The Washington times., 1903-03-31
Position of The Stars
In the Month of April
Perversty of the Ancient Nomenclature Applied to Con
steIatiOnS

anew this magnificent resplendcncy- this
perfect picture fresh from natures hand.
Phases of the Moon.
The phases of the moon began with
first quarteriug on the 18th. followed on
the 18th by The full moon. This Il viii
be observed. is the first full moon that
we have had since the vernal equinox,
consequently the sunday following is
Easter The date given in the church
calendars is the 18th, and We ind that
TO agree exactly with our own calcula-
lions. on the 18th is the last quarter
ing. and eight days later We have the
new moon.
On the 18th. the day Of the full, there
will be a partial eclipse OF the moon.
which We shall be permitted to see i
the night De clear The moon enters
the shadow about 1880 in the evening
and energies about 1.52 in the morn
ing. The first OF the conjunCtions in
which a planet and the moon are inter
ested occurs On the Sd. when Neptune
finds the moon within about four de
grees OF his territory
AstronomicaHy speaking. a similar
meeting between these two heavenly
bodies takes place on the last day of
the month. but, as this runs over the
Torrance for the first of the following
month.
In Conjunction With Mars
Mars comes next. on the 10th, but the
moon. is far too bright for 4 proper
spectacular effect OF that occasion. and
the distance between the two bodies
/ is also TOO great Powerful telescopes
show portion Of the surface markings
of this planet, from which the general
! appearance of his disk can be fairly
well inferred. He rotates on his axis
| in about 241z hours and completes his
/ journey around the sun in a little less
than 6S7 days, His diameter is about
200 miles
Mercury once again becomes an even
ing star on the 18th. when It is in su-
perior conjunction with the sun We
shall have this planet as an evening star
until early in June Toward the lat
ter part OF May we shall be able to see
/ Mercury in the horizon shortly after
/ dark and not far from the sunset spot
/ Neither Mercury nor Venus is a par
ticularly successful object in the tele-
scope. although the latter, both as
morning and as evening star is the
most brilliant planet in the sky.
/ One can hardly wonder al the an
clients fancying Mercury to be two diff
/ ferent stars or a variable that came and
| Unless the horizon is fairly clear. It is
not always possible to see Mercury. and
we now know that he is only visible 10
the unaided vision when at the end of
his tether as he swings about the sun
Uranus in Minor Part.
Uranus plays a very minor part on our
monthly program. and we find him IN
but one number, and that a distant
meeting with the moon on the 10th
There is altogether too much clear sky
between the two bodies even TO have
the position OF the moon serve TO in
dictate the locality of the planet
/ Uranus is slowly moving on toward the
position Of opposition with the sun, af-
I ter which event, which occurs in the
middle of June, We shall have him num-
/ bered among the evening stars.
/ Saturn. although having the same right
/ ascension that the moon has on the goth
/ is over degrees 10 the northward, so
no very pretty picture will result On
/ the Both Saturn reaches the position of
quadrature with the sun on his way 10
opposition This leaves the planet for
the month among the morning stars.
Jupiter is the morning star now. and
rises shortly after 4 o'clock. Telescope
| observations show US that a system of
| irregular belts crosses his face, and also
that the planet departs from an abso-
lutely circular form. His body buIges
out al the equator. which IS not alto
/ gether to be wondered At, when we re
call that his bulk is over ] 300 times that
/ of the earth, and his density much less,
while the speed with which he rotates
on his axis amounts al his equator to
something like %, et0 miles an hour
Venus smiles most radiantly at us
now, without waiting for Old Sol TO en-
ti-ely disappear. She does not set until
S:45, so ne have a fine chance to admire
her, which. womanlike. she no doubt
appreciates thoroughly. We are to have
her as evening star until September II,
so ample time is offered in which to
thoroughly enjoy her.