Evening journal., 1896-12-01

INFLUENCE ATTRIBUTED TO
PLANETS AND STARS WHICH
NEVER DID AND NEVER COULD
EXIsT-MIRA, THE WONDERFUL
STAR.
In the course Of the month OF Decem-
Der the moon will be new on the 4th,
in the first quarter on the 18th, full on
the 18th and in her last quarter on
the 9th. She will be nearest the earth,
or in perigee on the 2nd and 30th,
and most remote, or in apogee. on the
14th. If the moon moved round the
earth In circle there would beneither
perigee nor apogee, as she would al
ways maintain the same distance from
the earth The orbital paths of all ca
lestial bodies have been found to be in
ellipses of greater or less eccentricity
and in no instance In a circle; in fact
IL would be incompatible with the laws
of such central forces as actupon those
revolving bodies if their paths were
circular. The line which joins the points
of the moons maximum and minimum
distance is called as in the case of the
earth with respect to the sun, the line
OF apsides, and it is a singular fact
though a sufficiently natural one t.
anybody that is versed i'm the princl-
pies of analytical and celestial me-
chanics, that this line of apsides. both
in the case of the earth and of the
moon, is in continual motion, only in
case OF the moon far more swiftly than
in that of the earth. The time of a
complete circuit OF the moons line of
apsides is nine years.
The sun in it's north and south mo
tions is slowly approaching the Winter
solstice, which It will reach on the 2lst
of the month, when It's declination
will be 23 degrees q minutes Is sec
onds while at the beginning of the
month it was q degrees So minutes 30
seconds.
ABOUT THE PLANETS.
During the month of December the
planet Mercury will traverse the CON
stellations Scorpio. Sagittarius and
CapricOrnus. In any clear December
night, soon after the king Of the day
has descended below the horizon and
a considerable while before the even.
ing twilight has been absorbed by the
darkness of the night, one cannot fail
to see Venus shine forth with her pc
cuIiar lustre, which makes her the
morning and evening star par excel
lence, on the southwestern portion of
the sky. She will disappear from view
about $50 o'clock. During the early
part OF the month Venus will be In
the constellation Sagittarius, and dur
ing the remainder dwell in Capri
cornus Mars, like his sister planet
will figure as an evening star, not as
brilliant as the latter but Outshining
all other stars that are visible, with
the exception Of Sirius. This planet
will form with the brilliant first mag
nitude stars Capella and Aldebaran, a
very conspicuous triangle that cannot
but arrest the attention and admira
tion OF anyone that looks up at the
sky in a northeastern direction. Mars
and the distant planet Neptune will be
close together about the middle of the
month, at distance equal to Phad and
Megrez in the Great Dipper Both are
in Taurus. Jupiter is in Leo. while
Saturn and Uranus are in Scorpio at
the short distance of degrees from
each other. Close conjunctions OF
planets, at least Of the lighter ones
have never failed to attract the atten-
tion Of the beholder, elicit his admira.
ton and imprint themselves upon his
memory. In November, 1924 the three
bright planets Venus, Jupiter and
Saturn, were so close together
as to excite at that age of superstition
and ignorance a feeling of apprehen-
sion that this phenomenon might fore
bode a great catastrophe.
Until a more vigorous diffusion o
knowledge gradually dispelled tha
dense cloud OF ignorance and supersti
tion which forms such a peculiar char
acteristic Of the medieval age. not in
appropriately called the dark, an in
fiuence upon the destiny OF man wa
attributed TO the planets and stars tha
never existed and never could exist
And even now there are still persOn
who look at those astral worlds will
that feeling of awe which is engen
dered, not by the majesty of the uni
verse, but by puerile fear Of supersti
ton. The fact that for so many cen
turies even men not destitute of men
tai power could put faith in the charla
tanry OF astrOlOgy proves how firm
hold these notions had taken of tn
minds of men. Our very lauguag
shows traces of this undue infuenc
by such words as consider, contem
plate, saturnine, jovial, mercurial, dis
astrous and others. Still, though W
may look down upon astrology, a
upon alchemy, with a contemptuou
smile of pity, they both gave an i'm
pulse to two powerful and useful sci
ences, astronomy and chemistry, with
out which mankind would be in pit
able state of helplessness.
ILLUSION OF VULCAN.
Before we enter upon a descriptio
OF the consultations visible during th
month of December we wish to sa
a few words in regard to a subjeS
which, when it was first brought al
attracted a good deal of attention
This subject refers to what is calle
an intra-mercurial planet, that is. on
between Mercury and the sun. Whel
in the year 1859, the great French az
tronomer, I.everrier, whose name
indelibly connected with the histor
of the discovery of the planet Nel
tune, detected a movement in the per
helion of the orbit Of the planet Mel
curry. which could be accounted fc
L aff