The Washington times., 1906-12-16


playbil for this month IN which
the sun holds the center of the
stage IS the winter soIstice.
when the sun reaches the farthest
point south and astronomical winter
begins This event occurs this year
on the 22d. and the sun. all powerful
though he be, cannot get another peg
further 10 the southwark, but, 10 the
universal Jos OF the dwellers in the
north temperate zone. turns northward
his smiling face He seems To stand
sun In the heavens a few days. and
then change comes. a minute OF light
is added 10 the day. ana when the
month closes four minutes have been
redeemed from the grasp of pltlIess
darkness. The cole increases. the
storm king reigns. the earth is bound
IN log letters. bur the sun Is coming
north. and the earth is approaching the
sun
The pagan nations Of old were in
tuitive. II not scientific, astronomers.
To them the winter solstice was the
grand festival OF the year, and its ad-
vent was celebrated with every form
OF rejoicing OF which their simple ma
ture5 were capable. The sun. the lord
OF life ana light, was coming back
10 them, the great boca of the year
was within their grasp, and each min
Vte added 20 the day was a guarantee
OF the coming resurrection OF mani
mate life
The phases of .hc moon FOR Decem-
Der include q last qUartering on the
sth. the new moon ON the 10th. d first
quartering on the I'D, and the beauu-
ful full moon on the 3Jth. There are
nine COnJunctiOns i'm which moon and
planets are interested, one more than
We usually find TO be the case. The
additional phenomenon is due 10 a
second OCCulaIiOu with Neptune on the
6Oth. The FIRST taking place on tho Sd.
There are also two meetings between
Jupiter and the moon, but there Is
none for December between the moon
and Saturn. Popular opinion IS that
tides are due 10 the effect of the
moon. and #e hear about the Unequal
ity of tides becoming greater or less
as the moons dCCIiudtion changes. The
tide producing tendencies. in other
words, depend chiefly upon the dis
tanCe and direction of the disturbing
body. and are governed by laws weH
known 20 those whose calculations give
as the data We find Iu The daily papers
From what has already been said
there Is. then. another heavenly body
that has sometl ag TO do with the time
OF high and low water. and that is
old Sol himself. who i'm general takes
q hand I'm everything that is going,
and, in the case of tides, coming, too.
What is known as the priming OF the
tide or the periodic acceleration of its
time Of occurrence. is due to the suns
effect.
Yesterday Saturn reached the posi-
tion Of quadraure OF the halfway
elace between opposition and coujuuc-
tion, so he closes the year as AN even
ing star. He comes 10 our meridian
about o'clock I'm the evening, and is
not very high up in the heavens He
bears south earlier and earlier as the
month progresses. until at IT'S close
ne gets there about 415 C'clccG IN the
afternoon, in time 10 be with us during
The earlier evening hours He has
been growing smaller ever since Aug
lst, and viii continue shrinking until
after the year closes.
Jupiter is now ou his way toward
opposition. which event occurs ON the
Bth, when We shall und him in an his
glory rising about the sunset hour 10
ihine with us Tor the winter evenings
The brightest and most attractive oil
he heavenly bodies. His face always
tnords most interesting ana oftthncs
serpleNiug stGay Co tHe scientist. for
frequently there are found mysterious
shanges the iath0miug of which taxes
ye and brain 20 the utmost limit. IT
lot beyond
Neptune has prominence this month
from the fact OF his being twice oc-
quilted by the moon, once on the Sd
of the waning disk "A few DAYS berors
asst quartering, aad again on The q6fh
The day of the full moon This l4ffst
tends 10 show us that Neptune is nov
getting near the tirle ,o pass from th-
December ID I006