The evening times., 1900-02-28

| ception of Neptune the planets are not very
| far from one another, some even quite
| close. Eclipses and remarkable coniunc-
tion of the celestial bodies may be regard
ed as the results of ordinary laws, which
nevertheless appear to break the regular
course OF nature yet they never fail 10 ex-
cite surprise. Such events vary greatly in
frequency. Some one of the satellites of
Jupiter is eclipsed nearly every day, but
the simultaneous eclipse of three satellites
can only take place, according to calcula-
tion, after lapse OF more than a million
years close conjunction OF two planets
always excites admiration, and yet these
conjunctions must occur at intervals in the
ordinary course of their motions most
remarkable conjunction of Mars. Jupiter,
Saturn. and Mercury, which took place in
the year 2i46 B. c.. was adopted by the
Chinese Emperor Chuen Hio, as a new
epoch for the chronology of his empire,
though there is some doubt whether the
conjunction was really observed or was
calculated from the supposed law of mo-
tion of the planets. 1t is certain that on
the 11th Of November. 1924. the planets Ve-
nus, Jupiter, and Saturn were seen very
close together, while Mercury was only Is
degrees distant
South of CAMS Minor and east of CAMS
Major is situated the large constellation
Argo Navis, or the ship Argo, the principal
portion of which, however, lies in the
southern hemisphere and cannot be seen.
This constellation is remarkable for con-
tanning the brightest star after Sirius.
This is Alpha Argus, or Canopus.
In places whose latitude is 81 degrees %
minutes, as. for instance Roanoke and
Lynchburg. in the State of Virginia, it just
rises up TO the horizon, while in places
south Of them it rises above the horizon.
Nearly : degrees farther south of Cano-
pus is another most remarkable star in
the same constellation, which is not visi-
BILE from any part of the United States ex-
cept the middle and southern portions of
Florida. This is Eta Argus, which in the
year of 1s43 shone with a lustre inferior
only TO Sirius and in 1865 was still shining
with the brightness Of a first magnitude
star. Since then it suddenly diminished in
brightness down to the seventh magnitude,
which is its present brightness. The star
Zeta Argus. or Naos, was mentioned in
our last article as the extremity Of line
drawn from Betelgueze to Sirius and pro-
duced by it's own length and forming a
part of the Egyptian Cross. The gap be-
tween Gemini and CAMS Minor on the
north and Argo Navis and CAMS Major on
the south is filled up by the constellation
Monoceros, or the Unicorn. one of the mod
ern consultations made up by Helvetius in
the seventeenth century. None of the
stars in this otherwise large constellation
is above the fourth magnitude. rendering
il rather inconspicuous.
East OF CAMS Minor lies the zodiacal
constellation of Cancer. or the Crab, which
does not contain single prominent star,
but is easily recognizable from its position,
and in a clear and moonless night by a
nebulous cloud called Praesepe. or the
Manger. 9th the two stars Gamma and
Delta near it, which bear the singular
name of Aselli, or the Donkeys. Praesepe
is also called occasionally the Beehive"
Aurga with Capella in the north is half
way between the meridian and the western
horizon, and the beautiful constellation
Orion is rapidly approaching the horizon
Gemini and CAMS Minor are still high rlp
in the heavens, though bending toward the
west. In the southwest CAMS Major, with
brilliant Sirius, may still be seen, while
in the east the constellation Leo is climb
ing up and rapidly approaching the merid-
ian. Northeast a magnificent star is rising
which at once will be recognized as Arc |
turus the brightest fixed star north of the |
equator. -.-..a |
The period of visibility of constellation |
or a star depends solely upon the latitude |
of the place of observation, for which rea- |
greater period of the year than others. All |
the stars describe a circle which cuts the |
plane of the horizon under the same angle, |
equal in magnitude to the difference Of 80 /
degrees and the latitude, and from this fol- |
lows that stars with greater declination, |
that is, with a greater distance from the |
equator. will describe larger arc. above |
the horizon and remain visible for a lon |
ger period. Stars whose declination is 30 |
A. -
these latitudes, and consultations that lie |
within these limits are called circumpolar, |
because they describe complete circles |
around the pole that do not intersect the |
horizon. The circle whose distance from ,
The pole equals the latitude of the place Of |
observation is called the circle of per |
petual apparition and forms the limit Of
that part of the sky which 10 always in
view.