The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-10-06
THE PLANETS IN OCTOBER.
An Unusual Combination in the West
 ern Sky After Sunset.

|
 | An Unusual Combination in the West ern Sky After Sunset, Mercury does his share to amuse Us | this month. and while we cannot sec the nimble little chap, he is doing his ] best for us and deserves to appear on | the play bill. He leads the list of even ing stars. and is followed in turn by Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus and Saturn, which formidable array of bril-
 liants have but an interval of four and half hours between the first and the last. Some of them are drawing in to- ward the sun, while others are separat- ing from it, and in consequence there will be some pleasant meetings as they
 reach their closest approach to one an other, On October 10 we shall have Mercury and Venus within less than a degree of each other, and on October 25 Mercury and Jupiter are in speaking
 distance as they pass by, the former
 on his way to extreme easterly elonga-
 tion from the sun and the latter on his
 way to conjunction with that all-poW
 erful luminary.
 Venus was in conjunction with the
 sun the middle of last month; and to- day she has but distance of six min
 utes between herself and Old Sol,
 which interval will be increased to
 half an hour before the month closes
 So, brilliant and beautiful though she
 be, all furnished and radiant after her sNuitb h. q inc skies we shall have to wait until next month before we can have her to charm the early evening hours. When we do get her well established as the queen of all the brilliants, We are not to be again deprived of her cheerful face until long after the new year has smiled in upon us.
 On October 29 the two great rivals for supreme sovereignty of the diamond studded vault have a meeting of their own, which is rather in the nature of a decision by referee than trial in open court. By that time Jupiter will have drawn so near to his point of conjunc- tion that he will hardly be able to cope with his distinguished rival How ever, he is now about two hours dis
 
 of the earlier part of the month he will greet us shortly after the sun has set, while fair Venus Is making her toilet and putting the last accentuating touches to her beautiful face. Before the above meeting and that with Mer- cury, already referred to, Jupiter over takes and passes the more slowly mov- ing Mars on the 11th.
 The warlike planet does not seem to resent thus being outstripped by his formidable brother, but jogs placidly along toward he goal, which he will not reach until the new year is behind us, We are told by the scientists that the normal condition upon Mars is fine weather, so probably nobody on that planet is ever in much of hurry.
 Uranus is also moving sedately to- ward the sun and will reach the phase of conjunction in the latter part of No His meeting with the moon on the Sth will be sufficiently close to admit of our getting some idea of his locality from the position of the moon. Saturn only last month was in quad- rature, so it will be some time before he is in conjunction: but he is moving in excellent company, although bringing lp in the tail of the procession of even ing stars. n9
 Neptune shouldei really have more 1 space allotted to him this month than we can give, for he alone holds up the | dignity of the morning stars, which he | will continue to do until Jupiter ap- | pears from the overpowerTng rays of | the sun and shines in the eastern sky | the herald of approaching day.-New York Times.