The evening times., 1896-09-29
Burning Planets and Cleaning
Stars DECK the Heavens.
~ = - = = =
EVENINGS FULL OF BEAUTY
How to Watch the Swing of the Con-
steiiations About the Pole and
Learn the Places of the Fixed Bril-
liants of the First Magnitude-An
Historic Moon and Its Phases.

may DE expected 10 become frosty as the
days pass, but this Will take out the traces
OF malaria that have made some uneasiness
in September. An extra wrap Will offset
tile increasing cOoiness, ana new enthusi-
asm VIII be enknnIed as the blood leaps
with new life through the veins.
Tie surroundings IN the pale moonlight
Will become daily more beautiful with
changing lines ana broad fields of russell
and red, dotted here and there with vivid
green. Tie evenings lengthen and the stars
are up earlier.
Far an tie south Fornalhaut viii make its
appearance during the month, and he who
liDgers late may get glimpse OF OriOn's
two fine stars OF the first agnitude.
or the circumpolar clusters visible ali the
time, except an hour or two " hen they dip
below the northern oriZou. the great square
or Pegasus will be overhead, "a little to the
east, and further north Casseopeia's chair,
with Perseus stretching his mighty arms
and legs just below il, reaching out, with
Gorgon's head in hand to rescue Androm-
eda. In Perseus Is Algol, the Blinking
Demon" of the Arab astronomers.
or the first magnitude Vega, that has
been with US throughout September gleam-
ing ana glittering, the Jewel Of the Harp.
is passing Down the Western sky; and Al
tair is shining bright with a guardian Of
lesser note on either side farther to the
South. spica has gone teycnd hope Of a
glimpse, while Autares ard Arcturus can
be seen, if at all, only in the early even
ing. CapCiia. in the far northeast. comes
In in More favorable hours. however, and
south and east OF it a little later comes on
Aldebaran led by the famed constellation
Of the Pleiades.
IT is EASY TO LEARN.
Once fix the places Of the stars firaily in
MIND and they are i life time Possession.
\ weary task may De- pleasantly bcguiled
ana the lCaa lifted from the thoughts by
half an hour watching these sparkling gems
III the night, liking them In their places and
considering the tremendous forces that
hold them in their courses.
The picture Of the starry beavers changes
from night to night, OF the stars rise four
minutes earlier every night, icing carried
westward by the Motion OF the earth in her
orbit. Stars that rise at 8 O'Clock on the
first Of the month Will rise at O'Clock
when the Month closes. For this reason
the picture Of the heavens on the 4th is
repeated On the 23d. for example, an hour
and quarter earlier.
Auroral displays may be locked for on
October nights, although on sCiEe SeDten-
Der nights We have the sky ablaze with
rings and arches, and streamers OF won-
drous brilliaucy. AS tie sun epot cycle
advances and the sun spots increase in
OF the sun is reflected in the mysterious
aud dincomprehensihle northern lights, which
prove conclusively how close is the tie
that binds the earth TO the great iuminary
from which she derives her light and life
The sun, having passed across the line.
is now moving with great hounds toward
the winter solstice, and cur Iengtheuing
nights tell US that a chilliness that has
lately come into tie air is LeComing in
tcDsificd, and that the actual sunlight is
necessary to secure a warmth that. per-
haps, We have not quite thoroughly ap-
preciatcd during TIE past few months We
always miss tie genial presence of the orb
OF day, and many of us Will. no doubt,
sympatiize with the Vedas, who say, In
the midst OF the sun is the light. in the
midst OF light is truth. and in the midst OF
truth is the imperishahle Eeing'' As we
watch the setting sun il seems to go dow Il
with reluctance and leave the sky filled
with that sweet afterglow that is so like
the memory Of good mans lifetime;
then the Tusiness pales away. giving place
to the darker ground. upon which are soon
seen shining the brilliant stars.
THE MOON FoRoCToBER.
We have the hunters moon this month.
and IL comes in bright and new on the
6th. on the 3th we have the phase of
first quarteriDg, and then the disk grows
fuller and rounder until we have it in
its glorious funess on the 21st. when its
strength seems to carry the value of
the night into the richness OF the morn.
on the 29th is the last quarter The lunar
coDjunctions begin and end with Jupiter,
the first meeting being on the Sd and the
second on the 3lst, but. unfortunately for
US, there is rather too great Il distance
separating the two, and from now to
tile close OF the year the space is an ever
widening one. Mercury and the new
aNrT,- 1F-
9Th, but the two are so close to the sun
on that day that We cannot see either
of them. Venus On the sth, and Saturn
and Uranus the day following, are not
very great attractions, and the same
can be said OF Neptune on the 25th, and
Mars on the next day. In fact. this
meeting in october is too marked
by the magnificent distances separating
the chief actors to be of particular interest
to US.
Jupiter can now be seen serenely shin
Ing in the early hours that precede the
sun. In the latter part of Noveniber-in
fact. on the last day-the planet CONT
pletes oDe-quartsr OF it's rounds and is on
that day In quadrature. or 80 degrees from
the sun. on the Sd there will be conjuno- |
ton with the moon. and again on the |
31st, but on neither occasion shall We he |
treated to a very marked spectacular exhi- |
bltion. With these few practically uninI- |
portant events we have Jupi.er's role CONT |
pleted for the month. Mercury is in in !
ferior conjunction with the sun on the Sth,
and then passes the greater part of the
month in drawing away to the extreme |
western portion of his swing from the sun |
"a point that he will reach on the Gath. |
After that date he turns about To the east |
ward, aud the year will close before he |
succeeds in completing that part of his |
truancy and Is again recalled to the side |
of the great master that controls the move |
ments abou tthe firmament.
WHERE VENUS Is QUEEN.
Venus has fully established herself as |
queen of the evening skies, but she is not !
as radiant just at present as we shall have !
her later in the year. when her attractive |
face will be half again as large. She and |
Saturn are in conjunction on the 18th and |
while the two planets are never SO near |
each other that We cannot see clear Sky |
it VIII not he without interest to /
watch their coming toward one another
aud then again separating. We re sure
Of having this beautiful object TO look upon I
the entire winter, as size Will not again |
get within the suns overpowering rays
before the cold weather has all but left
US.
Saturn and the moon are In conjunction
On the 9Th, and on the 18th the ringed |
planet and Venus afford US somewhat of
interest by being in conjunction. Our
of the features of Saturn and
It's rings has been gathered in very slowly,
owing to the. long reriod required by this
planet to accomplish a revolution around
the sun. Saturn takes no less than thirty
years for each OF these great journeys.
As there are only particular parts of its
,rhit In which certain of the phenomena
an be studied to advantage. it necessarily |
follows that much time may often elarse
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