The evening times., 1897-02-01
THE HEAVENS IN FEBRUARY
Venus and Mercury Will Be the
Nest Conspicuous.
BRILLIANT RED PLANET
Jupiter, saturn, and Mars VIII
Also Be Seen on Their Journeys.
Not Necessary 10 Have Expensive
Telescopes To Distinguish Their
Movements.

Venus and the planet Mercury will bc
tie two most conspicuous bodies that
VIII illuminate the heavens during the
month of February. The former is al
present in Aquarius, but before the 18th
size Will pass into Pisces, and about the
same time Mercury will enter Aquarius
from its present location in sagitarius.
As every student of astronomy knows,
TIE position OF Venus is always within
the range of 40 degrees and 80 minutes
from the sun, never reaching a greater
distance, and this station is known as its
elongation. She is now travelling rap
IDLY toward what might be termed her
eastern terminus, and VIII reach that
point on the night OF the 9th OF the pres
ent month, when her rctura course begins.
The brilliancy of this planet Will make il
easily diStinguishable from, ether CeIest ial
bodies, and star gazers will not have 20
prepare their telescopes tofsisht the plan
cts Venus when referred 70 as the even
ing star is called HesperlIs, aud Phosphorus
when the morning star, according 20 tbr
names applied by the .ancients
Mars is Taurus and forms with Capella
and Aldebaran very ohtuse triangle with
the planet at the obtase angle. 1t is also
very brilliant and particularly conspicuous
by its red color. Mars will be on the
meridian at about 7:30 o'clock on the
9TH of the month.
Jupiter is in Leo and rises soon after
O'Clock in the evening, SO that from
O'Clock this great planet win be very
prominent object in the eastern sky, in
ferior in brilliancy only to Venus Saturn
is in Scorpio and rises little before 1
O'Clock in the morning.
OF all the planets Mars has the longest
synodical period, which amounts to very
rearly $50 days: then follows Venus, with
very nearly 5s4 days, and the series ends
with Mercury, having period OF but 116
days.
or the principal considerations visible
during the earlier hours of the February
evenings Gemini and the Two Dogs will
he on the meridian about o'clock, while
Amiga, Taurus, Orion and Lepus are bend
ing toward the western horizon, though
not yet being very distinct from their
meridianal position.
The constellation Gcmini, or the Twins,
is distinguished and easily recognized by
two bright stars, Polux and Castor, or
Beta and Alpha, the former OF the first
and the latter of the second magnitude
The ancient Greeks, with their profound
power OF imagination and keen sense OF
the picturesque, saw in this constellation
the two twin brothers of whom there exist
So in VI bOIp
South of Gernini is situated CAMS Minor,
or the Little Dog, marked by the first
magnitude star Prucyon. Greek word sig
mfying "before the dog" since it rises
about half an hour before Sirius, the Iog
Star
Not until the year 1862 the discovery
was made by an American astronomer
that Sirius is double star, its companion
being, however, very small, compared
with Sirius itself About degrees west
ofSirius is the star Beta, or Miriam, making
one of the fore feet of the Dog, whilst its
body is marked by little triangle south
east of Sirius. In southwesterly direc-
ton from the Great Dog a little triangle
can be seen, the stars of the vertices of
which constitute the principal por ton
of the smallest modern constellation Col
umba, or the Dove, which, however, is
viewed at greater advantage in the lower
latitudes
The principal star in this constellation
is Alpha. or Phaet. Drawing straight line
which connects Sirius with Procyon, and
pro lucing it by it's own length, its ex-
tremity viii be represented by this star
Phaet. If we JON BetelgeuZe with Sirius
and again feeling it by its own length, 1t
will pass near a star, Naos Of the second
and in the tfoufhern constella-
ton Argus. These two long lines, cross
ing at Sirius, whose extremties are mark
ed by Betelgeuze, PIocyon, Phaet and
Naos, are sometimes called the EgyptianX
. -