THE HEAVENS IN SEPTEMBER 



137 



we on the planet Mars the North Pole 

 of our heavens would lie nearly mid- 

 way between the star K and the beau- 

 tiful white star of the Northern Cross 

 at S. The former of these will be our 

 own Pole Star when 56 centuries have 

 passed away. 



THE PLANETS. 



The observer has doubtless noticed 

 how rapidly the very brilliant planet 

 Jupiter has been sinking - in the west. 

 In a very few weeks this beautiful 

 world, which has for so long a time 

 poured out its steady, golden radiance 

 in the south, will have left us for an- 

 other year, although it will not actually 

 enter the morning sky until next De- 

 cember. But just as Jupiter leaves our 

 evening sky the most interesting 

 ringed planet Saturn will enter it, and 

 meanwhile the brilliant Venus is stead- 

 ilv withdrawing from the sun's rays in 

 the west, so that throughout the entire 

 winter we will have these two most 

 interesting objects with us. 



Mercury is now a morning star. On 

 September 7 it reaches its greatest 

 distance west of the sun and may then" 

 be seen rising in the northeast, about 

 one and one-half hours before sun- 

 rise. 



Venus sets almost at the west point 

 of the horizon, about 50 minutes after 

 sunset on September 1, which time is 

 increased to about 1 hour 12 minutes 

 by the end of the month. It is steadily 

 drawing eastward from out the sun's 

 rays, but, unfortunately, it is also moving 

 southward over the sky so that 

 throughout the entire month it can only 

 be detected for a short while after sun- 

 set as it shines out near the horizon in 

 the sunset glow. When once found 

 it is seen very easily, however, as it is 

 three times "brighter than the planet 

 Jupiter. 



Mars is rapidly approaching its 

 greatest distance from the earth and is 

 hence only as bright as a second mag- 

 nitude star. It may still be detected 

 shining out near the ground, almost 

 due west, for about one hour after sun- 

 set. On the night of September 8 the 

 more rapidly moving Venus passes to 

 the east of Mars and the two planets 

 may then be seen near together in the 

 western sky. Venus being north of 

 Mars and at a distance away from it a 



little less than the apparent distance 

 across the face of the full moon. 



This is the last month of the year 

 when the interesting Jupiter may still 

 be well studied. It is very low in the 

 southwest, just above the bright star 

 Antares ; when the change of the sea- 

 sons has again brought this planet into 

 our evening sky we will see that it has 

 moved into Sagittarius, nearly across 

 the Milky Way' 



At about 20 minutes past 9 o'clock 

 on September 1 the observer may see 

 the beautiful Pleiades just rising in the 



Figure 3. — The passage of the moon through the 

 earth's shadow the early morning of September 26. 



northeast, and an hour later the group 

 of the Hyades will also emerge from 

 the ground. The planet Saturn will at 

 once attract attention in this part of 

 the sky as it shines out half way be- 

 tween these two groups with more than 

 twice the brightness of a first magni- 

 tude star. By the end of the monththe 

 planet will be well above the ground at 

 9 o'clock in the evening, and from this 

 time on throughout the winter will be 

 a most interesting feature of our even- 

 ing sky. 



As the planet Uranus is now well out 

 of the Milky Way and in excellent posi- 

 tion for observation in a small tele- 

 scope, a map is added to help in its 

 location. 



THE PARTIAL ECLIPSE OF THE MOON. 



On the morning of September 26 the 

 full moon will pass a very little way 

 into the earth's shadow and a part of 

 its light will be cut off. 



