Omaha \\ ill See Moon Hide Venus Next Saturday j Telescope \\ ill Not He Neces sary to See Eclipse of Hrigliter Star. By WILLIAM K. KK.t.L, On next Hatnrday morning, January ’3, Omaha and a large section of the 1 lilted Slates Will lir; privileged to enjoy a rare astronomical treat, the like of which lias not occurred for more than 40 rears. This will he an el lipse of the brilliant planet Venus by the crescent moon. As the moon is our nearest celestial neighbor, it Is continually passing In tween us and tlie more distant stars. It must, therefore, appear to eclipse them, just as near objects hide dis tant ones from our gaze, tn spite of this fact, however, and of the great number of the stars, it happens very rarely that the moon, especially when in the crescent phase, eclipses a bright star, and does ties at a. convenient TB l.our. And more rarely still does it eclipse, or technically occult, a planet. For 10 years no oeeultatlon of a first magnitude star was visible in the United Stales, and it is over -la years that the planet Venus was eclipsed by the crescent moon. This treat is in store for us next Saturday. 1’erhaps the only drawback about tlie event is the curliness of the hour. Hut lovers of astronomy who will have observed the coming occulta tion, will declare upon their word that it was worth paying for. Well, now, what will wo see? When die mpon rises for us that morning at •1 19 it will be a slender crescent like die one in the drawing, only three and a half days from new. Venus will be die most brilliant object in the sky. 333 dm