138 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
Astronomy for Amateurs. 
BY BERLIN H. WEIGHT. 
THE PLANETS— DECEMBEE, 1880. 
(Calculated for the Latitude of New York City.) 
D. H. M. 
Mercury rises 13 5 33 morning 
16 5 41 
19 5 51 
This will be a favorable time to look for this 
planet. On the 16th he rises 2h. 37m. before the 
Sun, and exactly at the time of beginning of the 
morning twilight. He should be looked for at 
the time of rising 26° south of the east point, and 
5|° (a little more than the distance between the 
" Pointers ") north of the Sun-rise point. He is 
in the constellation Scorpio, and about the time 
of sunrise may be confounded with the bright red 
star Antares, and though they will appear much 
the same in color, Mercury is the brighter, while 
Antares is nearly 7° further north, and does not 
rise until Gh. 20m. morn. 
D. H. M. 
Venus sets 10 7 10 evening 
20 7 34 
30 7 58' " 
Venus is a beautiful evening star, and will in- 
crease in brilliancy during the remainder of '80, 
and until March 27, '81. 
D. H. M. 
Mars rises 10 6 10 morning 
20 6 7 
" " 30 6 2 
This planet may be mistaken for Mercury, 
which rises but a few minutes earlier. A com- 
parison of their respective places on the 16th 
shows that Mars is 17m. 4|° east, and 2J° south 
of Mercury, and inferior to him in brilliancy. 
D. H. M. 
Jupiter in meridian 10 7 17 e vening 
20 6 40 
30 6 3 
SATELLITES OF JUPITER. 
The following are some of the principal and 
most interesting events which transpire in the 
Jovian system in the evenings of December. 
D. 
H. 
M. 
n.. 
Tr. 
In. 
10 
8 
22 
li 
" n.. 
Tr. 
Eg. 
10 
11 
5 
ii 
" n., 
Ec. 
Ke. 
12 
7 
50 
" m.. 
Oc. 
Dis. 
12 
9 
28 
" HI., 
Oc. 
Ee. 
13 
0 
9 morning 
Oc. 
Dis. 
16 
9 
54 
evening 
Tr. 
In. 
17 
7 
4 
" I., 
Tr. 
Eg. 
17 
9 
19 
" 
I., 
Ec. 
Ee. 
18 
7 
54 
" n.. 
Ec. 
Ee. 
19 
10 
26 
" UL, 
Tr. 
Eg. 
23 
6 
9 
Tr. 
In. 
24 
8 
58 
<( 
Oc. 
Dis. 
OK 
6 
17 
<< 
I., 
Ec. 
Ee. 
25 
9 
50 
" n.. 
Oc. 
Dis. 
OA 
/ 
48 
" m.. 
Tr. 
Eg. 
30 
10 
8 
(( 
Satur7i in meridian 
10 
8 
6 
evening 
20 
7 
26 
« 
30 
6 
47 
D. 
H. 
M. 
Sat. I., 
Tr. 
In., 
1 
8 
53 
evening 
a 
" n., 
Oc. 
Dis. 
1 
10 
57 
" I., 
Tr. 
Eg. 
1 
11 
8 
<( 
(( 
" I., 
Oc. 
Dis. 
2 
6 
10 
(( 
" I., 
Ec. 
Ee. 
2 
9 
33 
ce 
a 
" II., 
Tr. 
In. 
3 
5 
51 
u 
" n., 
Tr. 
Eg. 
3 
8 
33 
(C 
" III., 
Oc. 
Ee. 
5 
8 
22 
" III., 
Ec. 
Dis. 
5 
10 
53 
cc 
I., 
Tr. 
In., 
8 
10 
44 
ti • 
I., 
Oc. 
Dis., 
9 
8 
2 
I., 
Tr. 
Eg., 
10 
7 
27 
«, 
The rings of Saturn were in the best position, 
with respect to the earth, to be observed in Oc- 
tober, but as their plane is elevated 13° above 
the earth, they can be readily seen now. It is a 
beautiful sight, which one never tires of. Even- 
ing after evening we involuntarily turn for a 
peep at the " ringed planet." 
Uranus in meridian 
D. 
H. 
M. 
10 
5 
43 morning 
30 
4 
24 
10 
9 
20 evening 
30 
8 
0 
Neptune 
ECLIPSES, NEAR APPEOACH OF PLANETS TO THE 
MOON, AND OTHER IMPOETANT PHENOMENA, 
DECEMBEE, 1880. 
Dec. 1. Partial Eclipse of the Sun, visible only 
in the Antartic Ocean. 
" 2. Moon Perigee ; tide highest. 
" 2. Moon lowest. 
" 4. Jupiter stationary. 
" 4. Venus 4° south of Moon. 
" 5. Uranus 90° west of Sun {quadrature). 
" 5. Venus 19° in Sagittarius. 
" 10. Jupiter 6° South of Moon. 
" 11. Saturn 8° South of Moon. 
" 12. Neptune 6° South of Moon. 
12. Mars 6° in Scorpio. 
13. Mercury greatest elongation west, 21° 8' 
15. Moon highest. 
13—16. Mercury brightest, and visible as 
morning star. 
16. Moon Totally Eclipsed; invisible in 
North America, except on the Pacific 
Coast, where the Moon sets at sun- 
rise totall y Ecli psed. Eclipse begins 
in San Francisco at 5h. 35m. morn- 
ing ; Portland, Or., 5h. 36m. morn. ; 
Sacramento, 5h. 40m. morn. ; and at 
Salem, Or., 5h. 44 m. morn. 
