Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-02-01
THE STARS IN FEBRUARY.
Positions of Saturn and Orion Fa-
vorable For Observation.
1.-The Lady in Her Chair Consultations
That Will Be Especially Brilliant
Six Conjunctions Between the
Moon and Planets.


the month of February has no very par
ocular Interest to us from an asti onomi-
can standpoint, says the New York Times.
for. with the exception of the zOdiacal
light that about this time makes it's APP
pearancc IN tn" western horizon, there
are few fra ,urcs of special interest to
a.tract us. \ remarkable appendaSt to
the sun which extends to an immense dis
tame" from it produces the phenomenon
IT the 2odiacal light. \ peary glow Is
sometimes seems to spread over part OF
the sky in the vicinity of the point where
the sun has disappeared after sunset the
same spectacle may also be witnessed be-
fore sunrise. and it would seem as If the
material producing the zodiacal light.
whattVc il may he. has lcnslike form
with the sun in the centre. the nature
of this object is sun matter OF great
uncertainty.
1t is probably now quite apparent to
even the mos; casual of observers that the
suns influence is more powerful now than
il was AT tho opening Of the year. n
leHE hencd daylight is also perccptible, as
We have both an earlier sunrise and a
later sunset which unite in giving us al
most an additional hour of precious day
light. The speed Of The sun as it moves
on its way toward the equator Is also in
creased in February over what it was in
January. southcrly declinaton decreas-
ing nine degrees between now and when
March comes in
We can begin to realize at this time.
however that as the sun pours forth IL
all directors with most prodigal iiberal
~. It's torrents of highland heat, that our
earth is interCoptirg but small fraction
of the whole 1t seems as though the
greater part of it must be wasted in the
depths of space Our fellow planets and
the moon also have but rifle Eestow-
ed upon them The portion allotted t1
~ is. however. very precious, for If the
radiation of the sun were intercepted all
life on this earth would cease. An i'm
movable atmosphere would brood over an
ocean whirh, if not actually frozen. could
he on,y disturbed by the sullen undula-
lions Of the tides, and the dea thly silence
perNading the surface of The earth would
only he broken by volcanic disturbance.
Such, at least. Is the reasoning of scien-
lists who delight in Specializing upon the
theories of the improbablties.
The moon is at first quarter on the 9th,
reaches the full on the 14th, as at last
quarter on the 22d, while the new moon
does not make its appearance before the
arrival Of March. Viewed from the way
We consider our time, the astronomers,
however, say that ii comes on the 2S h
at - hours and 25.2 minutes Greenwich
mean time This matter of different
timre, mean, civil, astronomical. and 50
forth, is always a pcrpleNing matter, and
although like numerous other things SIM
pie enough when understood, ii is some
what intricate to explain; 50 that it will
be a very convenient matter to many If
the propositions to have but one kind of
time be agreed upon. February furnishes
but six coniunctions in which moon and
planets are Interested and, while three
of the planets are occulted, there are no
very picturesque events scheduled for the
evening skies. Early risers may be repaid
on the 24th by watching the near approach
Of the moon to Saturn ana the hiding Of
the latter from view for a short whiiC.
At about . O'Clock in the evening the
glorious constellation of Orion stands in
midhcaven almost due south, while over
head is the constellation Auriga, the prin
cipal star of which, Capella, ranks in
splendor second only to the Dog Star, as
Sirius is Familiarity known. In the north
the two most striking of the circumpolar
constellatons-the Dipper. Cor the Plow.
as our friends in England call III, and the
w. shaped figure of Cassiopeia The
Lady in Her Chair''-maY he seen at
about equal attitudes above the horizon,
the one to the right and the other to the
lrftof the pole stars. In the east is the
constellation Leo, containing as a first
class attraction the bright star Reguus
this sickle shaped group of stars, forming
the head of the constellation, being about
ore-third of the distance from the hori-
ION to the zenith. AT about the same al
lit de in the west is noticeable pair Of
second magnitude stars in the head Of
Aries.
. The first magnitude stars can easily be
identified by noting their relations to
one another on any clear night as Givel
here. Capella VIII be found almost d.
rectly overhead. Deteigeuse is the upper
and Rigel the lower Of the two bright
stars IN Orion. Sirius is situated below
and a little 10 the left-the left OF the OBJ
server is mcant-of the constellation, its
tity unmistakable. Procyon, still further
to the left and a greater altitude, Is
at about the same distance from both
Sirius and Betclg forming with these
two stars nearly an equilatcral triangle.
Aldcbaran is to the right of Orion, the
three stars in the Giants Bet lying about
midway between this star and Sirius.
Regulus. although usually reckoned as
n star of the first magnitude. hard V
EQUALS any Of the others under that head
ing in brillancy. Midway between Regu-
lus and Cape.la a little below straight
line drawn from one to the other, are
tie Twins-Castor and Pollux, the &C.
mini Of the almanac. Pollux, the more
southerly of the two, is somewhat the
brighter.
Venus. brilliant and changing, is about
two and a half hours behind the sun, and
int he constellation Of the Water Bearer.
on the I'd she and the moon Will be some
T degrees from each other, which is their
closest approach for the month. 1t i;
pleasing to know that this most beautiful
of the planets is getting gradually larger
and loVeier as she gets further and fur
thor away from the sun, and that this
process of becoming more cnticing will
continue until the year is half gone.
Neptune Is one of the planets occulted
10y the moon. and the event takes place
On the 9TH. TO those who have access to
glasses of sufficient power to find the
planet 1t viii be interesting TO see the two
bodies gradually approach until they
seem to touch, when one apparently dis
appears. only to re-appcar on The other
side when the separation begins Mer-
curry is now too close to the sun for us
to see him, and is in conjunction with the
latter on the sth When he passes 20 the
other side he will be an evening star, and
early in March we shall probably he ali =
to find him Just after sunset. Jupiter Is
up now away ahead of the sun. and on
the 2Sth will be at the position known as
quadrature. which is six hours in advance
. of the sun and half way on toward oppo-
Aiton. He Is still the most conspicuous
object OF The morning hours and his size
. Is increasing as he draws on to the half
way post. Uranus is ranged under Jupi-
tcr's banner as one of the morning sIars
and he, too, is occuted by the moon on
the I'D of the month. Uranus and Jupiter
, keep fairly C,ose to one another in some
of the events on the monthly programme
, for less than three days after Jupiter is
in Quadrature, Uranus experiences a sim
/ liar phenomenon.
Saturn is another Of Jupiter's intima tcf
in the oarly morn and is also one of the