Arizona republican., 1898-09-06
H SKY OF BRIL-
 LIANT CLUSTERS,
Stars That Can Be Seen This MOnih-
 Eyual Days and Nights.

With renewed luSter in the crisp ana pure autumnal atmosphere. Among them may be noted the great square of Pegasus, rising in the east, and low down in the northeast is the lovely cluster of the Pleiades. The three stars Arcturus, Vega and Capella, known as the northern brilliants, are especially worthy Of observation, for they are all visible, and opinions diff fer as to which is the brightest of the trio. At the close of the first third of the month Arcturus is the brilliant red star near the northwest horizon; Vega the superb star nign in the north not far west of the meridian, and Capella will be found in the northeast. fairly outshining her rivals, according to the verdict of her numerous admirers. but not better than a good second, accord ing to the champions of the other two. Both planets and stars alike will lose their luster when toward the close Of the month the full face of the harvest moon shines in eastern horizon just about as sunsets glow is disappearing and rises slowly toward the zenith,  flooding the sleeping earth with sil- very light, casting weird shadows over the landscape, and painting wherever her beams rest pictures of ineffable loveliness that pencil can never re- produce.
 One of the most interesting features of the month lies in the fact that the sun reaches the equator and starts of on his six months journey in the south declination. This autumnal equinox, as it is called, gives us equal days and nights the world over. It has been found that there is slow retrograde motion of the point of the suns crossing the equator, from east to west, or contrary to the order of the zodiacal signs, as if the point advanced to meet the sun on each annual return. To this phenomenon has been given the name of the procession of the equinoxes." This motion is at the ap- proximate rate of degree in seventy one and seven-tenths years, the equa tor moving on the ecliptic while the ecliptic retains it's position nearly un- changed among the stars.
 This peeuliarity is said to be caused by the combined action of sun and moon on the mass of matter accumu- lated about the earth's equator. In consequence of this motion. the longi- tudes of the heavenly bodies are in- creasing. while, on comparing their latitudes as found by the ancient as- tronomers, with those of today, only little change indeed is found The credit for this important discovery is due to Hipparchus, whose researches were made more than hundred years before the Christian era. One other ef- feet of this procession is of interest to us, and that is it's bearing on the position of the signs of the zodiac, whose limits do not now agree with the constellations which bear the same names. For example, the sign of Aries is now in the constellation of Pisces. and so on, each sign having backed" so to speak into the conStel- lation west of it.
 Mercury opens the monthly events by being in inferior conjunction with the sun on the 5th, after which it be- comes a morning star and swings away to the westward on it's journey about the sun. Just before the old creSceni fades from view it and the planet are in conjunction, but both are too neal the sun to admit of our seeing them On the 21st the point of greatest west ern elongation is reached and Mercury again turns toward the sun.
 A few hours after Mercury arrives al his furthest western point. fair Venu: reaches. her furthest eastern limit which is almost three times as far iron the central point as Mercury gets From this on Venus will be retracins her steps until. early in December, sht will be i'll conjunction with the sun and will for time leave the evening sky. She will however, be with ul for number of weeks yet, and her lus trous disk will be increasing in sizt until, overcome by Old Sol's mere pow erful rays, she fades from our view Venus requires altogether a year ant seven months to run through he changes, so that if you find her bright star tonight you may feel surt that she was 9 bright evening star year and seven months ago, and that after a similar period, we shall onc more have her shining as queen Of Eh evening skies. Alter dark or an hou or two before sunrise one must neve expect to see Venus right overhead She IS always at such times, when a all to be seen. either in the west 0
 
 the east So that, unless the alnlana says that Venus is an evening or
 morning star, one need not trouble t search for her. Of course, it is hardl necessary to say that Venus can neve be an evening and a morning star a the same time
 Neptune ranks among the mornin stars, and is at present to be found i the constellation Of the Bull. tn brightest star If which Is Alderbara1 This star is a. the eye of the Bull an is found by following Orion's Belt LII ward and to the right. Aldebaran of so ruddy color that beginners ar sometimes apt to confuse it with th planet Mars, to which. under certai circumstances. it certainly bears rt sembance. Neptune is working hi way toward the position of uuadratur where he will arrive on the 17tl which will ma,iz the half way post bt iwoap co1, iI1DctiCn and onpocif;or h