Evening star., 1896-12-05

Taurus. At about one-third of the distance
from Fomalhaut to AIdebaran you will
strike Deneb Kaitos-the Tail of Cetus''-
star OF the second magnitude. which
marks the monsters tail. At two-thirds of
the same distance you will strike Menkar,
the ''Snout," which marks the monsters
head. This star may be further recog-
E.zed from the fact that it forms with the
Pleiades and the par of stars in the head
of Aries nearly equilateral triangle. Five
degrees TO the right of Merkar is Gamma
Ceti, of the third magnitude. Below and
to the right of Gamma-about three de-
grees from it's Delta Gel, of the fourth
magnitude
Decidedly Red.
Run a straight line from Menkar to Delta
and continue it to an equal distance beyond
and you will strike the wonderful star
Mira now crosses the meridian at about
O'Clock. nearly midway between the
horizon and the zenith.
At the time of writing-November Za-
Mira is of about the sixth magnitude, and
Is therefore just within the limit of naked
eye vision. 1t can easily be seen with an
opera glass. The star Is decidedly red 1t
is Frightening rapidly and will probably
reach its maximum of brilliancy some time
IN December, when 1t may be bright
as Gamma Cett, or even brighter or il NAV
not rise above the fourth magnitude, for
one OF the stars eccentricities is its ir-
regularity in this regard.
Mira runs the cycle of its changes in an
average period of eleven months. When at
Its faintest IT Is of between the ninth and
tenth magnitudes, and is, therefore far be-
low the reach of the naked eve AS il
Drlghtens Its spectrum shows bright lines
and at the time of the stars maximum
brilliancy is said to be Exceedingly beau
tiful. These lines re ind d.cat.ve of glowing
gases. among which is the universally pres
eht hydrogen. The cause of the stars var
liability is one of the still unsolved mys-
terleS OF nature No one should miss this
particularly favorable opportunity of form
ing the acquaintance of this justly called
wonderful star.
The Planets.
Mercury was in superior conjunction
with the sun on the 2Sth of last month and
IS now an evening star. During the second
half OF the month 1t will be visible in the
southwest, but at a rather low altitude
Venus Is also an evening star. visible
toward the southwest. She now sets an
hour and half after the sun.
observations made at MIR. Percival
Lowells observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona
since August last. have confirmed the conE
clusfon arrived at some years ago by NJ
Schiaparelli of Milan that both Venus and
Mercury rotate on their axes in the same
periods, respectively, in which they per-
form their revolutions round the sun: that
is. that they always present toward the
sun the same hemisphere. just as the moon
always turns the same face toward the
earth. Venus seems to have a dense at
mosphere, which, though apparently cloud
less. partially wells from us. it's surface
markings. No indications of any atmos-
phere whatever could be detected in the
case of Mercury.
The position of Mars, in the constellation
Taurus. has already been pointed out The
planet is now rapidly retrogradng. or NOV
ing westward. as Indicated by the dotted
line on the pianisphere, which shows it's
track among the stars from about the mid
die of August to the 1st of January-a por-
ton of the loop which it will make at
this opposition. Its exact opposition to the
sum- when we shall pass directly between
it and the sun, will not occur until the 10th.
The planets distance from us now is about
10, 000, 900 miles.
All observations OF Mars thus far report
ed are confrmatory of those made two
years ago. There can be little question now
that the so-called seas" are the planets
lCwlandS. aid that they owe their color
largely to vegetation of some sort. The
orange-yeilow areas, formerly regarded as
continents and islands, are very probably
desert highlands. Hence their never-chang-
ing hue. The interesting question now is
Are the mysterious Canals" which trav-
erse its surface in all directions it's dark.
as well as its bright areas, natural or arti-
fetal?
Jupiter now rises about midnight, and is
with a telescope. He will be Stationary"
on the 18th. After that date his motion
will be retrograde.
Saturn and Uranus are near each other
in the Scorpion, and are both morning
stars, rising in the morning twilight
Neptune is in Taurus, degrees southeast
of Mars, but, of course, invisible to the
naked eye.
On the 31st, at am, Washington mean
time, the earth will be in ''perihelion the
point in its orbit at which it approaches
the nearest to the sun. We shall then be
3,o00, 900 miles nearer the sun than We were
in July.
On the Goth. at 9 pm, the sun will enter
Capricorn. and it will be midwinter in the
northern hemisphere.
New moon occurred yesterday at 0.51
L M; full neon will occur the 18th at IL 90
pm, Washington mean time.
The neon was in ''pergree'' Wednesday
and will be in 'apogee" on the 14th.
just Suited Him.
From the Indianapolis Journal
"Who is that lovely young man." asked
the Soured Cynic.
''That?" said the other man. THAT is
Timmins-Reginald Orville Timnins, the
poet"