Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-04
THE DECEMBER SKIES,
The Planets and ConsteiIations-1he
Morning and Evening Stars.

MORNING ana Evening 0taFSs
The December consultations are al
ways brilliant year after year. This
year the presence of the four brightest
planets add appreciably to their SPLEEN
dor. In the evening three planets are
easily found. Jupiter, Saturn and
Mars. Facing the east after sunset
the star-gaZer will see Jupiter, the
most brilliant of the stars. 1t is
changing it's position slowly in the
constellation Taurus, but is still be-
tween the well-known cluster, the PIE
ladies', and the V-shaped group called
the Hyades. The V. lies on its side
with the point directed toward the
right. Aldebaron, the bright red star,
IL at the lower left hand corner The
Hyades received their name from the
Greek word for rain, as the astrologers
found that the position of the group
in certain parts of the sky was attend
ed by wet weather. Some doubt at
taches to the meaning of the word
Pleiades; it is usually supposed to be
derived from the Greek words ito sail, -
because the opening of navigation in
the spring dated from their position
near the sun. If one notices Jupiters
position from week to week until next
spring he will see an interesting ex-
ample of the motion of planet. AL
present the planet is not far from the
line connecting the Pleades and Aloe
baran. 1t is moving toward the rlght
on westward. In January 1t VIII re-
trace it's path, cross the line ana move
10 degrees or more eastward before
spring, when it will cease to be visible
in the evening.
The satellites of Jupiter and It's
southern belt are readily seen with
small telescope. There are three even
ings this month when the movements
of the satellites are specially inter-
esting. the 7th, 18th, and I'D. On the
It'll, and after $50 p. NJ, both satellites,
I. and III. and their shadows cross the
disk On the 10th the shadow of Ill.
crosses the disk between and p.
NJ, and /. and its shadow cross be-
tween $50 and $50 p. NJ. At about
9.O5 p. NJ. satellite II. appears, having
been i'm eclipse previously On the
23d, satellites l. and III. and their re-
spective shadows are in transit during
the evening and III. comes out of
eclipse at 11.40 p. NJ.
While Jupiter is the chief planet in
interest this month, Saturn and Mars
are not to be forgotten. Saturn is best
seen as soon as it is dark enough be-
fore six o'clock, when it is due south
about 35 degrees above the horizon.
The ruddy star in the southwest at
the same time is Mars, which is hur-
rying across the constellation Capri
cornus toward it's fellow planet. Its
motion is very rapid. about three-quar-
tiers of a degree daily, while Saturn
takes two weeks to cover the same dis
lance. Mars, will. therefore, soon
overtake Saturn, and has selected
Christmas Day for the date of nearest
approach. On that evening the two
planets may be seen close together,
separated by about one-half degree.
The motion of Mars is so rapid, on
account of it's nearness to the earth.
that it is the best of the planets to
watch for study Of planetary move
ments. 1t was the careful plotting of
it's places i'm the sky for 90 years by
the faithful Danish observer, Tycho
Brahe, that gave the painstaking Ger
man astronomer, Kepler. the material
from which he determined the fact
that its real orbit about the sun was
an elipSe and not circle, as former
ly supposed.
Saturn is in the area Aquarius, near
the boundary of CapricOrnus 1t is the
brightest of the stars in that part of
the sky. Two others with which it
might be COMPOUNDED are Mars. farther
and Fomalhaut. which is be-
low and eastward. Saturn is more
than one-third of the distance to the
zenith from the horizon, while Fomal-
haut, when due south, is only Is de-
srees above the horizon, or one-fifth
of the distance to the zenith.
The consultations visible in the eve
ming show a marked contrast between
those in the west and those in the east.
Capricornus, Aquarius. Pisces, Aqula
and Delphinus have characteristic
groups. but few bright stars. Affair,
i'm Aquila, is the brightest star in this
vicinity. Besides these groups. which
are in the west. are Lyra and Cygnus
in the northwest and Pegasus high in
the south. They have each a number
of conspiC uous stars. Vega, in Lyra, far
the brightest. Near by overhead is
Andromeda. while farther toward the
cast are Aries, Taurus and Orion. In
the northeast are Perseus. Auriga and
Gcmini CAMS Minor and CAMS Major.
in the east and southeast respectively.
rise later in the evening. In these
nine groups are Aldebaran. Betelgeuse,
Rigel. Capella. Castor, Pollux, Procyon
and Sirius. with many others inferior in
brightness, but conspicuous enough to
give brilliant appearance to the
groups over which the planet Jupiter
reigns as chief of the starry hosts.
The morning sky an hour before sun
rise is even more brilliant than that of
the evening, for the groups earlier in
hn 4lax>is