ASTRONOMICAL.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8827, 31 May 1907, Page 4

ASTRONOMICAL.

Mars in the constellation Sagittarius is now a very brilliantly red object in the south-east heavens soon after sunset. His motion among the neighbouring stars is direct or eastward until June 6th. This lias the effect of retarding his times for rising. After June 6th his retrograde movement begins and every evoking thenceforth will see him higher up in the sky. In shape he is slightly gibbous, but the gibbosity becomes less, the nearer the planet approaches to the opposition of July 7th. The apparent diameter of Mars in opposition varies between rather wide limits in consequence of the varia tion of his distance from the earth in that position. When at his mean distance at opposition, as was the case in 1903, his apparent magnitude does not exceed 16 seconds of arc; this year it will bo increased to nearly 34 seconds. This enormous increase is duo to the fact that the earth is now in that part of her orbit which is most remote from the sun, and Mars is nearing the point of his circuit which is nearest to the sun. These two circumstances bring the earth and Mars into close proximity. Properly speaking, the coming opposition of Mars is the astronomical event of the year. L. A. MacDONALD; F.R.G.S.