Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-05
The Blinking Demon


Demon OF the Arab astronomers. is now
IN an excellent position for observing. and
1t will continue to be visible at seasonable
nour Tor several months to come. This liz
particularly interesting object for the
naked-eye star-gazer. Ordinarily IL is of
the second magnitude. as will be the case
at o'clock tomorrow night After shining
mus Tor period of two and half days. II
begins to lose its brlIIiaucy and in the
course OF about four hours il declines to the
fourth magnitude. In this condition IL re-
mains nfteen or twenty inmates and then
begins to brighten. In four hours il has be-
come again a star of the second magni-
tude. thus to remain for another ,,eriod OF
TWO and a half days. The explana ion of
this singular behavior Of the star is that IL
is attended by dark satellite which per-
LOGICALLY ecltpses il partially by passing be-
tween II and US, thus cutting off a portion
or its light On the sth Of this month AL
eoi Will be at minimum" at 6 pm and
py O'Clock 1t will very nearly have re-
covered Its usual splendor The next OBJ
servabe minima will occur on the 18th at
IL p. m. and on the 18th at pm With the
ana OF the planisphere the star should pe
iound easily: Observe that 1t forms with
Alpha Persei and the star in the left foot
OF Andromeda nearly right-angled TRAN
gle.
On the list OF the month we shall have
1uil moon. At that time the sun will very
nearly have reached the autumnal equinox
In its passage from the northern to the
southern hemisphere. and the moon, being
at q point In the heavens opposite will be
near the vernal equinox, where .he suns
path and her own cross the celestial equa-
tor from south to north. This position Of the
1ull moon gives rise to what is known, par
ticularly In the north Of England. as the
harvest Moon.' For several consecutive
days the September moon, when full. or
nearly full. rises just before or Just after
sunset, the interval between the time Of its
rising from night to night being in our lat
no hall
OF this-for most persons are prone to seek
the causes OF things"-is that the moons
pain at that time, running obliquely across
.ne ceiesial equator. has 30 great an incli-
nation toward the horizon, cuts 1t at SO
sharp an angle. that although the moon
travels its usual daily distance Of about u
degrees. 1t succeeds in getting below the
hcIizon from evening to evening, so to say.
Out comparatively short distance To use
homeiy Illustration, a pole twelve feet
long may be conceived to be thrust into the
earth Its whole length, but at such an an
gle that the end Of the pole is no more than
six or seven feet below the surface The
inclination OF this pole would very fairly
represent the inclination Of the moons
pain TO the horizon when the moon rises
with the vernal equinox. The phenomenon
really happens every month, but n is onlv
IN September that the moon is full at the
time. and that the fact is noticeable.
The Planets.
Mercury Ia row an evening star and
makes Its appearance low In the west q
half or three-quarters OF an hour after sun
set. 1t will be at its greatest eastern elon-
cation from the sun-26 degrees 43 minutes
on the 18th. After that date 1t will draw
in rapidly toward the sun. and before the
close Of the month 1t will be too near the
sun to be visible.
Venus also Is an evening star. being an
hour east OF the sun, and before the close
OF the month she. too. Will become visible
on clear evening In the fading twilight.
Mars. In the cOnstellat ton Taurus, about
five degrees northwest of the star Aide
baran. now rises at about 1890 pm, and
by midnight Is well above the eastern hori-
ION. During the month he will advance
nearly an hour further along the ecliptic
and at the end of the month will be near
the moro southerly of the two stars which
tip the Bulls horns. His distance from Us
distance from the sun. and is not quite
twice that which he will have at the time
Of his Opposition" on the 10th of Decem-
Der next. Already astronomers have begun
to receive some reports from the skirmish
parties.
Jupiter is now about two hours west of
the sun. IN the constellation Leo. close be-
side the star Regulus.
Saturn is still visible in the early even
ing, but sets at about o'clock.
Uranus. invisible to the naked eye, il
about six degrees to the east of Saturn.
his slow way through Taurus and has
nearly reached the tip Of the southern
horn.
The Moon.
New moon occurs on the 7th at s:43 am:
full moon on the 21st at $40 pm The
moon will be In ''perigee" on the 18th; In
'apogee" on the 9th.
At am. on the 3d. Washington time,
the sun will enter Libra and autumn will
begin.