ROUGH ASTRONOMICAL NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 3775, 31 March 1875, Page 3

ROUGH ASTRONOMICAL NOTES

April, 1875. 1. The Sun.—The solar revolution brought the large sun-spot into view again, but its size was very considerably diminished. It is not Erobable that so large a spot will disappear efore its place on the disc again comes into a favorable position. Unless it should cease to exist, it will be again visible in about twelve days’ time. The Sun’is now, as a rule, almost free from spots. 2. The Moon will be in perigee before noon on the 7tb, and in apogee at about two on the morning of the 23rd. The phases will take place as follows New Moon on the 6th, at 5h 58m p.m. First quarter on the 13th, at 8h 55m a.m. Full Moon on the 21st, at 3h 52m a.m. Last quarter, on the 29th, at 6h 39m a.m. High tides may be again expected this month just after new Moon, as the times of perigee, of new Moon, and of the Moon’s crossing the Equator nearly coincide, 3. Mercury will be very well placed for observation during the early part of the month. It will be on the Ist almost exactly half-way betweeen the stars I'omalhaut and Markab (Alpha Pegaai), or it may be looked for about an hour before sunrise, in the east, below Venus. 4. Venus.—The brilliancy of this planet is now fast waning. It is in the constellation Aquarius.

5. Mars is now becoming very bright. It far excels Antares. This planet is already a tine object in the eastern sky. It may be well seen at about eleven in the evening, although it is still rather low in the eastern sky at that time. It should be looked for to the south of east: its brilliant red color will serve for its identification.

6* Jupitcr will be in opposition ten the 17th ofthe month. _ It is now the finest object in the sky. According to promise, we give some account of its present appearance. An extract from our note-book will probably answer the purpose better than anything else would. March 29, 10.30 p.m., power 200.—“ The equatorial belt is broad, and divided into two parts by an intervening bright zone. On each side of this belt, at a considerable distance, are two others, but these are quite dark and narrow ; a singular black mark or rift ronslright across theccpiatorial belt ; it is on one of the jovial meridians, that is, it appears to be perpendicular to _ the equator; the color of the belts is like that of tarnished copper.” As the weather was very fine a power of 600 was then tried. With this power many interesting details came out. The north part of the n u seen to be much darker than the south, and was found to consist of beautiful cloudlets ” of a deep indigo-blue color ; while the central part of the belt was distinctly seen to be of a bright, almost a golden yellow. The cloudlets referred to above extended right along the top of the northern part of the belt. The higher power also brings out a polar cup of a yellowish color. On the whole, the ‘ giant planet” is, this year, a magnificent sight. Even with a small telescope it is well worth looking at. Some or all of its moons can nearly always be well seen even with a telescope that magnifies only twelve or fifteen times; the only thing required to enable a possessor ef such a telescope to get really pleasant views of Jupiter is a steady stand of some kind.

7. Saturn may now be very fairly seen in the east some time before sunrise. The morning sky w now well worth seeing. All the large planets are now visible at about au hour before sunrise.

8. Uranus is near his old position in Cancer. ». rs eptune cannot now be seen. POSITION OP first magnitude stars. n m tfl° P ‘ m ’- on 4?? 1 and at about 8 £.”?■ vL}'^u mr £? f v kay ’ Betel geuse (red) ( blm 3hwhite) are low down in the west the former to the north of Orion’s Belt and the latter to the south of it. Sirius (pure white) is nearly in the line formed by the prolongation of the belt, and is still at a considerPr °eyon (yellowish) is to the north of Betelgeuse and Sirius, and forms an equilatera! triangle with them. Regulus (white) is just to the west of the meridian. Arcturus (golden yellow) is at no great elevation a considerable distance to the east of the T is in the n orth-eastat a height of about 45deg. A little south of east, and pretty low down, is Antares (red). Alpha Cruras finish white) is high up in the “ d to ‘W, left of the south). Alpha Oentauri (yellow) and Beta CenW (whit®) me below the Southern Cross, Alpha the lower of the two. Achemar (white is. nearly south, and very low down, and Canopus (white) is to the right of the meri(nan, and at an elevation of more 45deg.

The ‘New York Times’ has been diecoursing pleasantly enough on American idioms, m the production or conservation of which New Hampshire seems to occupy an The writer remarks on the od<jity of the adjective ‘handy/ as ap- £ hed *? to *h»t they we well t^ y *° ke an * draw well. Probably, and wh«i ba J>, meMUn § “ onl y derivative, *nd what the word does express is amenable to the drover’s hand/ er ? well-in-hand, as we s«y of our horses. Thus ‘handy* 6 “°V gh - En « lish expression, though used mainly m the sense of being at ha . nd * rafc her than amenable to the hand—as in sentences like ‘ls it handy?’ t0 at - There is no very wide difference of meaning between oonrenientto the hand’ in the sense of near, and convenient to the hand ’ in the seas*of ‘manageable’ (which is only Latin for handy alter all). Another carious

New Hampshire phrase hr * forehanded*— which is Yankee slang for ‘ well off/ or equivalent to the slang term in English ‘ warm,’ But that, again, is almost identical with our English idiom, * beforehand with the world/ only that the succiucter Yankee idiom omits the explanatory addition I'yrith the world.” With ns, however, the idiom no doubt refers to time, and is intended to describe a man who does work in advance of his needs— i.e., who saves. ‘ Forehanded’ looks as if it had more reference to the grasp of the mind which gains success by stretching out a hand beyond the immediate spot, so as to anticipate the conditions of the future—and this corresponds rather more closely perhaps with Yankee enterprise, than the idea embodied in our ' beforehand with the world ’ wkioh regards simply the saving to be made out of * overtime.’ ”