Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-03-12
THE MARCH SKIES.
The Month Of the VcrnnI Eauinox--
The Planets and ConSteIlntiOns-
Phases of the Moon.

grca test apparent distance from the sun
on the 9th, says the Boston Transcript.
It Is then nearly 2S degrees distant from
the sun. in the constellation Aquarius,
and rises at i:i3 a. M, or S. minutes
before the sun. 1t may be seen for a
fcw mornings al about five o'clock. hut
not readily. as It shines with only one
half its greatest briliancy and is nearly
Ia degrees south of the equator
Venus is advancing ahead Of the sun,
and marks out in a general way the
path which the sun will take in the
spring months. This month 1t passes
across the constellation Aries and draws
near the Pleiades. The dull red star which
It is nearing is the planet Mars. shorn
Of the glory with which Is was adorned
last summer. The conspicuous feature of
the motion Of Venus Is that it is getting
higher in the sky each day, just as the
sun IL, and that it sets north OF tho west
point. remaining in the sky until after
nine o'olock. At the close of the month
1T sets at ten O'CLOCK, at the same time
as Mars.
Jupiter finishes its retrogade, or wes-
tern. motion among the stars on tho Goth.
It is in the constellation Cancer. n rn-
Their blank region between the brilliant
twin stars Castor and Pollux and the
Sickle Of leo.
Saturn closes its period of visibility in
tho evening sky. It scts on the 1st at SIS
y. NJ. and on the 10Th passes behind the
sun.
An important feature of the apparent
motion Of the sun and the planets Venus
and Mara is its rapidity Tho sun seems
to move among the stars at the same
rate that the earth moves in It's orbit.
This is almost exactly degree day
this month. for in the thirty-one days
the sun advances 20 degrees 50 degrees
in it's apparent path. Venus actually
moves faster than the earth all tho time
in its real orbit around the sun. but its
apparent rate as viewed from tho earth
depends upon their relative positions.
This month it seems to move over 50 de-
grres and. therefore. increases its dis
lance from tho sun Mars seems to move
but 30 degrees and so is rapidly over
taken by Venus and gradually by the
sun. At the beginning of the month
Mars IS - degrees and Venus % degrees
east Of the sun, all moving eastward. At
its close Mars is 45 degrees and Venus
IS degrees from the sun, the two planets,
therefore, seeming to be near each other.
Venus is getting brighter. Mars fainter.
and the contrast in brlliancy is now
very great.
The fainter planets, Uranus and Nep-
tune. are both in position for telescope
study, tho former less favorably stuat-
cd because low In the south and not seen
until early morning. Uranus arises on
| tho LIST at 3A a. H., in the constella ton
| Sagittarius. Neptune is visible until after
| midnight II may be found in right as
cension 6h 53m., decIination y. ~ degrees
| . minutes in the constellation Gemini.
The satellites of Jupiter should be OBJ
served this month especially for their
eclipses by those who have telescopes
| Satellites I. and II. enter the shadow
when behind the planet and emerge from
it at distance frcm the planet toward
the east. Satellites III. and ". come
out from behind the planet before enter
| ing the shadow and their disappearance
as we'll as their Temperatures may be
observed. The dates of eclipses and
their approximate times are: LIST, ". is
in eclipse 6S-1l.15 p. m: Sd, I. reap
pears at SOS D. m; 9th, II. reappears I
p. M: 10th. I reappears 10 p. m; 18TH,
II. reappears 9.35 p. m. Transits of the
satellites and their shadows may be seen
at the following times: I'd, T., 7.5o-11 p.
H.; It'll H., 1902 p. m: 18th. l., $50
?.15 p. M: 18th. l.. 7.45-11. 10 p. m. On the
Oh ". crosses the disk 6.55-11.25 p. NJ,
completing the transit before its sha-
dow enters. on the 18th the shadow of III,
same satellite enters the disk at S.55 p.
M, the satellite having completed its
transit more than five hours earlier on
| CT. c m
and thirty minutes later its shadow en-
| tiers upon tho disk
The consultations visible in March
evenings are the most brilliant seen IN
this latitude Especial attention should
he called to the number Of bright stars
in the sky to which the planets Venus
and Jupiter are the supreme additions
Orion has Betelgeuse and Rigc, on
either side OF its Belt: Taurus has Aide
baran; Gem,ni, Castor and Pollux; Leo.
Regulus. The two dogs. CAMS Major
and CAMS Minor have Sirius and Proc
yon. respectively; Auriga adds Capella
and Cancer rejotccs IN the visit of Jupi-
ter and Aries in that Of Venus. The con-
spicuous quadrilaterai Corvus in the
southeast and Virgo With it's bright star
Spica foretcl the ending OF the winter
season.
The moon Eliminates the evenings OF
the second and third weeks. First quar-
ter is reached on the 9th and full moon
in the nth. The crescent moon will be
near Venus on the 5th and Mars on the
9Th. and tho Moon in its gbbous phase
will pass near Jupiter on the 18th.
She sun reaches the vernal equinox or
the Goth and spring, according to the cal,
endar, begins in earnest.
The disappearance of Saturn from the
evening sky closes an eventful year in
the study Of its ring system II is ar
apporture time to summarize what has
been done, for reports have already beer
published from several OF our leading
observa tories. The rings were turned
edgewisc to the earth April 70, 1907
From that date until July % the earth
ring, the unlluminated side. therefore
, being towards the earth. From July Q
until Oct sun and earth were both or
the same side (north) OF the rings. Be
tween Oct, 4, 1907, and Jan. 6, 1905 the
dark face was again towards the earth
the rings exactly edEewise on the date
given. The planet was in good position
for observation after juno. During the
first period before July 90 the dark side
of the ring. almost edgowsc and there
fore exceedingly narrow, was plainl,
seen not only by our largest telescopes
but by those OF moderate size. The ex
tensions on either side of the ball seem
ed to form two clashes Of pale white, ap