Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-03-05
THE MARCH SKIES.
The Procession Of the Star Groups
Planets and Consultations.

The first month of spring. according
to the calendar, opens with the brilliant
consultations of the winter still con-
spicuous in the evening sky. Now.
however. they are in the south and
west, and their places in the east are
taken by the less brilliant groups which
herald the advent of the summer.
Nothing is a Surer Indication Of the
orderly progress of events in their an
nuai course than the procession Of star
groups which form the celestial calen-
dar.
Jupiter Is the ruling planet of the
heavens. Each night finds him lower in
the west when the waning twilight al
lows him to be seen. for he shares with
the stellar groups the apparent move
ment toward the west of one degree
each Gay. He has his own motion. too,
indept ndcnt of that of the group
Taurus in which he is now located.
During the month he will cover six de
grees Of his course, and at its close will
DE on the line connecting the Pleiades
with the red star Aldebaran, near its
middle point.
Mars is also visible in the early even
ing, but is not conspicuous. Like Jupi-
stars, while at the same time he shares
with them their westerly drift toward
the sun. In the course of the month he
moves more than twenty degrees in
his path. LRssing from Pisces into
Aries. Su
This montf S:lhords the first glimpse
of Venus in e-evening sky. which it
viii! adorn for many months. 1t can
not be seen at the beginning of the
month. but before it closes may he de-
tected glowing In the twilight above the
western point of the horizon. 1t will
set on the thirty-first at 7.O4 +. NJ
Mercury is also in the evening sky
and may be seen without difficulty by
the middle Of the month. This will be
the best opportunity of the year for
seeing it after sunset. On the 1st it
sets at 6.12 T. NJ. or 81 minutes after
the sun. On the 18th it is at its great
est apparent distance from the sun.
ISo 81 and sets at 1.32 p. NJ. The planet
frequently comes out TO a greater dis
tancc from the sun. but this month it
makes up for the nearness by its great
or brightness. and also by being farther
north. 1t can be found after the 18th
without difficulty. The observer should
Gas to : p. NJ. After the 18th the planet
returns to the sun and passes Venus
on the 2Sth, going nearly So north of it.
1t can be seen then, but with difficulty.
while Venus is SO much the brighter
that it can be found quite readily.
The telescope planet Neptune is also
in the evening sky. high in the con-
.teilation Gemini. It's position on the
1st is right ascension Oh 33m., declina-
tion n. 22' IL. 1t finishes it's retro
grade arc on the 18th and on the 29th
is in quadrature or 90 east of the sun.
Uranus is in the opposite part of the
Sky from Neptune. being 90 west OF
the sun on the same day that Neptune
IL at the same distance east. It's right
ascension on the 1st is 1Sh. GAM. and
il destinations $. 23' so.
Saturn completes the list OF planets
1t is not I'm good position for observa-
tion. as it is too near the sun. 1t rises
on the first at 6.21 A. NJ. and on the
thirty-first at 4.31 A. NJ.
The moon is at first quarter on the
third and full on the tenth. so that the
evenings of the first half Of the month
will be favored with moonlight. On
the second and again on the twenty
ninth the moon will be near Jupiter.
and its bright crescent will add to the
picturesQueness of that part of the sky
already marked by the brilliant piarct.
tue Pleiades and Hyades. and the other
stars Of the constellation Taurus.
March is the month in which the sun
~crosseS the line" and enters the region
a the sky north of the celestial equa-
tor. This occurs on the twenty-first at
A. NJ, and marks the beginning of
spring. according to the usual astro-
nomicai reckoning. While the New
England winter has this year bean un-
usually mild and characterized by few
storms and much sunshine. the ap-
proach of the summer win be no less