The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-01
JANUARY'S CLEAR SKIES.
New Years Month an AuSpiCiOuS One
For Star Gazing.

A Brilliant Array of Planets and Con-
stellationsEve Venus the Most Con-
spicuous Star-Jupiter in Favora-
BILE Position For Observation
Shining in All His Glory-Sirius the
Brightest of All the Fixed Stars.
The New Year opens with brilliant
array of planets and consultations for
our admiration and study, and the beauty
of these will be much enhanced by the
clearness of our southern skies at this
season. 4v
The planet Mercury will not be in a
good position for observation this month,
as it is now too near the sun, and, hence.
lost in his superior light On the 18th
Mercury will be in aphelion, and on the
goth in superior conjunction.
VENUS.
Venus is still the most conspicuous star
in the western heavens at dark, and is
easily recognized by its dazzling light.
1t will attain its greatest brilliancy on
the 10th, and will be stationary on the
oath. twill be interesting to watch this
planet from day to day, as it slowly APP
proaches the sun. 1t will be evening star
till Feb. l6.
MARS.
This planet is now morning star, rising
about five O'Clock about twenty degrees
south of the east point of the horizon. 1t
Is yet too far from us to be seen we'll and
several months must elapse before it will
come in the best position for observation.
1t passes its descending node on the 26th.
JUPITER.
High up in the east at dark this inter
esting planet may be seen shining with
very brilliant light near the Pleiades. 1t
is very favorable time for observing
this giant of our solar system now, and
those who possess telescope should not
fail to turn 1t upon Jupiter. A glass of
moderate power will show four of its five
moons, while an ordinary opera-glass will
reveal two or three of them. These
moons are frequently eclipsed, occulted,
and pass across the face of the planet
and on the evening of the 9th several of
these interesting phenomena will occur
in rapid succession. Jupiter is 300 times
as large as the earth, and revolves around
the sun in about twelve years.
SATURN.
Saturn is in the constellation Virgo,
near the bright star Spica. 1t rises about
midnight nearly in the east, and shines as
star of the first magnitude. We are now
rapidly approaching this strange world,
but not before April will we be in the po-
SltlOn Tor observing II.
URANUS AND NEPTUNE.
Uranus is morning star, and it rises
about 3 o'clock. 1t is Quite close to Alpha
Libra, but is telescope. Neptune can
never be seen with the naked eve, but a
glass of moderate power will reveal its
position in the constellation Taurus, near
the V shaped group of the Hyades in the
east at dark just below the Pleiades and
the planet Jupiter. If we imagine this V
shaped figure to be turned over so that
its vertex should point north instead of
south as it really does, then this vertex
would occupy very nearly the position of
the planet Neptune. 1t has slightly
greenish disk, which will enable one to
distinguish it with good opera-glass
from the small fixed stars near it.
THE CONSULTATIONS AND THE FIXED STARS.
In the north Cassiopeia and Perseus
are above Polaris, Cepheus and Draco
west and Ursa Major to the east. BY far
the most conspicuous, as we'll as the most
interesting constellation in all the
heavens is Orion, now well up in the
east. To the naked eye this is indeed a
brilliant quarter of the sky, but the tele-
scope reveals here a field of infinite rich
ness and grandeur. To the right and a
little below the Belt" or 'The Ell and
Yard, " may be seen three faint stars in a
line directed nearly towards the middle
one of the BELT" Around the middle one
of these faint stars may be seen with
the naked eye very faint hazy
light. This is the celebrated nebula of
Orion, justly considered the greatest
marvel of the heavens. Below Orion
Sirius blazes, the brightest of ali the fixed
stars. 1t is at least 1000 times as large
as our sun, and IT'S distance is so great
that it takes light seventeen years to
come to us. 1t is receding from us at the
rate of 20 miles a second. IL has a com
panion revolving around it, at a distance
from the star twenty-eight times the dis
lance of the sun from the earth, and vet
so close to the star does it seem, on ac-
count of its distance, that only the most
powerful telescopes have ever revealed it
10 human ewes OTrs AsrAtopF