Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1899-05-06
FAIR MAYS SIX ES.
Stars That Enable Observers
to Trace the Ecliptic.
POSITION OF THE PLANETS

WHICH WILL COME TO THE
MERIDIAN ABOUT O'CLOCK ON
MAY EvENINGs-sTARs WHICH
COMPOSE IT
During the month Of May The moons
phases will be as follows: Last quarter
on the % and sist, new on the 9th, first
quarter on the 17th, and fun on the 25th.
She will DE in perigee on the LIST and 2sth,
and apogee ON the 10th. Like all the &C.
lestial bodies the motion Of which around
some other central body has been OBJ
served. the moon also moves about the
earth In somewhat elongated curve,
called an eclipse. IN one Of whose two
foci the earth Is situated. The line which
connects those two points In the illiptical
orbit that are nearest and most remote
from the focus. IN which the central at
tractNe body Is situated, Is called the
line Of apsides. In the case OF the moon
this line Of apsides moves around toward
the east IN a period of about nine years,
so that the position of the apogee and
perigee necessarily and constantly
changes. In the case Of the earth the limo
OF apsides moves around in circle IN the
very long period OF 10000 years. At
present. and for a long time to come. the
point in the earths orbit nearest the
sun. or. as H. IS technically called, the
perlhelion, falls on the 1st of January
and the remoiest point or the aphelivn
on tho 1st Of July. The line OF the APP
sides Of the earth's orbit stretches to-
ward the consultations Gemlni and sa-
gittarius. on the first OF the month The
sun will be rs degrees minutes and on
the last q degrees &c minutes north OF
the equator, thus moving during the
month over an area Of very nearly de-
grees north dcclinatlon. being at first In
the constellation Aries and later ON IN
Taurus.
THE PLANETS.
Mercury win be in Pisce. during tho
greater part OF the month. but in Aries
towadr the end. Venus also viii be In
Pisces during the greater portion Of the
month and then enter Aries. This beau
tiful planet VIII rise about half-past 3
o'clock in the morning and shine as a
morning star. Mars is In Cancer and will
shine during the hours OF the evening
until a little after midnight Jupiter Is
still in Virgo and will also shine dur
ing nearly the whole night. Just when
this great planet IS on the point OF set
ting his rival IN brillancy. Venus. may
he seen just on the point OF rising IN the
East About o'clock IN the evening
Saturn viii rise and shine during the
night, conspicuous object m the heav-
ems that at once viii be recognized as a
planet IL Is, of COURSE evident to Tho
reader that a star which lies outside OF
the zodlacal belt cannot be planet. sine,
the positions OF all the planets. the sur
and the moon are confined within tina
belt. When therefore, he sees a fin,
star IN the heavens within that belt, Il
may be a planet. Venus and Jupiter will
al once be recognized by their exceedln,
brilliancy Mars by its redness and Saturn
by certain steady yellowish unge
Fixed stars are best remembered by thel
Interchangeable position IN their respective
constellation.
TRACING THE ECLIPTIC.
The reader will understand and &C
knowledge that u Is OF Importance L
have a clear idea OF the situation OF IN
cclipuc In the sky, since the belt OF tn
zodiac stretches along the ecliptic S dc
grees on each side OF 81. During tn
month of May two consultations will b
visible during the greater part OF tn
night that win enable us to trace a
ecliptic The brightest star in the cor
spicuous constellation Leo so easily rec
ognized by its resemblance with a siclxl,
is Regulus, and this star, that shine,
with the lustre Of a first-magnitude sta
lies In the eclptc, or, at any rate, yer
close to Il. BY connecting this star wit
the topmost and rather bright star in th
beautiful constellation scorpio, SO cot
spicuous by it's kite-lllxe form. we ma,
an arc Of the great circle Of the ecliptf
Spica, a irst-magnitude star IN the COZ
stellation Virgo. Is another prominei
object near which the ecliptic passe
Spica is situated almost midway betwes
Reguius and Antares, that fiery red 81.
Of the first magnitude in the consteui
ton scorpio. These three stars. then. vi
Regulus, spica and Beta scorpu. viii fu
nish pretty accurate notion Of the sit
alton Of the ecliptic
MEASURING LIGHT.
In order to measure distances. surface
volumes, time and force we must Ia,
standard units. and thus # Is indispe
sable to have a standard unit to measu
the quantity OF light Of any lumino
body. This unit IS the intensity of 4
light OF the standard candle, this being
sperm candle weighing one-sixth OF
pound and burning 40 grains an no,
The intensity OF the sunlight IS such IN
when the sun is in the zenith Il illur
mates a white surface about sixty tho
sand times as strongly as a stands
candle at a distance Of thirty-nine inch
Comparing the sunlight with that Of
fun moon, we arrive at the surprising
suit that il is about 10000 times that
the full moon. OF all the different klI
Of artificial light that can be produced
man the most intense is the brill.
spot IN the so-called ''crater" OF am 81
trio arc, but dazzingly brilliant as 1t
1t is but one-third as bright as the 9
face OF The sun itsem. Both the eleci
arc or the calcium light. when n
against the suns disk, look like a d,
spot on st. Several astronomical obse
ers. by Forgetting 10 put their screens
fore the eyepieces OF their telescoI
have been instantly struck blind wi