The Vagaries of Mercury in the Heavens: Ite Relation to the Sun Of all major planets Mercury is the one of which least is known. It is so near the sun that it is rarely conspicuous in' the sky, and in Europe it is only visible under favourable conditions for short periods before being lost in the mists of the horizon. Last May was an mnusnally favourable opportunity, and the planet was easily visible for several evenings in succession, but it may safely be said that most people have never consciously seen it. The great Copernicus regretted that he had never had a chance of observing it, but it must be remembered that he lived in the marshes of the Vistula, where conditions were far worse than ours, and also was by no means an assiduous observer.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.