The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-01-08

anu COHSeQu ueHtly Guo UIlSuIei, ~ VIII
appear.
Sd. On the phase of the planet, as
seen telescopically from the earth.
For if the planet appears as half
moon, it will send US but half the
light that its whole disk would; and,
in fact, less than half, since the visi-
BILE part is lighted more obliquely,
and in consequence less brightly by
the sun. This effect will evidently be
much more marked when the planet
appears as crescent.
The orbit of Venus is so nearly cir
cular that the effect Of the changes in
her distance from the sun may be
neglected. The other two causes act
in opposite directions. When Venus
is farthest from us, behind the sun,
her whole disk is Illuminated, but her
apparent diameter is so small that she
is relatively faint. AS she approaches
us, the gain in brightness due to her
greater nearness more than balances
the loss due to phase, and this con-
tinues to be the case till after the
time when she appears as half
moon. But as her crescent narrows,
the decrease of light becomes more
rapid than the increase, and she be-
gins to grow fainter. The point where
the two effects balance, and the net
gain in brightness changes to a net
loss, is reached when the width of the
crescent is little more than
half her radius, that is when
little more than one-quarter of her
apparent area is Illuminated. This
is the case on the 9th instant.
After this, as Venus comes more
nearly between US and the sun, the
narrowing of her crescent rapidly cuts
down her light On January 81 the
width of her crescent is but one-sixth
of her radius, and though her diameter
is nearly half as much again as on the
9th, she is but half as bright as she
was then.
In the case of Mercury, the increase
due to his approach to us and the de-
crease due to phase nearly balance one
another ali the way from superior
conjunction the iull phase to the
greatest elongation (the half-moon).
After this the phase gets the best of
it, and his brightness decreases.
This simple relation is actually
much modified by the results of his
changing distance from the sun, since
he receives more than twice as much
light when nearest the sun as he does
when most remote. In consequence,
the maxima of Mercury's brightness
usually occur near the times when he
is nearest the sun, while the minima
invariably happen when he is between
US and the sun, and appears as mar
row crescent. The combination Of the
two effects also causes Mercury's
brightness to vary quite irregularly,
sometimes increasing or decreasing
rapidly. and again remaining nearly
constant for some time. The maxi
mum of his brightness, which occurs
about the end of this month, is due
mainly to his nearness to the sun. HIS
phase is little more than the half.
Mars is an evening star, but is so
near the sun that be is hard to see,
though he may be picked up at his
conjunction with Mercury on the 23d.
Jupiter is too near the sun to be
seen. On the 18th be is in conjunc-
ton with him, and becomes morning
star.
Saturn is also in conjunction with
the sun-on the 9th-and is invisible.
Uranus is in Scorpio, rising at about
5 a. m. and Neptune is in Gemini,
we'll observable in the evening.
THE MOON.
Last quarter occurs on the morning
of the 1st, new moon on the afternoon
of the 23d, and last quarter again on
the morning OF the 31st. The moon
is nearest us on the Goth, and farthest
away on the 4th. She passes Uranus
on the morning of the 7th, Saturn,
Jupiter and Mercury on the 9Th (all
being too near the sun to be seem,
Mars on the morning of the 1lth,
Venus on the night of the 18th, and
Neptune on the morning of the
21st.-Sc:enti6c American.
-1se-.------
Children Especially Liable.
Burns. bruises and cuts are extremely