The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-03
The Planet Mercury
Is in Conjunction
With the Fish.
NOW CATCH BIG TROUT.
Consultations That Adorn
the Evening Sky in the
Month Of April.

During the month of April the moon
will pass through her phases as follows:
Last quarter on the Sd, new on the 10th
first quarter on the 18th, and fun on
the 10Th. On the 9th she will be in
perigee and on the 18th in apogee. On
the LIST of the month the sun is a little
over a degrees "a seconds north of the
equator, and in course of the month
will traverse an arc of IL degrees 81
minutes in north declination, while in
right ascension it will move through an
arc of q degrees so minutes, the former
exceeding by degrees 43 minutes its
monthly average, the latter falling
short of it by degrees 10 minutes. The
rising and setting points in the latitude
of Baltimore will shift along an arc of
IS degrees 46 minutes northward during
the month, thus causing rooms with
windows facing the north to receive
more and more of the genial sunshine.
The planet Mercury is in Pisces,
where it will remain throughout the
month. Venus will be in AQuarius
but pass into Pisces towards its ter
minat ton Rising about four O'Clock
in the morning, she will shine as a
morning star, though the morning twi-
light will soon quell her light. Mars
will be in Gemini still during a small
portion of the month. and then enter
Cancer, where it will linger for some
time. This planet will be on the mer-
idian about I o'clock but not set before
q hOrlT q r11iHnioht ba
hours of the evening it will form a very
conspicuous object in the western skies.
Jupiter is still in Virgo. This fine plan
ct will rise about I o'clock in the even
ing and shine as an evening star emit
ting its genial light nearly during the
whole night. On the % h of the month
it will be in opposition with the sun
and shine all night. Saturn is in
Sagittarius ana rises a little after II
O'Clock. and from that hour will be visi-
BILE until the advancing twilight will
absorb its light.
The most conspicuous objects that can
be seen on the sum, surface by means
of even a small telescope are dark spots,
the shape of which are various and ir-
regular. These so-called sun spots con-
sist of two parasitic umbra. or dark
central norton, and the penumbra, or
the less dark borders of the spots When
we must not take 1t in it's literal, but in
its relative sense. for even the darkest
portion of a sun spot exceeds the cal
cium light in intensity, AS to the mag
nitude of the sun spots, it has been
found that it ranges from such as to
render the spot just visible in telescopes
Of larger size to some that are hundred
thousands of miles across. Another pc
culiarity Of these sun spots is that they
are generally found in groups and con-
fined to two zones on both sides of the
equator, beginning at a latitude of
degrees and ending at 40 degrees. Only
few are found near the equator and
none beyond a latitude of 40 degrees.
It was early observed that the sun
spots have a regular motion, indisput-
ably proving the motion of the sun on
its axis, and also enabling astronomers
to fix the time OF a rotation. although
a certain proper motion Of their own
renders 1t difficult to arrive at a trust
worthy result as to the exact time If
a rotation. With reference to this point
2 very able American astronomer sug-
gests il as very probable that the sun,
not being solid, has in fact no exact
period Of rotation, but different portions
of its mass move at different rates. The
most interesting question arising from
the peculiar phenomena Of sun spots is