ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR MAY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8129, 1 May 1906, Page 3

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR MAY.

The SUN is in the constellation Aries till the 15th, when he enters Taurus. His declination north increases from 14.9deg. on the Ist to 21.7deg. on the 31st. His altitude at noon decreases by 7deg. during the month. The altitude of the Sun, when on the meridian, may be found for any place by subtracting the latitude from 90 and adding the declination if the sun is in the same hemisphere, and substracting it if it is in the oppotote one. Sun spots have waned during the month, although at the time of writing the two interseting spots seen during March have again swung into view. The MOON, in her monthly circuit of the heavens, comes into the vicinity of the planets and some of the brighter stars, and serves as a . convenient pointer to tbein. She will be near Uranus on the morning of the.l2th, Saturn on the morning of the 17th, Meroury on the evening of the 21st; the minor planet' Ceres on the eame date and about the same time; Jupiter on tne evening of the 24tb; Mars on the morning of the 25th; Venuß on the evenings of the 25th and 26th, and Neptune about midnight of the 26th. She will pass through the following constellations during the evenings mentioned, and in the order stated :~ In Oanoer on the Ist and 2nd, and near the Beehive cluster on the latter date; keo on the 3rd and 4th, and near the bright star Regulus on the 3rd; Virginia on the sth, 6th and 7th, and near the bright star Gamma on the 6tb; Libra on the Bth and 9th; Ophinohus on the 10th. and 11th; Sagittarius on the 12ch and 13th, and close to the stars Zeta 1 and 2 on the evening of the 12tb, after which she rises late in the evening. Phases of the Moon in New Zealand mean (civil) time:— First quarter 2 days 6hr 36min; full moon 9 days lhr 39min; last quarter, 15 days 6brs 32miu; new moon, 23, days 7hr 30min, first quarter, 3 days shr 53min. MEROURY is now a morning star, moving in the constellations Pisces [and Aries throughout the month. He will be at greatest elongation west of the Sun on the 3rd; at greatest heliocentric latitude south on the 16tb, and in conjunctiva with the moon on the evening of the 21st. VENUS is an evening star in the constellation Taurus, close to the star Beta, setting at about 6.10 o : cock on the 15th. She will be in conjunction with Mars on the morning of the 7tb, separated by only five minuts of arc, but both objeotß hidden in the glare of the Sun. She will be in conjunction with Jupiter on the evening of the 12th, being I.2deg to the north of that planet. The morning of the 26th will find her in conjunction with the Moon, being 4.3deg. to the north of that body, and she will be in perlbilion on the 29tb, shortly after midnight. MARS is still an evening star in the constellation Taurus, but being near the Sun's place and having northerly declinaton, is hardly likely to attraot attention during the short time he reniins visible in • the evening sky. He will be in conjunction with Jupiter about midnight, both obeots below 1 our horizon at the time. He will- be in* conjunction with the Moon ou the morning of the 25tb, being at the time 4<Bdeg. to the north of our satellite. JUPITER is now passing swiftly from his premier position amongst the planets in our evening skies, and will shortly give plaoe to his brilliant rival, Venus. As Jupiter passes into the Sun's rays, Venus will emerge from them and tone his place as the evening star, but in the west. Be will be conjunction w#h the MoW on the evening of \tlie.24tb, at about lOhr 30min, when he {will be 3.9 deg. to the north. He ; passes the meridian on the istb, lhr 16min after the Sun, and sets about 6 p.m. SATURN is a morning star in the constellation Aquarius, nearthe star Lambda, moving forward. He rises on the 15th about 1 hour after midnight and is a fine object in the early morning sky. He will be in conjunction with the: Moon on \tbe mortiing of the 17tb, being about . one and a half diameters of that body away to the north. His beautiful ring system, which is now fast closing up, still affords an interesting . spectacle to the telescopic observer, who will get him into the field of view before sunrise. URANUS is an evening star in the constellation Sagittarius,rleng about 7far 30min at the middle of the month. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 12th, about midday, about 3.4deg. to the south. NEPTUNE "is an evening star in the constellation Gemini, slightly to the south of the star Epsilon, and moving forward. He will be in conjunction with the Moon about midnight of the 26th, beiuß 2deg. to the north. METEORS may be looked for on the nights of the 17th, 18tb, and, 21et, in the constellations Herculeß, Aquarius, and Pegasus, after midnight.

The CONSTELLATIONS for the middle of the month at about 8 p.m. maybe seen as lollops:—North— Leo,, containing the bright stars Reguluß and DenebolH, and above Orater and Gorvus—the Cap and the Urow —ou the baok of the Water Snake, Uydra.. South—Part of Centaur, with the Southern Cross rearing its culmination, and towards the Pole Mueoa the Ply. East of the meridian is Virgo and the bright star Spioa, while underneath are Coma Berenice and Canes \enatioi, both small constellations; the former made, at one time, the tuft on the end of the lion's tail, but Tycho Brahe converted into the hair <of the Queen Berenioe. Further east Bootes the Huntsman, with .be brilliant star Aroturus, mightiest of all the stellar host/ so far known, while to bis right is the Northern ' Crown. Ophiuobua —tne Serpent Bearer—is well above the horizon, with Libra and Scorpion still higher. West is Oanis Major and the brilliant Sirius, Canis Minor and Proo yon cearing the horizon at the time. Above there is Argo the Ship, containing the brilliant Btar Can opus, at the bow. Below the pole, eastwards, fa Indus fndPavo, westwards Eridanus aud the bright Achernar—the laat in the River—trailing along tbe soatbren horizon.

An interesting subject in astronomy has received a fresh impetus. Toe solar grannies, rioe grains, or "willow-leaf" patterns as they have been termed in the past, supply the theme, and the object of investigation. M. Hanstey of the Pulkowa Observatory, baa arranged nn apparatus for taking eight photographs of the Sun's surface at the short intervals of 15-30 seconds, on a scale of 2ft to the Sun's diameter. Magnifying these again ten times, the granules, or "willow-leaves" bre about half an inch by a quarter, or* in seconds of arc i by 2, equal to about 2000 by 1000 miles of solar surface, it is found that these objects are changing shape and substance with great rapidity, and they are moving with velocities of the same order as that of the Earth in its orbit, or about 20 miles a second, and that thty coalesce and separate in quite a bewildering fashion. The disocvery may lead to important re suits in our knowledge of the Sun and its effects on our planet. through the magnetic conditions governing this Earth, as well as the atmospheric dispositions and pressures, which have snob an important bearing on the normal composure of its surface, which has been so rudely disturbed by the recent earthquake in California. HON. DIRECTOR, Wangaoui Observatory, April, 30, 1906.