Year: 1879

Even a casual glance at the evening sky
will show that the consultations and clus-
tiers which i'm ported beauty ard variety to
the starry dome" in the winter months are
no longer visible. The pieiades, Hyades,
Orion, he nebula in Andromeda and the
variable Algol, which arrested attention in
January and February, are below the hori.
zon. But the always varying nightly sky
is never without its objects OF interest and
splendor Ii Sirius, the brightest of the
starry host" sets An early hour, Arcturus,
the neyt in brillisncy, is approaching the
meridian. Virgo and Leo, the most inter
esting of the zodiacal consultations, are in
full view and the northern crown does not
disappear until half the night has passed
That luminous celestial highway, the
galaxy, is spanning the heavens at higher
altitude and the northern cross, though
less brilliant than the group OF similar
name which guides the navigator
when south OF the equator il easily
recognized. The Great Bear may still be
seen making It's circuit around the pole and
pointing out the Lone Star" CT the hardy
mariner and the benighted traveller. All
of the planets will be visible during the
month, and some of them the greater part
of the night. Ga the l4th Mercury may
be observed Just before sunrise. Venus
will continue TO be The evening star. On
the 18th this planet will b. at Its greatest
apparent distance from the sun, but will
not be most brilliant until about the mid
die cf August. II will be near the moon
on the 24lh. Mars will rise about two
o'clock tn. middle OF the manth. On the
evening Of the oh this planet and Jupiter
will be nearly in con Iuction Saturn will
rise about two o'clock A. NJ. the close Of the
month and will rise earlier every morning,
but viii not be in opposition TO the sun
until the beginning of October. Saturn
appears about two and a half years in the
same constellation. Jupiter will be near
the waning moon on the morning of the
lIth, This planet, which vies with Venus in
beauty and brightness, will not be
evening star until the close of August.
Uranus will be near the moon about nine
O'Clock on the evening OF the 2Sth and
may be detected by i,s palish blue disk.


Neptune, the outlying planet, 80 far as is
known, of the solar system, will rise little
after 8 o'clock on the morning of the 18th,
put as this planet il not visible without
the aid of telescope, and even with that
instrument is not easily recognized, except
by the practical observer, il is scarcely
necessary TO give the position in the
heavens. During the month OF May no
occultations of the stars by the moon will
he visible in this latitude. 10 the month of
June, however, il will be otherwise. Ga
the night of the Sd of that month there
will be an oCcuitation OF the fiery star An
tares by the nearly full moon, ald on the
morning of the l6 h of star in the con-
stellation Aries, aud another Of one Of the
Pleiades on the morning. OF the 18th. The
egress of the last two may be observed at
the dark edge of the moon. ii the aspect
of the star bespaugled sky in May is not
30 beautiful and striking as it was when
winter spread its white msntel over the
frost-bound earth, Yet both the philosopher
and the astronomer cannot be at a loss TO
find subjects for investigation and thought
in the heavens during the month OF
flowers