TO KNOW THE STARRY HEAVENS 
wholly within the shadow, which is the 
time of the beginning of the eclipse as 
total, shown in position 2; the time of 
the middle of the eclipse, which is 1 144 
A. M., Central Standard time ; the time 
when the moon first leaves the shadow 
and the total phase of the eclipse ends, 
in position 3, and the time when the 
Hi 
is a morning star. It has been an even- 
ing star since July 3, 1920. Jupiter and 
Saturn being among the outer planets, 
change their positions slowly. Their 
positions are marked on Figure 1. On 
April 10 the plane of the rings of Saturn 
passes through the sun. It will require 
about four hours for the rings moving 
Figure 2. Total eclipse of the moon April 22. 1921. 1, Eclipse begins 12:03 A. M. 2, Totality begins 
1:23. 3, Totality ends 2:05. 4, Eclipse ends 3:26. (Central Standard Time. An hour later in Eastern 
Standard Time.) 
moon leaves the shadow altogether, 
marking the end of the eclipse, in posi- 
tion 4. Due to the refraction of light 
by the earth’s atmosphere the shadow is 
not absolutely black, so that the moon 
does not wholly disappear even when 
in the shadow. Its disc can be clearly 
seen shining with a peculiar reddish 
tinge in most total eclipses. As in this 
eclipse the moon does not pass close to 
the center of the shadow, there should 
be considerable brightness to the 
eclipsed moon. Such an eclipse has but 
little scientific importance. 
:{; ^ >fc >}: 
The Planets. 
Venus is still visible, but low in the 
west. On last January 9 those who had 
clear weather had the pleasure of seeing 
three planets, Venus, Mars and Uranus, 
at the same time in the field of a small 
telescope. Since then Venus and Mars 
separated, until they were about eleven 
degrees from each other. Then they 
began to approach each other again, 
until now on April 4 they pass again, 
but on this occasion they will not be 
close when they pass. On April 22 
ATnus passes the sun and thereafter 
at the rate of six miles per second to 
move through a space equal to the sun’s 
diameter, 866,000 miles. At this time 
the only part of the rings illuminated 
by the sun is the edge. The rings are 
so thin that this light is not sufficient 
to render the ring visible, except in the 
very largest telescope. There the pres- 
ence of the ring is manifested by the 
appearance of a very slender and faint 
line of light passing through the planet 
itself like a needle. As the rings and 
the brighter of its ten satellites lie in 
the same plane, the plane of Saturn’s 
equator, these satellites appear too 
along the line of light. The shadow of 
the ring appears on the planet as a nar- 
row black line. The appearance is 
about as shown in the upper of the two 
in Figure 3, except that no satellites are 
shown in the drawing. 
The lower part of Figure 3 shows 
Saturn as it appears when its wings are 
open widest. It is then generally con- 
ceded to be the most interesting object 
to be seen through a telescope. In its 
present state, apparently without its 
ring, Saturn is shorn of its great glory 
and lacks interest, except to those who 
