The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-03
THE PLANETS IN DECEMBER.
THE YEARS CLOSING MONTH 4
BRILLIANT ONE IN THE SKIES.

Mercury the Morning star and Will
Re Farther From the Earth Than
1t VIII BE Again in Many Years.
Jupiter Coming Into a Favorable
Position for Observation and As
trOnOmers VIII Turn Themselves
on the Big Planet.
To one who loves the beauty and gran
deur of 1.-THE star-lit sky the heavens
FOR December viii present many objects OF
interest. The clear and steady atmos-
phere Of our winter evenings and the fav-
orable positions of several Of the most in
terestfng Of the consultations will con
tribute much TO the pleasure of the OBJ
server.
Mercury is morning star, but it is rap
idly approaching the sun, and on Dec. %
it will be in superior conjunction. on
Dec. Is Mercury will be in aphelion and
further away from the earth than it will
be again in many years.
Venus rises about O'Clock in the morn
ing. and at present it is situated near
Spica, the bright fixed star in Virgo, from
which it may be distinguished by its
greater brilliancy. On Dec. IL this planet
will be in periheIon. and Dec. % it will
make a very close conjunction with Sat
urn. when the two planets viii be dis
tant from each other about the apparent
diameter of the moon. The brilliancy of
Venus is now decreasing as it recedes
from us.
Mars is also morning star, but it rises
so late and its distance from us is so
s great that is cannot be observed with
satisfaction for several months.
Jupiter rises soon after O'clock about
twenty degrees north of east II Is situat-
ed about halfway between Regulus in
4 tor and PoluX in Gemini Jupiter always
shines with great briliiancy, and a small
81 telescope will easily reveal one or more
of its five moons. This interesting planet
BIS rapidly coming into a most favorable
HpostiOn for observation, and in about six
weeks astronomers will turn their imprOv
ed intruments upon it with the hope of
8making some new discoveries upon this
Gigantic world.
Both Saturn and Uranus are morning
4stars. but we must wait till next May for
Athe best opportunity for seeing them.
On the Sth, Neptune the most remote
3planet in the solar system, win he in
Exposition to the sun, and hence nearest
Hthe earth. Notwithstanding this fact its
distance from us is so great that it cannot
he seen with he naked eye although II
Is eighty-1iVe times as large a the earth.
q is located in the constellation Taurus.
bout ten degrees northeast of Aldehar-
in, the large red star in the shaped
EToup of the Hyades, which rises soon af-
a Ter the "seven stars"
Il Among the consultations Orion, with its
wealth of worlds, charms us most. It may
D. recognized at dark in the east by
1hree bright stars in vertical line about
rhree degrees long. known as the BELT
~ Orion" The large red star just above
he belt is Betelguese, and the one be-
low is Rigel. Following Rigel. about an
our, is Sirius, or the Dog Star, the larg-
a st of the fixed stars. The large bright
tar in the northeast is Capella in Au-
figa, and higher up the Segment of Per
Feus glitters in a curved cluster of col
pred gems. About ten degrees south of
his group is Algol, the most wonderful
Variable star in the heavens. 1t is peri
4dically eclipsed by a dark compa Mon,
Which shuts off for a few hours about
fve-sixths of its light. Almost directly
overhead at O'Clock is Arietis of the sec
tnd magnitude. the ancient Greenwich
tf the skies. from which the early as
tronomers reckoned celestial longitude
In the northwest Vega shines with blue
hight, and far down toward the south,
tomalhaut wrinkles through the thick
atmosphere. The three stars forming a
Short line nearly parallel with the hori-
Eon in the west are in the Eagle, and the
Brightest one in the middle is Affair
The Vernal equinox is now on the me-
Indian about o'clock, but no large star
Il near the point. About 1000 years ago
lie first meridian passed through Arie-
s about rs degrees farther towards the
cast. Otis Ashmore.