THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
37 
ous or phosphorescent objects floating 
in a dark sea. Those who have not a spot 
lens or paraboloid may still get tolerably 
fair results by using very oblique light- 
light so oblique that the objective cannot 
take it in except when reflected from some 
solid object. 
Having once obtained a stock of eels 
they may be multiplied indefinitely, so 
that a single speck is enough for all the 
microscopists of a large town. 
Postage Stamps. 
WE again call the attention of our sub- 
scribers to the fact, that while we take 
postage stamps of small denominations 
at full value, those of higher denomina- 
tions are of no use whatever to us. We 
cannot sell them, except at a very great 
loss, and the post office will not exchange 
them for smaller denominations. There- 
fore, please do not send them. 
Astronomy for Amateurs. 
BY BEKLIN H. WEIGHT. 
(Calculated for the Latitude of New York City.) 
THE PLANETS— APKIIi, 1880. 
D. 
H. 
M. 
M€r<yury rises 
26 
4 
15 morning 
29 
4 
12 
Venus " 
5 
4 
48 
<( (( 
20 
4 
30 
(( « 
30 
4 
20 
Mars sets 
6 
0 
24 
(( (( 
25 
11 
52 evening 
Jupiter rises 
10 
4 
51 morning 
30 
3 
45 
Saturn " 
10 
(Invisible.) 
" rises 
30 
4 
26 
Uranus in Meridian 
10 
9 
11 evening 
30 
7 
51 
Neptune (Invisible.) 
NEAB APPROACH OF THE MOON TO STAES AND 
PLANETS, ETC. 
April 1. Moon 2° N. of bowl of " Milk Maid's 
Dipper. 
" 6. " 20° S. of Great Square of Pegasus. 
" 8. Jupiter 6° S. of Moon. 
" 8. Saturn Conj. ^un— invisible. 
" 8. Venus 7° S. of Moon 
" 11. Neptune 6° S. " 
" 12. Moon 5° S. of Pleiades. 
" 13. " between Pleiades and Hyades. 
" 14. " Apogee and Highest. 
Apr. 14. " 5° S. of (3 Aurigee, and nearly 
midway between Betelguese and 
Capella. 
" 15. Mercury very close to Venus. 
" 15. Mars 1° North of Moon. 
" 15. Venus very close to Jupiter. 
" 15. Moon 10° in Gemini : 20° S.W. of Castor 
and Pollux, forming an isosceles 
triangle. 
" 16. " between Pollux and Procy on. 
" 18. Jupiter very near Mercury. 
" 19. Moon 4° South of Kegulus. 
" 20. Uranus 5° N. of Moon. 
" 23. Moon very close to Spica. 
" 26. Mercury gr. elon. W. 27"". 
" 26. Moon Perigee. 
" 27. " lowest. 
THE MOON.— I. 
The naked eye will show the freckled appear* 
ance of the Moon, and the smallest telescopes 
the numerous irregularities upon her surface. 
The observer must not think to make out the 
details at first ; the eye must be practiced for the^ 
work. Neither should you expect to find a pro- 
totype of the earth, for our neighbor has no at- 
mosphere. Hence, the denuding action of air 
and water are not at work there, and we see the 
lunar peaks in all of their primitive sharpness 
and ugliness, and as one gazes upon the scene, 
with a high power, the thought that we are 
gazing upon the scenes of gigantic convulsions, 
which must have shook that small body to it& 
centre, cannot be repressed. 
The following is the nomenclature of the 
Geography of the Moon : Mountains, Hills and 
Kidges; Gray Plains or Seas; Crater Moun- 
tains, composed of three classes— Walled or 
Bulwark, Plains, Eing Mountains and Craters ; 
Valleys and Canals, or Bills. 
Although a micrometer is not essential for 
interesting work, its use will add much to the 
pleasure of observing. One properly ruled into 
60ths or lOOths of an inch may be procured of 
opticians for about $2.00. Insert it in the eye- 
piece, and it will be a simple matter to verify 
any of the figures which we shall give, and make 
independent measurements. Knowing the di- 
ameter of the Moon in miles, count the number 
of spaces required to make the diameter, then 
take such a part of the Moon's diameter as the 
spaces required to cover the object to be meas- 
ured is of the entire number in the Moon's di- 
ameter. 
The Grey Plains are known by the following 
names also : Sea, Mare, Lacus, Palus, Sinus and 
Ocean. The first one that we call attention to 
is Mare Crisum (A on the map). This is situated 
in the first or N.W. quadrant, and is best seen 
about 5 days after New Moon or 3 days after 
