THE PLANETS IN DECEMBER

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26593, 1 December 1951, Page 3

THE PLANETS IN DECEMBER

(Written for “The Press" by K. W. ROTH) Jupiter is the only planet at present in the evening sky. It is easily the brightest star visible, passing the north meridian before dusk and setting exactly due west about 2.10. 1.15 and 12.10 a.m. on December 1. 16. and 31. Its distance from the earth increases from a little more than 400,000,000 miles to more than 450.000,000 miles. The corresponding 22 per cent, loss of brightness is not inappreciable, but the planet is still an excellent object for observation through a field glass or a small telescope. The constellation of its four major moons changes from day to day. and even noticeably from hour to hour. Three planets are in the early morning sky fairly close together. Venus as the morning star rises a little more than two hours before the sun throughout the month. It is still much more orilliant than any other star, but past its greatest brilliance. At the end of his year Venus is 100.000.000 miles away, as against 27,000,000 miles in September. Saturn is at first near Venus, but comes higher up later in December. It rises slightly south of the east point about 2.30, 1.30 and 12.30 a.m. Mars is higher up than Saturn at the beginning of the month. However. it changes its position much more rapidly than Saturn. Saturn takes nearly 30 years to travel one* round its orbit, while Mars takes roughly two years. Thus Mars is seen to pass Saturn in a direction from west to east about every two years. Mars passes Saturn again on December 20. Mars diminishes its distance from 175,000,000 miles to 140,000,009 miles. It gets correspondingly brighter and becomes a first magnitude star like Saturn. The red Mars and the pale yellow SatWn should make a conspicuous pair in the morning sky towards the end of this year. An occultation of Antares, the red main star in the large constellation Scorpius, by the very fine crescent of the waning moon, takes place at 4 a.m. on December 27.