The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-01-15
LESSON IN THE SKIES
Several Interesting Stellar Events
Booked for the Year 1894.
Venus Is Now Brighter Than Thirty
Stars and Along i'll the Fall Comes
the Great Opposition of Fiery Mars.
Pittsburg Dispatch.

Pittsburg Dispatch.
AS we stand at the threshold of new
year, as well as of a new month, suppose
anticipate little by taking a look at
what 1894 has to offer the amateur observer
in the way of things astronomical. Well.
the programme is rather more interesting
than that of the average year. There will
be four eclipses, two of the sun and two
of the moon, against the two solar
eclipses of 1893. But of these four only the
partial eclipse of the moon, on Sept. IA, will
be visible at Pittsburg. Only one, to be
sure, but that is one more than last year
for this community. But the moon is not
the only heavenly body that will come be-
tween the earth and the sun this year. On
Nov. 10 will occur quite the most interest
ing event Of the year, the transit of Mer-
curry across the suns disk Though not pos
sessing anything of scientific Importance of
the transit of Venus, this phenomenon will
be eagerly watched by astronomers, and by
all amateurs who own glass strong
enough TO show the tiny black dot on the
suns broad face The infrequency of the
phenomenon will add largely 10 its interest.
there having been only one transit of Mer-
curry in the last twelve years
Working astronomers, however attach
much more Importance to the coming oppO-
sition of the planet Mars, which VIII occur
in October. and is expected to reveal TO the
telescope at least as much as the famous
opDosition of August, 1892, which is still
fresh I'm our minds.
Mars will be a little further from us than
in 1892. but will be much higher above the
southern horizon, which fact is expected TO
more than compensate for his increased dis
lance. SO we may look for some new light
on terminated canals. polar snowcaps,"
and other features OF Marsian landscape,
before the year is out. BY. the way, the
observations made in Allegheny by Prof.
]. E. Keller during the last opposition of
Mars have been highly praised by the
scientists of the old world The beautiful
set of drawings which he made of the planet
were especially commended for their &C
curacy and detail by the Royal Astronom-
ical Society of Great Britain. and have been
published complete in the memoirs of that
society. The drawings agree remarkably
well with, those of the English astronomer
Green. whose map of Mars is considered
one of the most reliable yet made. So.
though Prof Keller has not long been n
resident of this city. he has already proved
himself a true Pittsburger by turning out
work second to none.
Venus Will command our attention during
the early part of the year: then for several
months they will be hidden in the SUMS
rays, only to reappear in the summer skies
just before dawn. Saturn and Mars do not
rise now until after midnight, but Will be
conspicuous in the evening skies all summer !;
and In the last two months of the year
Jupiter will again be in favorable position
for early evening observation.
At the present time ii is Venus first and
the rest nowhere, as far az brilliancy among
the heavenly twinklers is concerned. Who
has not noticed the magnificent object low
down in the southwestern sky? About dark
on a clear evening il may be seen flashing
and sparkling with such astonishing bril-
liancy that many find 1t hard to believe that
1t is really a heavenly body. At the last
epoch Of greatest brightness the rumor was
spread about PittSburg that the light was
that OF a gigantic electric balloon sent up
from Jackson Park TO a height of seven
miles. and this ridiculous report actually
gained credence for several days among
people who ought to have known better
ffDY1O no
letters written to the newspapers. the con-
viction seemed to have become pretty widely
distributed that it was an electrically IL
Illuminated balloon sent up by the wizard
Edison out in New Jersey, possibly from a
desire to mystify his fellow men.
MANY BELIEVED THE NONSENSE
II have positive information" saws the
author Of Astronomy with an Opera
Glass that this ridiculous notion was
actually entertained by more than one
person of intelligence And as Venus
glowed with increasing splendor in the Sc
rene evenings of June she continued to he
mistaken for some petty artificial light
instead of the magnificent world that she
was, sparkling out there in the sunshine
like a globe of FURNISHED silver"
And there is nothing SO unusual in Venus
as an evening star. She reappears in the
West every nineteen months and remains
conspicuous for many weeks each time.
So if any of the Dispatch readers have
that flashing spark that is seen each even
ing in the West ought to have a new in
terest for them when they reflect that il IS
a mighty sphere very little smaller than
our earth, and sending its dazzling rays
to our eyes from a distance of 100000
miles
Yet we must own that there is some ex-
cuse for the mistake mentioned. Venus is
so wonderfully brighter than any stars we
ever see that for those who confuse stars
and planets in their minds it is naturally
hard to believe Venus a body celestial. The
| fact is Venus is now probably five times
| as bright as Jupiter, the next brightest
planet, which in turn is certainly twice
| as bright as Sirius the brightest of the
| fixed stars And Sirius is three or four
times brighter than any other stars we ever
So YOU see it would probably take at least
thirty average stars of the t1rst magnitude
| 10 equal the light given by Venus. The sun
| himself cannot entirely dim her luster, and
Venus can easily be seen now all day long
whenever the sky Is clear blue. The planet
| Is too low down in the morning, but by noon
| if you have ordinarily good eyes, you can
| soon detect a tiny white dot In the deep blue
about 80 degrees east Of the sun, and at
almost the same altitude above the horizon.
| The writer saw il very easily with the naked
| eye about an hour before sunset on Christ
! the middle of February she will be invisible,
| being then almost directly between US and
the SUM-
Jupiter can be seen. too, long before twi-
| light il over and by o'clock is shining
| brightly almost overhead, the most cOnspicl-
Gus OBJECT IN the SKY stHSt eIl14S mas liitii
| sunk out of sight below the western hori-
| zon. This giant planet. larger than a thou
| sand of our worlds. is a most beautiful
| sight through q telescope with his coterie
| of four bright moons.
| And YOU don't need n permit to look at
| him either Any clear evening you can en-
| JOY the privilege at the corner of Liberty
| and Sixth avenues for the small sum OF five
| cents. This reads like an "ad." but il
| isn'O. You may have noticed the telescope
| which stands there. At any rate don't pass
| II by next time, but have a look at this
| glorious planet. II will pay you.
Fire at minneapolis.
| NTTNNE-ApOTJ Mimi Jan II L,ira ,b;e