58 
THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
scriber at one dollar. With such a jour- 
nal as we are now giving, it ought to be 
no trouble at all to induce some friend to 
subscribe. 
It is often amusing to read some of the 
articles said to be "scientific," that ap- 
pear from time to time in our trade and 
other papers. Indeed, it seems to be the 
fashion now-a-days for every newspaper 
man to devote so much space daily, weekly 
or monthly, as the case may be, to scien- 
tific articles and instruction; and it fre- 
quently happens that the writer knows as 
much about the matter he Avrites of as he 
does about the anatomy of the man in the 
moon. Directions are frequently given 
for the performance of experiments and 
operations, which, if attempted to be fol- 
lowed, would surely end in disappoint- 
ment, and often with injury to the oper- 
ator; more particularly is this the case 
when chemical or electrical experiments 
scientific, but which seem to think it a 
duty to " dabble " occasionally in science. 
Most of these papers are good enough in 
their place, and are no doubt performing 
a useful mission, but it would be better for 
them and their readers if they followed 
the old proverb, " Let the cobbler stick to 
his last," and we are sure science would 
not be the loser under the condition. 
(All 
The Planets. 
FEBKUAKY, 1883, 
Computations are for the Latitude and 
Showing the cause of Morning and Evening Stars, Direct 
and Eetrograde Motion. The earth is supposed at rest 
at E during a revolution of VenuSo 
are described ; and we advise our readers 
to make sure of the correctness of the de- 
scription and the innocence of the results 
before imdertaking to follow the instruc- 
tions. Of course, this only refers to those 
papers that make no pretentions to being 
Meridian of New York City.) 
Venus.— The " Queen of Beauty," will continue 
to maintain her supremacy as the most brilliant 
star in the east in the morning: throug-hout this 
month. She is now approaching: a point in her 
orbit where her daily motion in right ascension 
is very much less than last month, and near the 
middle of next month she will be " stationary," 
as astronomers say; that is, she will appear to 
move neither east nor west. This, and the differ- 
ent kinds of apparent motion, 
can best be illustrated by the 
annexed diag:ram. 
Suppose the earth at rest at 
E, and Venus at v. Then Venus 
will be nearest the earth, or 
between the earth and sun, and 
when first seen she will be 
Just to the rigfht or west of the 
Sun. When at z she will ap- 
pear to be at y, and later, when 
at a, at b. This last space,, 
from y to b, occupies just as 
much time as from c to y, the 
spaces V s and z a being- equal. 
Her path from z to a being- 
nearly in a line from the 
earth, causes her slight appar- 
ent motion. When at a, Venus- 
is said to be at greatest elon- 
gation west. That is, the an- 
gle s E a can never be larger 
than when Venus is at a, mak- 
ing an angle at e of 47°. As 
she is then west of the Sun, she 
must of course rise before 
the Sun, and is therefore a 
She will appear largost, or have 
the greatest apparent diameter, when at v, but 
will not then be brightest as her unilluminated 
side is toward us. As she passes westward, a 
small edge of her illuminated side becomes visi- 
ble a s a silver thread of light or slender crescent ; 
this increases as she approaches a, where one- 
morning star. 
