to the analogies of what we see
everywhere else In our system. we can
feel but little doubt that Uranus must
rotate about an axis. 1t has not been con-
cluded with any certainty as to the exist
ence of markings on It's surface definitely
enough to be watched during its rotation.
Venus has yet two months before reach
ing her greatest distance to the eastward
OF the sun. She is increasing in size and
briliancy. and shines serenely in the
tender light of the west just after sunset
H.. ftO b h. h. dow u