ROUGH ASTRONOMICAL NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 3596, 1 September 1874, Page 2

ROUGH ASTRONOMICAL NOTES

SEPTEMBER, 1874. 1. The Sun will be at the first point of Libra, and “ cross the Line” on the 23rd at about half-past four in the afternoon, when spring is conventionally supposed to commence. The Sun still continues very free from spots : on the 30th ult. there were discernible on his disc one group of very small spots and one isolated spot. There was also a trace of a spot very close to the vanishing limb. 2. The Moon will be at its greatest distance from the Earth on the 14th, at about 5.30 p.m, ; at its least distance on the 27th, at about 5.30 am. The phases will be as follows Last Quarter, 4hrs. 16min. p.m. on the 3rd; New Moon, shrs. 33ruin. a.m. on the 11th; Half Moon, lOhrs. 27min. a.m. on the 19tb ; Fall Moon, 9hrs. 29min. a.in. on the 26fch. 3. Mercury will be badly situated for observation during the whole of this month. 4. Venus is gradually growing brighter. It will reach its greatest elongation 46deg. Slmin. B. at about noon on the 29th. It will be in conjunction with the star Spica on the evening of the 2nd, when it will appear quite close to that star. 5. Mars will, towards the end of the menth, be visible just before sunrise. It may be looked for some distance N. of W. Its ruddy color will cause it to be easily identified ; but it is, and will continue to be for some months, an inconspicuous object, owing to its great distance from the Earth.- Mars is in the constellation Leo. 6. Jupiter is fast approaching its conjunction with the Sun. About the middle of the month it will cease to be visible, till it again emerges from the rays of the Sun to the west of that body. Owing to its increased distance from us, its apparent surface is leas than half what it was in March at its opposition. Jupiter is still in the constellation Virgo. 7. Saturn is still in Capricorn. It is now a splendid object for the telescope. It may be seen early in the evening at a moderate elevation in the eastern sky. There is no large star near it, and its steady, rather dull, golden yellow light will render it impossible to mistake it for any other object. It will be due N. on the Ist at about ten o’clock in the evening. 8. Uranus is now a morning star, but is scarcely worth looking for, except by the possessors of large telescopes. 9. Neptune will be in opposition next month, when we shall give directions for “fishing it up.” Id. The Comet is still in the constellation Argo Navis. On the 30th ult., it was quite close to c Argds about 3deg. S. of the bright yellow star Epsilon ArgUs. It is just barely visible to the naked eye. An opera glass still shows a tail, though this is growing very faint. Through a 2Jin. telescope it looks like an ordinary nebula, brightening in the middle. At the beginning of the month it may be looked for about 4deg. S. of Epsilon Argils, that is, somewhat more than the length of Orion’s belt above that star when it is on the meridian (at its lowest point).