Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-12-01
THE SKIES IN DECEMBER.
The Suns Slow Motion Northward-
Measurement of Time.
Baltimore SUM-

Baltimore SUM-
= During the month of December the
moon will pass through her phases as
/. follows Full on the sth. last quarter
: on the 10Th, new on the 2Sd. and first
quarter on the Both. At 5:26 a. NJ. on
the Sth she will be farthest from. and
= at 1910 p. NJ. on the 22d nearest, to tho
earth. The sun will be on the LIST OF
tho month twenty-one degrees hfty-four
minutes south of the equator and will
reach its southernmost limit on the 2ist
IL will then slowly move northward
again, traversing during the remainder
OF the month the small arc Of a little
more than twenty-eight minutes. Du-
ring the month the sun will be first in
Scorpio and then in Sagittarius. Tho
sun plays an all-important part In the
measurement OF time, and for this rea-
son, as in other respects, astronomy
confers in this respect a great benefit
upon mankind Clocks were not used
before the eighth or ninth century OF
the Christian era, while watches are OF
| a comparatively recent origin. Before
these useful inventions sundials were
| resorted TO. Were the motion Of tho
sun uniform, these sundials, accurately
| constructed would do very well for mea-
surfing time. but the sun moves in an
| elongated curve, the ellipse, the plane of
| which is inclined TO the equator at an
| angle of twenty-three degrees. twenty
seven minutes. The earth is not al
ways at the same distance from tho
| sun. on the LIST Of January 1t is nearest
to it, or. TO use a technical expression.
in perihelion, while on the 1st of July
it is farthest away, or I'm aphelion. in
the former position the apparent motion |
of the sun is most rapid, I'm the latter !
slowest.
The reader will readily understand that |
the real sun in it's variable motion pre-
sents an obstacle 20 it's being used as a |
time measurer For this reason a social
ed mean sun has been chosen, whose inn
aginary motion IS uniform. Since the real |
sun performs a complete circuit-that is.
an arc Of 35J degrees I'm $50 days ) hours
4S minutes 46 seconds, the daily motion Of |
the mean sun is 90 minutes seconds |
As n matter Of course. the mean sun will
sometimes be ahead or sometimes lag
behind the real sun, and on four distinct
dates Of the year coincide with it-viz,
April 18th, June nth, September 1st, and
December oath. on these dates a good
sundial will indicate correct time. on
all other days a certain quantity varying |
however, in value, must either be added |
to or substract from the sundial time,
in order 70 obtain the correct mean time.
This variable quantity is called the equa-
ton of time and is of the highest inn ;
portanCe. 1t is given in the nautical :
llmanacs for every day OF the year.
The planet Mercury stays during the :
whole month within the boundary line OF !
Venus will be In Sc0rpio =
Turing the greater portion Of the month, =
INT pass into Sagittarius toward the end. "
On the LIST of the month she will rise :
bout $50 A. NJ, and toward the end an .
lOur later. Mars is also in Sagittarius ! =
nd will rise nearly o'clock in the morn &
ne, so that both Venus and Mars VIII
ardly be visible during the December !,
lights. Jupiter, being in Virgo, will be- .
ONE visible soon after midnight, and a
resent for a few hours before the dawn | n
T day a fine object I'm the sky. Saturn -
still lingering in Scorpio and will not .,
se before o'clock in the morning, so r.
hat this planet. like Venus and Mars. cl
ill not adOrn the nocturnal skies IRA al
US and Neptune have not essentially N,
hanged their position since the past n
,onth n,
During the month of December the con- ~
relations Aries. Cetus, and Perseus VIII I'm
)me to the meridian. Aries, or the Ram, ~
the first constellation of the zodiac.
Ne east Of the square Of Pegasus, at "a
stance a little greater than the side or In
ars forming a small triangle with a very To
,tuse angle. the characteristic star m,
CUP Of Aries The most northern or | co
csc three stars is the brightest and IS ! co
He'd Alpha Arietis, or Hamal The star mr.
the obtuse angle is Beta, or Sheratan, | IN,
ID the third Gamma, or Merarthim a III,
lie double star. The star Alpha may DIN
so be found by the fact Of its forming cal
large isosceles triangle with Alpha ana my
itl of tho rOnSfollu ffpn AnHv,r,.Tn
pha Arietis being as distant from Beta ser
ldromedae as the latter from Alpha STA
idromedae 10
Two thousand years ago tho constella- "
n Aries coincided with the first sign or ais
ecllpuc' but in consequence OF the sue
.cession of the equinoxes the constela- soil
ms or the zodaic have shifted west ado
rd, and the constellation Aries is now rec
the sign Taurus, and the constellation VIII
urus in the sign Gemini South or and
les lies the extensive constellation Of
-us, or the Whale. occupying a space him
% degrees in length and 20 degrees in his
adth. The head Of the monster is OF
rked by pentagon Of five stars the clea
, southernmost OF which are Alpha | OF
Mankar. between the second and thiru | kee
shltude, and Gamma between the third cal
fourth magnitude The brightest 9th,
III the constellation occupies "A some yea
AZ Isolated position southwest OF Al Aqo
= caHed Beta, or Deneb Ceu Cree
is OF the second magnitude
raWing a straight line from Alnbo IN
a and dividing II into three eoraI Az
Is the star In the first point Of a. the
on from Alpha is one of the most as .
In the variable stars. LIS busl
re - Omicron Ceti. but IL IS also wbie
ed from its peculiar nature. Mira ar cert,
wonderful star 1t was, In fact the his
variable star discovered. It's changes brist
brightness arc wonderfully yarloug ton,
~ generally Of the ninth magnitude lack
-, :, invisible 10 the naked eye. whe
"a, Vi"''h months TO :he we
IN magnitude even to the second tain,
nitude; then back again. the whole near
lse taxing place within 100 DAYS comr
rise IN brightness is much quicker OF :,
the fall -
dway between Gamma Andromedaa
lhird one In the handle. and Aries vya
'nree stars that form a small right
isle' which g. called TrjansuIn,n
TONED among the forty-elchf an I'll,
), considerations Extending .he mond
ne OF Andromeda bright star OF the se,so
nd magnitude will be noticed vblch a. -
@ brightest in the constellation per- 90, :
and IL called Alpha. Due south ~ @
Beta Persei, or Algol. which. with -
$ n 0ro,,n vSb,oh ~. nv "vlshporhood. by n
,sa,s tIaaa m 80 N"e name OF word
'N"u'l Oi ancient | and !