Evening star., 1897-02-06

of Orion are in the southern hemisphere.
The celestial equator is the line in which
the riane of the earth's equator indefinitely
extended, cuts the starry armament. It
girds the heavens midway between the two
celestial poles. the northern one of which
Is marked very nearly by the Pole Star,
just as the earth's equator runs midway
between the earths two poles. 1t may be
Well to note here. too, that the distance
ci the celestial poles from the horizon-one
above and one below-reckoned in degrees,
Is always the same as the latitude of the
observers station. and that this distance
is also that of the celestial equator from
M ms zenith-the point exactly overhead
Ihus, for an observer in north latitude 10
degrees the north pole of the heavens
STANDS ~ degrees above the horizon and
the celestial equator is 40 degrees south of
me zenith An observer so located can see
lhe Wnoie OF the northern hemisphere-a
circular portion of it so degrees in diam
eter being always above his horizon-and he
can see the southern hemisphere to within
4" degrees OF the south pole. Around this
pole is a circular area of the heavens. hay-
ing a radius of 40 degrees. or a diameter of
so, the stars within which rever appear
apove his horizon. If he travels south
ward, the north pole sinks toward the hori-
zon. while toward the south may be seen
stars not before visible. In the latitude of
New Orleans Canopus, the brightest of the
stars after Sirius, rises seven and a half
degrees above the hoi izon; the Southern
Cross may be seen at Key West, its upper
most star rising to an altitude Of ten de-
srees For an observer at the equator both
poles of the heavens are on the horizon.
and the celestial equator runs through tht.
zenith. He may see at one time or an
other, every constellation in the heavens.
Orion passes directly overhead.
The EcHptic.
Inc ecliptic. or suns path Is the great
circle In which the celestial sphere is cut
by the plane of the earth's orbit Conceive
the sun and the earth to be floating on the
surface of a boundless ocean. each body
being half immersed in its waters. The
stars above this imaginary ocean appear to
stud the surface of a great hemispherical
dome. Below visible. we will snnnosa
through the limpid waters of the ocean fs
anotner hemisphere of stars. The line
which separates these two starry hemi-
spneres-the horizon of the ocean-is the
eciiptic- The sun, seen from the earth js
on this horizon; and as the earth travels
IN her annual course the sun appears to
travel IN the opposite direction and to pass
IN IN the course of the year. entirely around
the heavens, always on this HORIZONTAL
ways in the ecliptic. The belt of consteIIa-
tons along the center of which the ecliptic
runs Is the zodiac-the animal girdIe. as the
name signifies.
At two opposite points on the celestial
sphere the great circle of the ecliptic cross
es that OF the celestial equator Tomorrow
night. at o'clock, the two crossing points
.AhS" 90 Tie SqulHOXeS, Will be the
horizon, the vernal equinox in the west
the autumnal in the east. To see upon the
race of the sky the half of the ecliptic then
above the horizon sweep a line with the
hhser from west to east. beginning at the
exact western point in the horizon. passing
MIDWAY between the Pleiades and Aide
Daran, very close to and south of the planet
MARS. degrees south of the Twins through
the star Reguius and the planet Jupiter
and striking the horizon in the exact east
mis- half of the ecliptic is that trayersed by
the sun-ln a direction from west to east
Lew Tween Ine latter part of March and the
idtter part OF September. About the Doth
OF June the sun reaches point nearly mid
way between the star Aldebaran and the
wins, ana Is then at its greatest distance
from TIE equator. 2312 degrees and crosses
tne meridian at its greatest altitude AT
this point 1t enters the sign Cancer-now
IN the place of the constellation Gemini-
anu a psslns 10 turn back toward the equa-
TOT. Hence the parallel of terrestrial iati-
tude above which the sun is then vertical
Is known as the .tropic" of Cancer. The
other half of the eciptic is, of course
extreme southern limit about Christnas
ume. entering the sign Capricorn and be-
ing vertical above the tropic of Capricorn
The Planets.
Mercury will be a morning star through
out the month. 1t will be at its greatest
apparent distance from the sun-26 1-3 de-
grees-on the 18th. and will be visible for a
week or more before that date and for a
few days after. a little south Of east.
Venus is still splendid evening star
shining now with nearly her greatest bril-
liancy. and visible for about three hours
after sunset She is now very near the
Nernai equinox and sets almost exactly In
the west "
Mars Is an evening star, and is still an
interesting object for the telescope, though
farther from us by more than 10000 OOo
miles than when we passed him on the 10th
OF December last His position is nearly
central between Capella and the star Bel
latrfx, in the left shoulder of Orion.
Jupiter is also an evening star, and is now
well above the eastern HORIZON at pm.
Jupiter Will be In Opposition to the sun.
crossing the meridian at midnight and shin.
ing with his greatest brilliancy on the c3d
OF this month Since the 18th of December
his apparent movement has been retro
81 grade-toward the west
saturn and Uranus are both morning
stars, rising very nearly together at about
z am Neptune is in Taurus, 5 degrees
south OF Mars. but invisible, of course. TO
the naked eye.
Queer Vermont Township.
From the Boston Evening Tr,pscrsn,