The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-11

Phenomenon of Unusual Interest Ear
1y i'm the Month.
New York Commercial Advertiser.

New York Commercial Advertiser.
The early days of October witness a phe-
nomenon of unusual interest which can
hardly fail to attract attention from even
the most casual observer of the skies. This
is the conjunction of the red planet Mars
with the equally red star Antares. Seen by
the naked eye these two objects are in ap
pearance absolutely ndistinguiShable, but
it is only on rare occasions that they are
brought into close proximity for our COM
parison. We shall not have another op-
portunity until the summer of 1896 and this
is the first time i'm nearly a dozen years
that the phepomenon has occurred under
circumstances favorable TO general OBJ
servation.
We must look early i'm the evening i'm the
southwestern sky and we see tie two bright
red stars which look exactly alike. Mars
passed from the west TO the east Of Antares
on the 9Th. being six moonbreadths TO the
north of the star. AS the only pair of eX-
ceptionally bright stars in the southwest
ern sky, there can be no mistaking them,
and the relative positions given show which
is the planet. After the 4th the distance
will gradually widen Mars continues his
endless journey TO the east.
The resemblance of star and planet was
observed by the astronomers of thousands
of years ago and the name Antares was
given by the Greeks, meaning like
Ares, which was tho Greek name for
Mars. Alike in appearance. the difference
in reality is most impressive. When Mars
is situated as at present, light travels from
its surface to the earth in less than twenty
| reaches our eyes this evening started on its
! journey more than hundred and sixty
years ago. If our sun were removed 10
such a distance il would be but a faint
| star, barely perceptible TO the naked eye.
| In magnitude and splendor. therefore, this
| distant star must be at least a hundred
| fold greater than the sun.
Jupiter. the monarch of the evening at
| sunset, Is well up in the eastern sky. His
superb brilliance is such as 10 make mis-
take impossible. He is. at the beginning
n month a X.
Saturn is nearly three hours west of Jupi-
ter and is brighter than any star in his
own neighborhood. A good opportunity TO
sec Uranus i'm conjunction with Mars Is
afforded on the evening Of the 24th. good
opera glass is required TO see Uranus,
which. on the evening in question. will pass
due south OF Mars at "A distance OF two
moonbreadths. This Is a. rare chance 10
identify the planet. for it is only by planet
airy conjunction that its obscure presence
can be indicated TO the beginner in celestial
geography, and these coDjunctions are sew
cral years apart
Venus is now the splendid morning star.
rising at 400 o'clock. and shining with
brilliance which is her own sufficient identi-
| tication. Mercury can be seen on the morn
ing OF the 18th If the sky is very clear Hair
| an hour before sunrise search the sky close
| to the horizon, i'm the neighborhood where
| the sun is soon TO appear The bright star
which you. may pick up with your opera
glass can be none other than Mercury.
The consultations of summer are going,
| those of winter are coming in. Great Arc
ttrus is low in the west. His position is in
| dicated by the curving handle OF the Big
| Dipper, which lies not far away TO the
north But as Arcturus goes, Capeila comes
| the very bright star in the northeast, hav-
ing as near companions a pair of small
stars called The Kids. The constellation or
which Capella is chief jewel is Auriga, or
/ the charioteer, and has an easily remem-
1 bered pentagon of five bright stars.
| Farther up along the Milky Way from
| Auriga we come 10 the constellation Per-
seus. easily marked by the bending row 81
4 three stars, with Mirfac, the brightest. IN
4 the middle. From Mirfac stretches away
! the long row of bright stars which ends in
| toward the zenith.
| the constellation Perseus. Ii forms right
| angled triangle with Mirfac and Almaac.
| the second in the line. leading up 20 the
| Great Square Oct y, at IL y. m. and Oct.
| Is, at p. m, are favorable opportunities
| for observing the star at its minimum 81
brightness.
| Still higher in the Milky Way is CASSIE
| peia. and overhead Is the Northern Cross.
West of the Galaxy is Lyra with the bril-
/ liant star Vega. East is Delphinus. marked
| by the little acknowledged figure known
| as Jobs Coffin. near which is the constella-
ton Aquila- marked by n row Of three stars.
| the middle star, Affair being of the first
magnitude. Just now this row points down
1 ward toward the part of the sky In which
| Saturn Is found
The moon passes near Jupiter on the 9Th
and again ON the 31st. near Saturn ON the
18th. near Mars on the 9th and near Venus
on the 18TH