ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR OCTOBER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8249, 2 October 1906, Page 3

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR OCTOBER.

(Speolal To Age.) , #he SUN is in the constellation "Vlrno till the end of the month when .he enters Libra. His deollnaton is □ow south, Increasing from 3 to 14 deg. daring the month, his altitude at noon increasing from 53 to 64 deg. daring the eame period. A line stream of sun spots were visible on <tbe solar eurfaos during the middle of the month, and should be looked for again about the 12th inst. The MOON, 'in her monthly cir«<jait of the heavens, comes int.o the vicinity of the planets and fsomo of 'the brighter stars, and serves as a convenient pointer to them. She will he near Jupiior ou the evening of the 10th to the south; Noptune a little later, to the south; Mars, ■on the morning of tho IGtb, to the south; Mercury on the 19th, to the north; Venus on the 20th and 21st, "Consideratly tu the north; Uruuuson the morning of the 23rd to the north; and Saturn on the eveuiug ■of the the south. She will .pass through the following oonstell ations on the evenings stated, and in the following onier:—Aquarius on the Ist, Oetus and Pisces on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4hb., Aries on the 6th and u'th, Tarus on the 7th • and Bfcb, Gemini on tho 9tb, 10th and lltli, Cancer on the 12th and 13th, Lao ou tho 11th and 15th, Virgo on the 16th, I7ib and 18th, '..Libra on rue 19th and 20th, Suor pion on the 21st and 22nd, Sagittarius on the 23rd and 24th, Capricornus on the 25tb and 2Gtb, Aquarius on the 27th and 28th and Pisces on the 29th and 30th. • PHASES OF THE MOON in New Zealand mean time:— , D. 11. M. Pali ... ... 3 018 a.m. -Last Quarter ... 11 259 a.m. New Moon ... 18 10 13 a.m. First Quarter ... 25 119 a.m. MERCURY is an evening slnr at the beginning of the month and •draws out from the sun throughout the mon i h in the constellation Virgo, lie is at bis descending node ou the Bth at Appelion on the morning of the 19th, aud in conjunction with the Moon at about lOhrs SOinmp. on the same morning, being at the time •6.sdeg. to the south of that body. VENUS is still the most brilliant object ot our western skies. Her path is a forward one ttirouch Libra into the Scorpion. She will be in greatest helocentric latitude south on the evoning of the 10th, in conjunction with the Moon ou the morning of the 21st, and seen to the south of our satellite ou this and the pre ceeding evening. She will attain her greatest brilliancy on the evening of the 2Ctb, at which timo she may be easily seen during full sunlight. If the observer looks due north from one to two hours p.m., -and at about an elevation of 78deg. he may find her as a bright white speck in the sky. It will be well to stand out of the direct rays of the sun while making the search. MAES is a morning star throughout the month, but too near the sun to bo seen at tnis timo. His path is a direot one in Virgo, lie will be in conjunction with the ,Moon on . the Morning of the IGtb. JUPITWK is a morning star throughout the month, moving forward amongst the stars ot the constellation Gemiui. He will well repay the telescopic observer who rises to view bini before sunrise. Be will be in quadrature with the sun on the 14tn, and in conjunction with the moon on the evening of the 10th, becoming stationary amongst the stars on the 30th of the month. SATURN is now an eveniug star in the constellation Aquarius, moving retrograde in that constellation. His ring system is now rapidly closing up to our view, a condition of things that takes much from the attiaotivecess of the Saturn ian world, but affording opportunities of seeing some of the fainter satellites wninh are very difficult when its greater breadth is directed to- >, wards our view. He will be in conjunction wi h the moon on the evening ot the 27tb at about lOhrs -30 min., our satellite passing, very close to him at this time, as seen from the earth. URANUS is an evening star, m the constellation Sagittarius, throughout the month. He is in conjuotion with the moon on the morning of the 23rd, about 3deg. to the south of that body. NEPTUNE is a morning star in the constellation Gemini, moving forward amongst the stars. T*e is in quadrature on the 7th, in conduction with the moon, the the north, on the evening of tholoth, stationary amongst the stars on the 17tb, after which bis motion is retrograde. METEORS,— Perseus farnishea a radiant in November, of some years, on the Btb near the star Eta, and Tarua gives us another not far from the star Beta. Pisces furnishes another on the 12th near Epsilon, aud Arie«, on the 15th, near the star of the snme name. These may be looked for during the early morning hours when that particular portion of the earth directed to the northern constellations forms tbo bow of the celestial ship Earth. The CONSTELLATIONS for the ' middle of the month at about 8 p.m. are ae follows:—To the north Pegasus, conspicuous by the great square of four stars, the lower right hand one being Alpha Andromeda; Aquarius and Pisces Australis nearer the zenith, the brightest star being Formalbaut. In the sontb, just rising is Argo, the ship, with the brilliant Canapus emerging from his passage below the pole; higher is the Toucan containing the splendid star-cluster 47, close to and above the smaller Magellan Cloud. Near the Zenith is the 'Crane—Grus. Tho Cross and the bright pointers Alpha and Beta Centauri are going down towards the horizon from the west. In the east Andromeda is just rising below the Sea Monster-—Cetns-—Aries lying rather above the former, and, between the two. Eridanue—- the River —a long straggling constellation is - more to the south of east, .reaching from the horizon to near the ''• zenith containing the fine star Aqnila-—-the Eagle, the bright star' Altair being the centre of three! nearly equidistant and to the rlghti the little Dolphin, above the

Swan, whiob is now Hearing the horizon on the northust, its bright atar, and beautiful dobnle, Albireo being poised above the Lyre, just setting. In the west Ophiuobus is KOiug dcwn followed by tneSoorpion and b'agittarius, the latter contained int that very brilliant portion of the Milky Way holding tlie Trifid Nebula and other notable objects of interest to telesoopiatß. The ZODIACAL LI HOT has been prominent ou a fow occasions, hut in the main much robbed of Its soft poarly charms by the brilliancy of Venue. The general light of the sky appeared to be most marked on the 26th instant, hen the flue:* foliage of trees about three hundred yarria away from the observer could bo quite oauily discerned, and objects a full mile away seen clearly, 'lhia very con siderable variation of light, on clear nights, devoid of moonlight, is etill much of a mystery, and offers an inviting field to the active investingtor. THE HON. DIRECTOR, Wauganui Observatory. September 30th, IIJO6.l I JO6.