ASTRONOMICAL PHÆNOMENA. 1876.

Evening Star, Issue 4009, 31 December 1875, Page 2

ASTRONOMICAL PHÆ NOMENA. 1876.

The coming year will bo far more interesting for amateurs of astronomy than 1875 has been. As was said in our “ Notes'’ | for January last, but few astronomical < events of great interest were to bo expected | during the year; and, singularly enough, I the phenomena of nearly all those wh ch did j take place were, owing to bad weather, not I observed in Duncdn. It is hardly probable that the same ill-luck will continue to over , take star-gazers during the coming year. If the weather should be moderately fine there will be plenty of work for amateur observers to do during the autumn and the winter months of 187fi

We have now certainly passed the period of least frequency 'f sun-spots, and may exp ct a gradual and tolerably rapid increase, b >th in the number of groups aud of individual spota. During 1875 it was quite as usual for the observer to hud the sun’s disc free from spots as it was to find these signs of disturbance in the solar photosphere. This will hardly be the case in 1876. Tlie solar spots are clay by day becoming an object of greater interest for scientific men. for it is also bee >ming day by day more manifest that quite a large uuud or of terrestrial phaanomcna are intimately con needed with these spots. We see from Pr lessor Balfour Stewai t’s recent address, do ivored before the British Ass'ciition, that it; has been late y proved, or is now being moved, that there i? a weather period of 25.7-i da>s, eorresp--nding almost exa tly with the solar rotation; that the conv. ction currents of the e.ith am connected with the stale of the sun’s eurluce ; that eye o*’es in the lonian Divan ami hurricanes m the West : adicß are. mod frequ-nt in years when there are most sun spots ; that the greatest rainfall takes place (in the tropics, at leas:) in years of maxi mixiii solar disturbance ; finally, it is now a matter of certainty that there is a cycle of terrestrial temperatures depending the condition of the Bu ■■■, On the whole it is now clearly d;-inonslratcd thrt there is i connection between the meteorology of th Sun and that ot the Ear r h r ihc Q.rmau and the Fro ch Do in i un nts arc bo fu ly

dmr to tin. p-acmal importance ot the subJ or that they arc expending Jarge sums in on,idling and equipping o-iablishments for ■ he solo pujpi.se »f increa-ufig our knowledge of solarsphy.-ics. This, being so, it can hardly be out of place for in our

small way to bestow on the Snn as much dtenli n a- may be. It has happened before now (and may happen again) that a fact, a principle, or a relation, has escaped the notice of very great philosophers, and has been laid hold of at last by some '* rank outsider." At all events careful scrutiny of the sun’s disc is a kind'of work that cannot be thrown away, at the very least it gives the observer a knowledge of, and may give him a scientific acquaintance with, solar details that he cannot get in any, other way. There will bo a total eclipse of the Bnn on the morning of September 18 It will be visi’lo in Dunedin as a partial, though pretty large, eclipse. A very small eclipse of the Moon will take place on the evening of March 10 ; *it will bo parly visible in Dunedin. The Moon will occult first magnitude s ars and planets pretty frequently during the year, ih ee of these occupations will take place under cir umstances that will render th m convenient for Dunedin amateurs to observe. These wlt be calculated when the proper time arrives (as will the above-men* tioned eclipses)—t-.ey are : Spica, May 6 ; Antares, June G ; Antares, July 4. Mercury ill bo at his greatest elongations E. (and visible in the evening) January 29, 18deg 24min. M*y 22, 22deg 29min, .'September 18, 26deg 20min. Of the greatest W. elongation* we need mention the autumn one only—this takes place on March If), 27deg SOmin , and will be a highly favorable one. Venus will be in in* ferior conjunction on July 14 ; she will be at her greatest elongation F. on May 5, and at her greatest \V elongation’on September 24, During the first six months of the year, then, fhe will be a very bright evening star, and during the last six months a very bright morning star. Mars will present no features of interest during the whole of the year ; he will be in conjunction with the Sun on tire 13th of August. The four principal asteroids will be in opposition, Juno and Vesta in March, and Pallas and Ceres in April, Directions for fishing up these minute bodies will be given at the pro* per time. Jupiter will bo in opposition to the Sun on May the 18th ; his apparent diameter will th..u be 45 seconds of arc. Saturn will be in opposition on August 28th ; Uranus on February 7th ; and iSeptune on October 27th.