ASTRONOMICAL NOTES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7954, 1 February 1906, Page 3

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES.

The SUN is in the constellation Caprioornus till the 15tb, when he enters Aquarius. His southern declination diminishes throughout the month, going from 17.5deg. on the Ist to B.2deg. south on the 28th. No very remarkable outburst of solar energy was observed during the past month, though a of very respectable proportions transited the solar diso during the middle of the month. In view of the sudden and rapid rises in the suuspot curve after maximum, the face of our luminary should be closely watched during the present season. Certain American astronomers make the startling announcement that the figure of the Sun, viz., its polar and equicorial diameters, have been found to vary, and that this vari ation is in harmony with the sunspot period. English astronomers consider the data so far accumulated insufficient to sustain their claim, but great interest will centre around the more exact tests to which the hypothesis will he subjected. There will be a partial eclipse of the Sun on the 23rd, which, however, will not be visible in New Zealand. The MOON, in her monthly circuit of the heavens, comes into the vicinity of the planets, aad many of the brighter stars, and serves as a convenient pointer to them. She will be near Jupiter on the evenings of the 2nd and 3rd to the south; tear JNeptune on the 6th to the south, and near Mars on thel.26th and 27th to the south. She will pass through the following constellations during the evenings stated and in the order mentioned :--Aries on the Ist and 2nd, Taurus 2nd to the sth, and 010*36 to Alpha Tauri (Aldebaran) on ' the evening of the 4tn, Gemini from the sth to the 7tb, Cancer from the 7th to the 9th, Leo on tne 10th and the 11th, being near the bright star Regulus on the evening of the lOtb, conjunction having taken place before noon of the same day; in Virgo from the 12th to the 14th, and in Libra from the 14th to the 16th inst., after which she rises late in the evening. Moving forward, during the orescent stage, into the place occupied by the Sun during our autumn and winter months, she is not seen to such advantage during this season of the year; j from the first nusrter to the full j ber path is low and to the north, j PHASES of the MOON in New I Zealand, mean (civil) time:—First j quarter, 1 day 12hr lmin; full moon, 9days 7hr 15min; last quarter, 16 days 3hr 52min; new moon, 23 days 7br 27min. ECLIPSE.—There will be a total eolipse of the Moon on the even ing of the 9tb, which will not be seen to best advantage in New Zealand, owing to the Moon rising after it has passed into the shadow of the Earth. The first contact with shadow takes place at 5.27 p.m., middle of the eclipse 7.17 p.m., and last contact with shadow at 9.7 p.m. MERCURY ia too near the Sun to be seen during the present month. He will have bis greatest southern latitude as from the Sun's centre on the 17tb, in puperior conjunction on the 21st, in conjunction with Saturn on the morning of the 23rd, Meroury being only 17 minutes of arc to the south, though both are too near the Sun for observation at the time. He will also be in conjunction with Venus on the same date about nine hours later, and in conjunction with the Moon, though not in view owing to both objects being below our horizon, about midnight of the 23rd. VENUS is also too near the Sun for observation during the present month. She is in Aphelion on the evening of the sth, in superior conjunction (on the opposite side of the Sun) on the evening of the 11th, in conjunction with Saturn on the morning of the 23rd, and in conjunction with the Moon and only two minutes of arc south about w idnight of the 23rd. MARS is still an attractive object in our western evening skies. His rapid movement towards the east carries him clear of the ever-ad-vancing Sun at this season. His distance from the Earth at this time makes him quite an impossible object in the telescope. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the morning of the 27tb, and may be seen near her on the previous and same evenings. JUPITER looms large and brilliant in our evening skies, to the north. He will be in conjunction with the moon on the morning of the 3rd fat about 4brs 30mjo, 4.6 deg. to the north of our satellite, and will appear close to her on the evenings of the 2nd and 3rd. He will be in quadrature with the Son (viz., 90deg. of longitude separating the two bodies) on the evening of the 17th, while fa.s polar diameter decreases during the month from 38.8 to 35.4 seconds of arc. His motion Is forward now amongst the stars of Taurus, where he may be watohed moving towards the Hyades in that constellation. Eclipses and occupation of his satellites may?be looked for on the eveniags of the Ist, sth, 7tb, Btb, l"2tb, 14th, 16tb, 21st, 22nd. 23rd, 28th. Transits on the sth, 6tfa, 12th, 13th, 15tb, 17tb, 19th, 22nd, 24th, and 26th. SATURN is now passing rapidly into the Sun, with which he will be in conjunction on the morning of the 25th, at about lOhrs 30min. He will be in conjunction with the moon on the evening of the 23rd, but both objects are, at this time too near the sun to be seen. He will not be in opposition before next September, when a great change in the inclination of bis ring system, to ourjplane of vision, will be detected. RAN US is now a morning star in Sagittarius, moving forward, but not well placed for observation. NEPTUNE is an evening star in the constellation Gemini, retrograding near the star Nu. The moon will oe 2.6deg. to the south of the planet on the 6th, at about shrs 30min. METEORS.—There are no well marked radiants visiole in the southern heavens during the present month. The CONSTELLATIONS for the middle of the month at about 8 p.m. are as follows:—In the zenith, Argo, Canis Major, Lepus, and Oolumba; to the north, Auriga near the horizon, with the bright star Oapella near the horizon, Orien higher, the three bright stars forming the belt passing the meridian earlier in the evening; East, Geminin, containing

the bright stars Castor and Pollux coming up to the meridian, followed by Cancer, which contains the pretty naked-eye cluster calied Praesepe (the Beehive). This object is well seen in a pair of good binoculars. Still more to the east!? is Leo, the "sickle" of which is well above the horizon, the brilliant star in the end of the handle being JRegulus. To the west is Taurus, the fine croups of the Pleiades and Hyades being well past their culmination; above is part of Orion, and to the left Eridanus, a long, winding constellation containing Achornar—the last in the River. Away in the south-west, between this constellation and the horizon is Cetus, with Pisces just setting. In the south tne Cross is seen rising again, followed by the two tine stars, Alpha and Beta of the Centaur, while behind these may be seen the Southern Triangle, past the meridian. Southern telescopic observers have a store of beautiful objects accessible at this season. In the Sword of Orion is the Great Nebula, one ot the most wonderful telescopic objects in the heavens, while ic the region of the constellation Argo and the Centanr are numbers of fine clusters and nebulae, which will well repay any amount of study. THE HON. DIRECTOR, Wanganui Observatory, January 31st, 1906.