The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-01-03
January skies.

 Evening Post
 January skies
 Venus continues to increase in bril- liancy until now there is no missing
 her in the southwest at twilight. She
 shines without rival. Jupited holds
 similar sway in the morning sky and
 makes almost as attractive a picture I in the early dawn as does her sister
 planet in the evening. Both are well 1 watching, Venus promises most in
 liancy, which is rated as 5S on the 1st
 of January, will increase to 1855 on the 3lst of May. Coincident with this in- f creased splendor is q movement north
 ward in declination which will have the | effect of lengthening to inhabitants of 1 the northern hemisphere the time the planet sets after the sun.
 | Thus this is the most favorable elonga- tion in severay ears Venus is farthest from the sun on the 21st of April,
 brightest on the 31st of May and in
 conjunction with the sun on the 7th of July. During the spring months it
 should be no very difficult task to see
 the planet with the unaided eye in broad daylight even at noon, She is visible
 now almost as soon as the sun has set.
 By noting her position each night one
 may be able to locate her before sunset
 soon. The main difficulty is to know
 just where to look Whether any inn
 portant additions to our knowledge of
 Venus will be made this spring cannot
 be predicted, but she will certainly af
 ford a remarkable spectacle. The plan cts path this month lies among the faint stars of Capricornus and Acquari- us.
 While not so bright as Venus nor so well placed for observation, Jupiter merits attention this month because of remarkably close approach to the third magnitude star Beta Scorpii on the morning of January 4. The conjune- tion may be witnessed by any one who is up and abroad before daylight that morning and at this time of year that is not such early rising. All the region about Jupiter is rich in interest, but 1t Is more conveniently studied in detail at another season. Jupiter is in con- junction with the moon on the morn ing of the 26th. With the exception of Venus and Jupiter the planets are not particularly noteworthy this month.
 The constellations, however are never more interesting than in midwinter, Taking a survey of the heavens at 10 o'clock on the 1st of January, equiya- lent to o'clock on the 18th of January, or o'clock on the 1st of February we find some of the brightest stars in the whole Armament in the south and east Capella shines almost overhead, Aide baran and the famous Hyades are high up in the south, the Pleiades are paes- 1 ing over to the northwest Orion h1ids sway in the southeast, with the great Sirius below Procyon is higher up in the east and Castor and Pollux farther north and still nearer the zenith.
 Orion is a constellation known to nearly every one. The three stars in the belt remarkable for arrangement | attract the eye at once, and flanked as they are by the orange-red Betelguese on the northeast and the bluieh Rigel on the southeast they form a group un 1, Normally Rigel is brighter than Betelguese although just at pres ent it may be difficult to decide be- i tween them the difference in color hin- dering comparison, Betelguese how { aver is slightly and irregularly variable. On December 3, 1852, Betelguese was brighter than Capella, and thus the . brightest star north of the celestial Rigel, besides being an telescopic double, is reced ing from our solar system, according to Prof Vogel at the rate of S9 miles ! second. Epsilon, the middle star in . he belt, s going the same way B miles . l second. It is a knowledge of some such facts as these which endoWs the glorious scenes of the January nights with meaning.
 It is not until one realizes that all , -hese stars are giant orbs ee5 1eep in 'pace and in many cases as "a" tilst ant rom each other as from tha earth tbat heir beauty can be appreciated, With his understanding they stand out against the background of the sky, not IS points on a spherical surface, but as at varying distances md ushing on to unknown destinations at speeds.-New York Mail md Express
 OF ILLUMINATING GAS.