Evening star., 1898-12-03
Planet Do,


One of the most interesting of recent as
Economical discoveries is that OF a tiny
planet which circles round the sun between
the earth and Mars. The discovery was
made at the trania observatory Berlin, on
the evening of the 14th of last August, by
Herr Witt, while searching with a camera
Tor asteroids. After the fashion of naming
asteroids, it has been labeled DO 1885,
It's orbit proves upon investigation to be
very elliptical, so much so that while the
little planet may at one time be at consd-
erable distance outside the orbit of Mars,
when 1t is in the opposite part of it's orbit
and is the nearest to the sun it comes with
in about 13.0OO,OO0 miles of the earth's or
bit. The nearest that Mars can approa ch
the earth is about $1,000 600 miles Planet
DtQ performs its revolution round the sun in
period of 645 days, which IS forty-two
days less than that of Mars. Owing to the
great variation in its distance from US It's
stellar magnitude has considerable range.
At the present time il is of about the
twelfth magnitude. according to an esti-
mate made at the Harvard College otserya-
tory. but when it Is at its nearest to US it
should be of about the sixth magnitude.
and should therefore be visible TO the naked
eye AT the present time this little fellow
is IN the constellation Aquarius setting at
about ~ pm. To Judge from the amount
Of light which it sends to US, it can hardly
he more than twenty-five miles in diameter
Comets.
This year has been remarkabl prolific of
comets. Nine have been discovered thus
far, Including three shOrt-period comets.
whose returns We're looked for. The list
stands as follows:
(a) Winnecke's comet, first seen by Per-
rtne at the Lick observatory January .
This Is a periodical comet and its return
was looked for.
tbD new comet discovered by Perriue
March ~. 1t was found near the western
side of the Square OF Pegasus, moving
nOrthWard.
(c) A new comet discovered at the Lick
observatory by Coddington by photography
June II. II was near the star Antares
moving southwestward.
I'D Enkes comet. Periodical Picked up
by Tebbutt at Windsor New South Wales.
June II, northeast of Orion.
te) A new comet by Perrine June IA in
Cancer. moving southwest ward.
% Volts comet Periodical Found in
Aries by Hussey at the Lick observatory,
June Il.
(g) new comet by Giacobini, June 1s. in
Capricorn, moving westward.
th) new comet by Perrinc September
H. found near the Sickle In Leo, moving
southea$tw;trd.
GD y new comet. found by Brooks at
Geneva. y. Y, October ~, in Draco moy-
ing @outheastWard rapidly This comet
passed through the constellation Hercules.
and November IL was near the right shoul-
der of Ophiuchus making straight for the
head of Sagittarius.
Two other periodic comets Swift's and
Temples. are scheduled for this year, but
have not yet been picked up.
Lunar Eclipse
On the 2Ith there will be a total eclipse of
the moon, visible on all Of the continents IS
except Australia, and over the Atlantic
ocean. The duration Of the eclipse, excIu-
slEe Of the penumbral phase, which is
never Perceptible will be three hours and
forty y-nine minutes. The moon will be to
tally eclipSs=d one hour and thirty nfu,lfn=
At TIL" middle of the eclipse the moon will
he In the zenith of an observer in Longitude
D degrees east from Greenwich and in
north latitude % degrees 80 minutes-very
nearly at the center of the Sahara desert
Observers on the Atlantic coast OF the
United States may see the whole of the
eclipse, which viii begin for them at about
the time when the moon rises-just before
or few minutes after, according 10 th.i1,
exact location. Those on the Pacific coast
can see only the second half of The eclipse
the moon rising for them at just abou. the
time when the total phase ends.
A minimum of Algol will occur this even
ing, December L. at 10 O'clock and another
on the ith at o'clock. The next minimum
favorable for observing will occur on the
Slst at 0 O'Clock.
The Planets.
Mercury VIII be an evening star until the
21st of this month. 1t is at its greatest
distance from the sun east-21 degrees 10
minutes-today. Look for 1t low in the
southwest.
Venus was in inferior conjunction with
the SURPASSED between us and the sun
on the 1st. She is now morning star hut
too close to the sun TO be visible
Mars is an evening star rising at about q
pm He is in the constellation Cancer
about ~ degrees southeast Of the Twins.
shining with his well-known ruddy light
and brighter than star OF the first mag
nitude. The planets distance from us now
| is about 100000 miles, and because OF its
position with respect to us and the sun Its
phase Is gibbous. 1t Is still too far away
Tor small telescope to make much of H.
Dut In another month or SO II will have le-
come one OF the chief attractions of the
heavens.
I Jupiter is morning star rising at about
! am. Saturn and Uranus are both very
close TO the sun, nearly in conjunction y;tth
1t ''''
Neptune IS an evening star. well above
the horizon at o'clock, though Invisible.
being of only the tenth magnitude 1t is
within two degrees Of the star which t,ns
the Bulls southern horn, In a nortbea st
direction from It.
On the 21st at pm, Washington time.
the sun Will enter Capricorn and winter
will begin.
On the 31st at pm. the earth will he ~
It's nearest TO the sun--3. go 600 miles nearer
than on the I'd of July.
Tt,SNfr l- rF Ill,