BOUGH ASTRONOMICAL NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 3726, 1 February 1875, Page 2

BOUGH ASTRONOMICAL NOTES

February, 1875. 1. The Sun. The solar photosphere is, as it has been for some time past, very steady ; but lew spots, and those small ones, are to be seen on the disc: the epoch of minimum spot frequency is fast approaching. Yesterday the Sun’s disc was without a single spot. 2. The Moon will be in perigee on the afternoon of the Ilth, in apogee on the morning of the 27th. The phases of the Moon will take place as follows : New moon ... February 6, 7h, 17 m. p.m. First quarter... „ 13, 4 hj. 42 m. p.m. Full moon ... „ 20, 7h, 23 in. p.m. Last quarter ... „ 28, 9h.13 m. p.m. _ 3. Mercury will be visible from favorable positions about the middle of the month. It should be looked for soon after sunset, a considerable distance to the north of the Sun’s track. The planet may easily be missed through its being so close to the Sun, its greatest elongation E. being only 18° 7'. At the cud of the month Mercury will be in in inferior conjunction with the Sun; 4. Venus will be at its greatest elongation W. ’46° 44' on the 19th. It will then be pretty close to a group of stars near Xi Sagittarii. This planet is still very brilliant, and is the chief ornament of the morning sky. 5. Mars will now be fast increasing in brilliancy ; at the end of the month- its apparent diameter will be 9 sec. It has at present*a very marked gibbous phase. In fact, the planet will be in so-called quadrature with the Sun on the 27th. Mars is now in Libra, not far from the star Zeta of that constellation. On the 15th it will be in conjunction in K. A. with Beta Scorpii. 6. Jupiter is also fast increasing in brightness, and will soon be, in all respects, very favorably situated for observation, it is near the borders of Virgo and Libra, and follows the star Spica at adistance of about 10 deg. Jupiter will be stationary on the 16th, and will afterwards commence to retrograde—that is, to move from E. to W. among the stars. 7. Saturn is now lost in the Sun’s rays; in fact it will be in conjunction with the bun on the 6th. It may he just possible, at the end of the month, to catch a glimpse of it a short time before sunrise. 8. Uranus is now as favorably situated as it will be during the present year. On the 2nd of the month it will be in opposition to the Sun, and will, consequently, be on the meridian at midnight. It is at present in Cancer. It may easily be found by anyone who knows the nebulous spot called the Bee hive. When this is on the meridian, there is a moderately bright star just above it, a little to the right. This is Delta Cmvcri. The first star to the right of this is Uranus. The slightest optical aid will enable any one to see that this speck of light differs very much from others of equal apparent magnitude; an opera-glass seems to do more with it than it does with other such bodies, A star merely appears somewhat brighter, but no larger ; the pianet, on the contrary, though it shows no disc, appears sensibly larger as well as brighter. A good opera-glass will show its color. In a Small telescope, say of 2in. aperture, a power of a hundred makes this planet look like a mode-rate-sized star out c€ focus j with a largo tele* scope,a xofleftor of bin or 9iu, it looks like I