Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-03-02
THE SKIES In MARCH.
RETURN OF THE sun TO THE
EQUATOR TO REMAIN SIX MONTHS
Explanation Of the Moons Various
Phases ana IT'S Effect Upon the
Earth-The Planets, Consultations.
and the FirInamcnt.
n.altimarp giInl


tor and then stay for half year In our
hemisphere. lengthening the days and
shortening the nights. the moon VIII
pass through the following phases: First
quarter on the 4th, fun on the 10th. last
quarter on the 18th, and new on the 18th.
The average length of the day will be
twelve hours and one minute. In course
OF the month there will be two eciipses
a solar and lunar. the former taking
place on the 18th. the latter on the ION.
The solar eclipse will be partial. but not
visible here; the lunar. however. total
and visible on the whole continent
Although OF all heavenly bodies the
moon. next to the sun, Is the most famii-
lar TO us, a great many persons, and even
quite number OF such as would feel IN
clined to resent any doubt of their intel
ligence. have but very vague notions OF
the reasons why our satellite presents
these changes from new TO fun. ana
rather a crude conception Of the influence
she exerts upon our earth. The moon re-
wolves about the earth. cutting the latter
orbit In two points called nodes, ts pain
making an angle OF degrees, s minutes
and As seconds. Now. the moon being All
Opaque body at mean distance OF Zso,'
$4,000 miles from us, 1t follows that IL can
only be seen by us when that part which
IL illumlned by the sun is turned toward
US; and. consequently, its phases depend
altogether upon the relative position or
the sun, moon. and the earth. When the
moon is between US and the sun-or, 10
use the language OF the science. when II
IL In contunction--it Is evident that us
illumined portion liz turned away from u.s.
we cannot see IT. and have no new moon.
Gradually II shows US more ana more IN
creasing illuminated portions OF IFS sur.
face. presenting a sickleNke or crescent
shape until II IS half full. which position
Il called first quarter This takes place
when the line connecting the moon WIN
the earth ia at a right angle TO that winch
Joins the latter with the sun. 1t theh AZ
sumes a gibbous form until II Is on tne
opposite side Of the earth, techiicaiis
called in opposition, when we see IL iul''
In this situation II happens occasionaii'
that Il Is for brief time sWaIloWed UP
by the shadow OF the earth, thus causlhs
a lunar eclipse. II then resumes l's ue-
crescent form until II Is new again' ~,
ending what is called the synodic inontn'
a nnrIod OF % days. 70 hours. a minptes'
and seconds.
ITS INFLUENCE.
Compared with the earth. the moon -
small body, its mass being put I-oo 80
of the earth. It's proximity to the earth'
home,er everfs a great influence upon
the latter. rnanIfesting itself by Two I'M
nortant phenomena-viz., the procession
of the eGuinoxes and the tides. lhe His'
of these is the disturbance produceu Wy
tho moons and suns attraction upon 'ne
equatorial ring, causing the pOi',s >"
which the equator intersects the eciptic
10 have a slow retrograde iho'eineu'
which again changes the postum Vi ."e
north pole in the sidereal heavens. the
other extremey-important erect whieh
tho moon. in conjunction with the sun
produces on the earth Is the tides. Al
tbough the attraction OF the sun WIN
reference 10 the earth Is more than the
moons, it's distance rs so much gIee'e.
and the difference OF its attractions On
the several parts less. so that the ratlo OF
the mower Of the moon 10 raise IL tue
Is 10 that OF the sun as b. III 'ne sun
and moon are in a straight ine WIN the
earth-that is at the times OF conjunction
and oppostion-the tides are equai 10 the
sum of the lunar and solar tides ihese
are the spring tides. When. however, the
moon is AT her duadratures-that Is, AT the
times Of the first and last quarter-each
OF these two attractions raises TOE az
Tho exnense Of the other, causing the
reap tides. In synodical month both
spring and neap tides occur twice, WhiIe
during a lunar day, whose length Is "a
hours. 81 minutes. there are two MOOD ana
two ehb-udes.
western horizon and that peculiar tllumi-
milton OF the sky which Is called twilight
begins. which gradually merses into the
darkness of night, we see the piahet
Venus announce its presence by the Drh-
liancy OF it's appearance. Venus Is at pres
ent In the zodlacal constellation Pisces
and sats about half-past In the eve
ming.
THE CONSULTATIONS.
The red planet Mars is in Taurus. en-
HANGING the intrinsic beauty OF that con-
steilation considerably by lis presence.
Mars becomes visible soon after the set
ting In Of twilight, and viii set short
time after midnight. No so far bshind'
in the constellation Gemini the monarch
of the planets as to bulk. though at pres
emf SOMEWHAT inferior to Venus in bril-
liancy. the klngly planet Jupiter, still lin
CerIng in the outskirt OF Gemini, VIII
adorn the evening sky until about half
past | in the morning. About 3 o'clock
in the zodiacal belt Will rise the ringed
planet Saturn, at present in Libra, ana
shine during the whole night Were 1t
not for the enormous distances we could
also see two more Of the principal planets.
Uranus and Neptune. b tween 10 and IL
O'Clock in the evening, In almost opposite
points of the sky.
Looking above us about O'Clock in the
evening we notice that the brilliant con-
stellation Orion, Taurus, Auriga, Gemini.
and the two Dogs, have pass q the me-
ridian and are slowly approaching the
western horizon; but still they are In fun
view and lend that peculiar beauty to the
ornament in our latitude 20 the winter
months Each OF thes- consultations has
a star OF first magnitude. and Orion even
two. Such stars as Capella and Auriga,
Aldebaran in Taurus, which constslla-
ton is made still more prominent by the
groups of the Pleiades and
Hyades. Betelgeuse and Rigel in Orion
most singularly beautiful star picture;
Sirius In the greater and Procyon in the
lesser Of the two Dogs. Pollux and Cas-
tor In the Twins cannot fail to attract
the attention even of those who. as rule.
look with an eye of indifference at the
beauties of nature. The impreSsiveness
Of the starry heavens is greatly height
cned for those who know what glorious
worlds those glltterng stars In reality
rrpresent-immense suns, compared with
which our light and heat-diffusing sun
almost dwindlos into insgnificance. One
might almost feel inclined to think that
those stupendous and magnificent worlds
are the future abodes which Christ refers
to when He speaks Of the many mansions
In His Fathers House. The exceeding
grandeur Of the structure Of the sidereal
words almost renders the idea OF their
ultimate destruction repugnant 10 the soul
Of the beholder
REGULUS.
The sickle-lke constellation Leo. with
the first-magnitude star Regulus and the
bright secOnd-magnitude star Denebola,
Is climbing up the eastern sky, and be-
tween it and Gemini we see the zodiacal
Cancer. which. though dest;-
.ute of any bright stars. contains the re-
narkable cluster Of Praesepe. visible even
10 the naked eye. Below Regulus red
.ish star. Cor Hydrae. makes The head
IF the large constellation Hydra, which
large space In the heavens,
)ut Is not otherwise remarkable. Draw
ng a lee from the tall Of Ursa Major TO
penebola, II will pass through two con-
Canes Vena;ici, or the Hunt