The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-01

and glorious 1t should look when, af-
 ter emerging from the shadow, we see its face through the crisp winter atmo- sphere. On the 9th we have the last
 quarterlng of the November moon, and
 on the 18th the first quartering of the December moon while on the 18th we have the last new moon of the year, which makes the last moon about eigh- teen days old when the year closes, and so gives us our exact number for 1899
 There are the usual number of con- functions during the month in which planets and moon take part, but with the exception of an occultation with Mercury on the 18th there is nothing very well worthy of special mention. Mars begins and ends the series, while Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Saturn, Mer- cury and Neptune are visited in their proper turns.
 Venus on December is in inferior conjunction with the sun, and after that joins the morning stars, where she will shortly appear as Jupiter's most formidable rival. On the 18th, the day before the new moon, the waning cres-
 cent meets Venus, but as neither body , can be seen by us there is but very lit tie to be said. However, we can always trust this fairest gem of the sky to de- light our eyes, and before the coming
 year ends she will have been an ob- ject of delight and of admiration to all who are interested in her.
 Mars, having distinguished himself
 as being twice in conjunction with the
 moon, plays but small part in the 1 months program. On this planet it is held that the weather is almost always fine, especially during December, and that generally when we are unable to distinguish through the telescope the details of the geographical configura- tions upon the planet the fault is in our own atmosphere and not in that of Mars. It is very rarely the case that when our atmospheric conditions are good we are unable to see these de- tils. It is also held that in the rarefied atmosphre of Mars there can be no powerful winds, like the trade winds and the predominant atmospheric cur rents which rule terrestrial climates. Saturn is also in conjunction with the sun, the event taking place on the 9th, so that after the ringed planet will again be classed among the morning stars, where it will remain for several months.
 Jupiter is now found rising almost three hours ahead of the sun, from which he is drawing away further and further each succeeding day He is now Lord of the Dawn, and holds his place for several weeks to come without fear of rival until Venus emerges from the suns powerful rays. Uranus and Venus have a very close meeting on the 10th, which proves to us that the far-off planet is also morning star. The meeting between planet and moon on the 12th is not of any moment to us, as both are lost in the suns light.
 Neptune is in opposition with the sun on the 18th, and so ends the month and year by being almost the only left to be called an evening star. He is in con- junction with the moon on the 26th, Mercury swings as far to the eastward on the 3d as his tether will let him, and then drawing once more toward the sun is in inferior conjunction on the Fist, after which he, too, is a morning star,
 and will be journeying on to the far western point of his career when over taken by the new year.-New York Times.