The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-05-15
THE SKIES FOR MAY.
Mov.m.uts and Phases Of planets an"
stars.

Moyem.uts and Phases Of planets an"
stars.
(Winslow Upton in the Providence
journal.
In the month OF May the planets
Mercury. Saturn and Uranus come IN
10 the most favorable positions for OBJ
seryation that they will have this year
The other astronomical events OF the
month are of minor Importance.
Mercury is "A very bright planet, near.
" as bright as the most brilliant OF
the fixed stars, Sirius, and exceeded
only by the planets Venss, Jupiter and
occasionally Mars. But it is always
seen In twilight except during an
eclipse of the sun, and for this reason
ia not especially noted unless attention
is called to it. 81, :.
During nearly the whole month 1T
may be seen with the naked eye, II
sKy conditions are propilious, the best
time occurring at the middle OF the
month. The bright star high in the
northwest IS Capela; line drawn
from the pole through Capella will lead
directly to Mercury on the 10th. Be
FORE that date the planet will be at the
riobt Of this line and after that date
at the left of it The red star Aldeb-
aran will be several degrees below Mer'
cury. go that if two are seen the upper
il the planet. The belt of Orion may
be dimy seen further south. On the
18th the moon will pass near Mercury
which will aid in identifying the plan
ct.
Mercury will diminish rapidly in
brightness as the month proceeds so
that the earlier days Will be the more
favorable fer finding 1t. In the tel
escope it will show the phases Of the
moon when waning, from shape a ut
tie more than the half moon to mar
row crescent. No better opportunity
for seeing Mercury in the evening Will
be given this year than that presented
the first half of May.
Saturn comes into opposition with
the sun on the 9TH. 1t will then rise
at sunset, occupy its nearest point to
the earth and be seen to the best adj
vantage near midnight. The planet is
far south in the constellation Libra,
moving slowly westward. Its motion
may be detected by noting It's position
with regard to the two leading stars IN
the constellation. 1t is a little west OF
the line joining them, between the
two. In the telescope the rings are
inclined more than 20 degrees to our
line of sight. The rirg have been
proved to be swarm of solid bodies
moving about the planet, Just as the
asteroids move about the sun. The
eight detached satellites of the system
should not be neglected by observers
Even if the ring system were wanting
the satellites would make the planet
noteworthy from their number. Some
of them can be seen whenever the
planet is visible.
Uranus comes into opposition with
the san on the 18th. Like Saturn it is
far south in the constellation Libra,
and SO is rather unavorahly situated
for observers in northern ATTITUDES.
1t is nearest the earth and will be
highest in the sky at midnight. 1t is
moving slowly westward, passing over
a little more than one degree during
the month. The planet itself is on the
limit of visibility with the naked eye
in our New England atmosphere. In
more favored regions where the sky is
clear, it is easily detected. 1t is much
to be desired that astronomers could
settle the disputed question of the
position of it's equator. The four sat
elites revove about the planet in a
plane nearly perpendicular to that OF
The planets orbit. The satellites of
nearly all the planets revolve in the
same plane as that OF the planets {
equator. If this is true of Uranus,
then the equator of the planet is al ,
most perpendicular to it's orbit, which
would be very unique condition. {
We're this true of the earth, the torrid
zone would extend nearly to the pole I
and the frigid zone nearly to the equa 6
tor, overlapping the former. The tenn r
1erate zone would not exist and the re- S
zion of overlapping would have torrid {
in summer when the sun c
passed directly overhead, and frigid +
in winter when there would |
,e long night as in the polar regions.
But there are other ways of deter
mining the position of planets equa
or.
Jupiter maintains its position in the
constellation Cancer, and shines bright |
y in the west during the evening. The
ransits of satellites and their shadows
re less frequently observed, as the
,lanet is visible for only part of the
light. The best evenings in May are
he LIST, 18th ard Oath.