Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-03-09

favorable position for evening observa-
t'oi'. Neptune on the following date 10
in puadrature on the west of the sun,
setting near midnight. This point and its
stationary point in right ascension. reach
ed ten days earlier, when it ceased 10
move westward among the stars and be-
gan once more its eastward journey
mark the time when it ceases to be a
special object of study by astronomers
The positions of the several planets thi.
month are as follows Venus, Jupiter
and, after the 9th. Mercury are in the
southwest each evening. On the LIST.
Venus sets at a3i Z. m. Jupiter at 9.3S .
p. M; on the 3lst Jupiter sets at s14
y. M, Venus at BIS p. M, Mercury at
~ p. m.
Mars is visible in the later evening in
the southeast. 1t rises on the list at 1l1a
n. M. and on tie 3st at IA p. NJ and is
in the constellation Libra Saturn rises
before the sun each morning: on the list
at 80 a. m.. on the 3lst at 4.os a. m.
Uranus rises on the list at o5.i a. M,
and Neptune sets at 800 a. M On the 3lst
the former rises at a. M. and the latter
sets at 109 a. m. They are, therefore, in
opposite parts of the sky. the ono rising
IN tho southeast as the other sets in tho
northwest. Neptune can be we'll seen
with telescope each evening ard should
be looked for in right ascension Gil 2imin,
declination n. % degrees 20.
! The moon in ITS monthly path passes
near the planets in the following order:
Fourth. Saturn 5th. Mercury: 9th. Jupiter
and Venus; 18th. Neptune; cath Mars
eth, Uranus: 31st. Saturn. Full moon
comes on the Goth. just before the time
of the Vern1l
the paschal moon which regulates the
Easter festival in the Christian calendar
is this year the April moon, and Easter :
comes at nearly its latest possible date .
The moon will be very near the bright
red star Adebaran on the 18th, and will
pass in front of it after they have set.
Jupiter sets so early in the evening that
there is little time after dark 10 watch
the movements of its satellites. There
arc two eclipses. however. which are
worth noticing. On the 9TH satellite l. is
invisible in the planets shadow until
about 80 y. M, when it will come into
view at a little distance from the planet 5
eastern edge. ON the 18th satellite III.
shines brightly near the planet until AS
p. M. when it will disappear in the
shadow and remain invisible until after
the planet has set
/ The evening star groups comprise the
first six of the zodiacal belt and those
north and south of them The zodiac cal
groups Aries. Taurus Gemini, Cancer.
Leo, Virgo extend from the western to
the eastern horizon high in the south
Through them the sun will pass during
the half of the year now beginning.
South Of these groups west of the merid-
ian are Orion. I.epus. CAMS aior ant
canfs Minor, and east of the meridian
are HYDRA. Crater and COrvus. North oe
the groups in the west are An1romeda,
Perscils and Auriga, and in the east is
Coma Bercniccs. In the north are Cas-
siopeia Cepheus, Ursa Major, Crsa Minor
and Draco.
In the first half Of the last month q
sun spot OF large size appeared on tho
suns surface and passed slowly across
as the sun turned on it's axis. 1t was
large enough to cngulf the planet Jupiter.
had it fallen into it. and was seen by
many without the aid Of any telescope.
The time is now near when the sun-spot
period is 20 its height. Some spots may
be found any day, and those of great
size will he formed occasionally. While
the nature of spots and their structure
is not yet clearly unders TODD. they indl-
cato disturbances in the sun quite an
aloSous 10 storms in our own atnoS-
phere. but on a much larger scale. The
Carnegie institution has recently decided
to establish an observatory for tho spe-
cial study of the sun, and it is now in
process of erection on the summit of
Mount Wilson in southern California
where the atmospheric conditions for OBJ
servaton are exceptionally good. Instru-
ments of the largest size and of peculiar
design are at the present under construc-
ton under the able supervision Of FRO
fcssor Hale who built tho Yorkos OBJ
scrvatory at Lake Geneva. Wis. 1t is
safe to predict that our knowledge of the
sun will he greatly increased when this
equipment is added to that of other solar
observatories already doing excellent
work. NNinslow Upton, In Providence
JournaO