Evening star., 1898-12-31

-l5-SI. at 9-s-5 Pm
the collisions of the meteorites. the col
| lisions being more frequent aud more vio-
other.
Mira passed its maximum early last oc-
tober, when ii was Of the second magui-
tNoc, brighter than IL has been for several
years past. Ii will probably be found to-
night of no more than the fourth NTH
magnitude. It's position iS shown on the
planisphere. Observe its relation TO Men
kar. which IS star of the second mag
nitude, forming Sith the Pieiaa,s and the
two stars in the head OF Aries a large
equal-sided triangle. Between Mira and
Menkar is a star of the fourth magnitude.
Mira is cherry red.
A minimum Of Algol favorable for obscrv-
ing viii occur on the 10th, at 1O.2O 4 m, and
| another on the 19th. at : pm.
The peculiarity OF Aigol is that while il
is ordinarily star of the secoUd magui-
tude, at intervals of little less than three
| days it undergoes a striking change Of
DrIilancy, falling in the space OF three or
four hours To the fourth magnitude and As
quickly reGaninS its usual brightness. The
cause OF this SING ular behavior IL which,
very likely, it owes its namc-the demon
(al-Ghulb--has now been well ascertaiuod
10 be the circumstance that there IL reyoiv-
ing around il a dark satellite, or COM
panion, which, passing periodically between
us and il, cuts OFF a portion ot lis light.
About twenty variables OF the "AlguI type''
are now known. Their periods range from
oneeday three hours TO nine days eleven
hours, and they range in magnitude from
the ninth to the second Agol being the
brightest of them
Algol lies at about two-ifths Of the dis
tance in straight line from the Pleiades to
Cassiopei1. 1t forms the southern angle. OF
a triangle of second magnitude stars. Of
which the eastern is Alpha Persei. and the
western Gamma Andromedae in the left
foot OF Andromeda.
The Planets.
Mars is now the reigning planet. BY
p. it is now two hours high a little north
of east, about fifteen degrees below the
Twins The ruddy planet is too brilliant an
object to be mistaken for an ordinary star
Since December lo Mars has been retro
grading, or moving westward with refer
ence TO the stars. This movement viii con-
tinue until February -, when the planet
VIII be only about four degrees distant from
POiIuN-a little west OF south. Alter that
date its movement Will be direct, or toward
the east The loop, in its apparent path,
caused by these movements II shown ON
the ptaniSDhere.
The planets oppl- -ition TO the sun when
IL Will cross the meridian at midnight and
will be at its brightest for this year and in
It's best position Tor obserNing-sinc the
earth Will then lie directly between il and
the sun-will occur on the 18Th Of this
month, Tie conditions for observing the
planet this year are partly favorable for
observers in the northern hemisphere and
partly untaVorable. The planet crosses the
meridian at a high altitude. ana for this
reason is eXcellently well placed: but as an
offset to this favorable circumstance il is
now at nearly its greatest distance from
the sun, and consequently we shall not pass
SO near to II as We sometimes do. our dis
tance from Mars at the coming opposition
VIII he about U2.uDu.uuo miles which il
ABOUT -'"vo"1 miles greater than NJ the
a E1aVs1 s1,..,.-
mospheric conditions are always less favor.
able for observing celestial objects in the
winter season than in the summer II is
hardly likely, for these reasons. that auv
new discoveries of Importance will bt rr5ds
this year.
Surface OF Mars.
1t has been pretty clearly established by
observations made at the last three oppo.
sitions OF Mars. beginning with those ot
ls92, when Prof. W. II. Pickering obtained
so excellent view of the planet at Are.
quipa, in Peru. that contrary to the view
held until recently by astronomers gener-
ally, if not universally Mars has very lIttls
water upon its surface, and that the gray
ish and greenish areas seen upon il owe
tf.elr color. IN part al least, to vegetation
As TO the so-called canals" of Mars. there
Is nc longer a doubt that they exist As
tney are described and depicted by those
who have seen them the best-and very
lew astronomers have seen any except the
that TO see them requires exceptionally fav-
orable atmospheric conditions-they form
a marNeIeuSly systematic network OF prr-
fecty straight lines covering the entire
surface of the planet, its dark as well as
its bright areas, thus affording convincing
evidence that the former are not seas
whatever else they are. The true character
of these mysterious lines which, by The
way, are not at all times visible nor all
visible at one time, but which make their
appearance successfully with an obvious
relation to the changing seasons Of the
planets now the most interesting ques-
ton of MartiaE geography. The most prob
able view of them now seems TO be that
they are strips of VegetatiOn-not water
courses, though very likely containing wat
courses-siEce to be visible to US they
must be at least thirty miles in BREADTH
and many of them are doubtless much
wider than this. The theory that they are
of artificial origin-perhaps works designed
for purposes Of irrigation-has considerable
evidence in its support and it would GER
tainly be interesting should it eventually
be established.
be at its greatest apparent distance from
the sun on the 11th. 1t may be looked for
two three days before that date. and for
a week or so after, low in the southeast.
Venus also is a morning star visible for
an hour or so before sunrise In the south
east She will be at her greatest bFiniancy
on the 9Th of the month.
Jupiter is morning star rising at about
2:S3 am. Saturn and Uranus are likewise
morning stars, but are too close TO the sun
to be visible. Neptune is an evening star,
very near to the star which tips the Bulls
1t shines as a star Of about the tenth mag
nitude.
Gin Drinkers I'm Belgium.