Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-12-08
GRANDEST DISPLAY OF THE YEAR
OF CELESTIAL LUMlNARlES.
Eclipse of the Moon on e5th-Mars, Venus,
Castor and Pollux, Orion and Vega
to be Seen Occuitations aud
Conjunctions.

lipsc of the sun on the l-th anu OF inc I
moon on the 9Th. and the beginning of
astronomical winter on tho 2lst. While .
all of these events are not visible to tho
undrapcd optic, some of them are, ana
these W.. be of sufficient interest to prove
n very decided drawing card at the open |
ing of the winter season.
The sun enters the sign Capricornus on
the 2lst ana begins his journey north, /
which requires three months to accomplish
before he reaches the halfway station ON
the LINE OF march" At the time OF
touching the utmost limits of southern
deClination the days are of their minimum
length and the shadow of night no longer
cncroaches upon the light of day. Inc
path of the winter sun lies low in the
heavens, the short days hasten gloomiiy
to their close. the sable pail of night fails
darby over the earth. and the feeling oi
desoation mingles with sorrow over the
receding light. But II is only for little
while that the sun seems to stand still
In his course a change soon comes, a
minute is added to the shortest day The
first precious minute Of sunlight Is the
harbinger of physical life. the sign in the
heavens that the laws that sway the uni
verse will not fail. the first trophy in the
combat between light and darkness. In"
change, invisible at first, Is detected in
few days by Il faint lingering in the glow
of twilight. and in a few days more there
his smiling face northward, the days have
prcceptibly heightened. When December
closes three minutes have been added to
the days length and, when the last after
noon of the year passes, the earth, IN
pcrihelion, is 100000 miles nearer the sun
than in July. and the great day star, III
nearer vicinity. is mildly tempcring the
winters cold for the inhabitants of the
north temperate zone. The star-Nt De-
cembcr sky is superb. for 1t is graccd ny
the most beautiful stars and constella-
tions that are ever seen by mortal eyes,
and whcr the December full moon runs
high" the celestial picture is cnnohlinS
and uplifting. Every observer whose soul
is in harmony with the grand spectacle
spread out above will pay tribute 20 the
scene in the eloquent words of the ancient
Hebrew prophet: Seek Him that maketh
the Seven Stars and Orion, and turneth
the shadow of death into the morning,
and maketh the day dark with night.
1t is at this season that We ind SIRIUS
the dog star, and Aldebar;tn pointing to
the reckless Pleiades. well above them in
the heavens. Beneath them hangs Orion,
which gorgeous constellation never burns
more vividly than at present, as II SWINGS
itself forth above the rim of the landscape.
The famous Twins Castor and PoluO al
most rest on the horizon the square OF
Pegasus Is in the northwest. while TAR
ed amid leafless trees and shows US the
way 10 where the chair of Cassiopela
stands daintily poised.
| We have already spoken OF the eclipse
of the sun that occurs on the 18th. ana
perhaps have induced the idea that We
are to be permitted to see 1t. Such. how
ever, Is not the case. as Ii Is only 10 he as
closed to the sparsely settled portion of
the extreme southern end of South Am
erica and to the inhabitants of the groups
of islands that dot the southern Pacihc
ocean. Even that newly acquired portion
Of our country in the Sandwich Islands Is
not favored. II is what is known AS g
partial eclipse. and II embraces but small
portion OF the SUMS disk. The moon Is
much more gracious than this in the way
she treats us on tho 9Th. on that date
she is in total eclipse. and the phenomenon
will bee generally visible throughout North
ard South America, Europe. Asia. and
Africa. The deep shadow in which the
moon will be eugulfed on that date has a
diameter that is more than a third larger
than that of the moon itself From the
time the moon enters the outer shadow
until IL energies once more, clear ana
bright, a period OF more than six hours WI.
have been elapsed. while the total eclipse
will last fully an hour and half W.
now know enough of the movements oil
the heavenly bodies to be able To plac,
the date of the fun moon for December
as there can only be an eclipse OF the ma
ture referred To when the moon is at tbs
full So here We have the last fun moor
of the year on the 9Th. and most bright
and glorious It should look when, after
emerging from the shadow We see its
face through the crisp winter atmosphere
on the 9TH we have the last quar,erins
OF the November moon, and on the 1911
the first quartering of the December
moon; while OH the 18th We have the last
new moon of the year which makes th'
moon about eighteA days old when III,
year closes, and so gives us our exact
number for lS'9
There are the usual number OF coniunC'
tions during the month in which planets
and moon take part, but with the cNcep'
ton of the oCcultation with Mercury On IN,
18th there Is nothing very well worthy OF
special mention. Mars begins and ends
the series. while Jupiter, Venus, Uranus
Saturn. Mercury, and Neptune are Nislte'
in their proper turns.
| Venus on December is in inferior con
Junction with the sun. and after that joins
the morning stars, where she will short,
lappear as Jupter's most formidaole riNa.
on the 18th. the day before the new moon
the waning crescent meets Venus, but al
neither body can be seen by us there u
hut very little to be said However. w
can always trust this falrest gem of th'
sky to delight our eyes, and before tn
coming year ends she will have been al
object of delight and of admiration 10 nj
who are interested In her.
Mars. having distinguished himself al
being twice in conjunction with the moon
plays but a small part in the months pro
gram. On this planet IL is hold that III
weather Is almost always fine. especialll
during December. and that generally whe'
we are unable to distinguish through III
telescope the details of tho geographical
CONGREGATIONS upon the planet the fault /
in our own atmosphere and not in that o
Mars. II Is very rarely the case tina
when our atmospheric conditions are goo
we are unable to see these details. 1t l
also held that the rarehed atmosphere u
Mars there can be no powerful winds, Xix
the trade winds and the predominant at
mospheric currents which rule terrestia
climates.
Saturn Is also In conjunction with tn
sun, the event taking place on the 9TH, :
u that after that the ringed planet will usai
, be classed among the morning stars
where II will remain for several months
Jupiter is now found rising almost thre
hours ahead of the sun. from which he
drawing away further and further eac
c succeeding day He is now Lori OF tn
q Dawn. and holds his place for sewers
Y weeks to come without fear OF n rival unit
: Venus energies from the suns powerfl
!. rays. Uranus and Venus have "A YER
r close meeting on the 10th. which proves I
: us that the far-off planet IL also a morn
: ing star. The meeting between planet an
x moon on the 18th is not of any moment I
; us as both are lost in the suns light.
i Neptune is in opposition with the SUI
!: on the 18th, and ends the month an
y year by being almost the only one left