ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR JANUARY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8323, 3 January 1907, Page 3

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR JANUARY.

(Special to the Age).

' The SUN is, in the constellation till the 20th when he enters' Capricornus. EJis southern de-. icYihationis now decreasing, and "his altitude at npon .will be diminished ■ tby 5.7 deg. during the month. The . solar disc has been remarkably active ■ during December, many fine spots "being visible, the fine system of Octo- ' her and November rising rapidly during the month. Those who are pleased to connect .thft sun spots with •a rise in terrestrial temperatures will find a line coincidence in the late appearances, and the hoc weather of the hi:n week or so. There will be "*** l.an eclipse of the sun N on the 14th, which, however, will not be visible in ' New Zealand. The central line of "this eclipse lies across the middle of Asia. 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 them. She will be,iiear the minor pkmet Juno on the •evening of the 9th to the south; near - Mars at midnight on the same date; . near Venus on the 11th to the south;'' near Uranus on the evening of the 13th to the north, and Mercury on the same evening also to the north; near Saturn on the morning of the 18th to the iWh; Jupiter on the 27th to the south, and Neptune on the same date ' ; to the south. She will pass through the following constellations on the • evenings" stated, and ,in the order given:—As a crescent in Aquarius on ' the 17th, ■ Pi'scea on the 18th, 19th • and 20th; Aries on the 21st and 22nd; 'Taurus on the 28rd to the 25th, and •Gemini on the 26th to the 28th, when she rises lale in the evening. %i . There will be, a partial eclipse of 'the moon on the night of the 29th. . First contact with the shadow on '.the 29th at 11.42 p.m.; middle of ■ i 'the eclipse on'-the 30th at 1.8 a.m., •' . • and last contact with the shadow on, 'the 30th at 2.40 a.m. Phases of the moon -in New Zear land mean time:—Last quarter; 8 days 2hrs 17mins a.m.; new moon; ' 'l4 days shrs 27mins a.m.; first quarter, 21 days Bhrs 12min3 p.m.; full I moon, .30 days lhr 15min3 a.m. v MERCURY is a morning star at 'the beginning •of the month in con- j with our luminary at the be-1 ' ginning' of February. He will be at : 'his descending node on the ,4th,. in • conjunction with the planet Uranus ion the'l3th, in conjunction with the . moon on the 13th, evening, .at 9hrs ■ . ;, 26mins, and in aphelion on the 15th, morning.'' . . " , , . VENUS is a morning star during .••'the month, and at greatest brilli■••a'ney on the morning of the 5 th; in perihelion on the Bth, and in conjunction with the moon on the evening of the l'lth. She' may now be.seen in 'the morning in full sunlight passing "across the sky west of the sun, and ■ due north at about 9 a.m. during the 'early part of the month when her 'altitude will be over 60deg.' MARS. This .planet is now drawing well away from the sun, rising ' -at''the Middle of the month at about ihr 20mihs a.m. in the constellation Libra. He will be in con,'f '■'•'■' junction ,-with the moon on the 9th '-'-at midnight. • ' JUPITER is now an evening star '.■ '' in the constellation Gemini, rising ' • - -on the Ist at 7 p.m., and onthe 15th _* at 6 p.m., ne&rjy. Owing to his nor- :''' "them declination of rather more than '. ; 23deg:,'' this planet is not well- placed .-* ' ■for telescopic ' observation at this : ; ,' -i ' opposition,, but by taking him when , ' ' afe his greatest altitude on the meri:"dian, his broader markings ! may. be "distinguished. He will be in con- ' ',«, " \ juction with the moon'on,the early / "' morning of the 17th, our satellite j \, appearing to west of him on the | '•' „ preceding evening* and to the east on | . - ' : the. above date. His path is a retro- '. " -'•grade oiie at this times, and his nor-' '"'' them declination increases through- ,' 'out the month. ' \ ' ".SATURN is still an evening, star "in Aquarius, but drawing down to- ,, - -.-wards'the western -horizon. He is ''■:■ "-still' an interesting object in the telescope, although his ring system is .; " now rapidly closing, up, and will be \\ lost to view very shortly ■ when the j. edge will be turned to » the, sun, and : '[ '' > as we swing round that •body, and bring Saturn once more in-' - * : ,to our evening sky. ' >'■ URANUS,, is., now ""west of the <> '■' sun, and a morning star; in conjunc tion with the moon on the evening of the, 13th, and moving forward ;amongst- of the constella- . i ation Sagittarius. ~ NEPTUNE Ms an evening star in ■''. ',,t£e constellation Gemini, having a ,• . . re,trorgade i movement nearly- mid- '.' \ ■ ! ,way between, the stars Zeta and Ep- • I • - .silon in thatVonstellatipnV He will be ■ \ ;in opposition with the sun on the 3rd, •and in conjunction with the moon on • ■ . METEORS.—There are no,well de- . \fined radiants .visible in the Southern ••Hemisphere during January,,butfine - ;i meteors may be observed, and,should :'t"'.be jilwayV noted for position, of beginning and ending, of light streak. ; , -.& forjhe ;. <7 '--middle of the month, at 8 p.m. are as follows: —North: Taurus with the Pleiades on the meridian;. Hyades and the' brilliant red star Aldebaran , ' slightly •to the east; Orion rather ; more to the east and higher, while , above may,be seen Lepus—nearer the horizon is Gemini containing the two bright 'stars Castor and Pollux, while Cancer and the Beehive 'cluster —Praesepe—lies slightly far- .,<?'- thereast of this constellation. To the south-east the long trailing form •of Hydra—the, water snake—maybe <_ seen lying along the horizon. In the zenith stands Eridanus---the, River — T - with the bright star Achernar.to- . ' . . .wards the .south-west. Aries, and , the' Triangle, with Picses, may be .', , seen west of the meridian, with Ce- - - tus —the Sea Monster—lying above. _ ; "The fine variable star Mira was well ■;' - seen on many evenings about its time ;/ /: -of maximum. .The reddish hue of .' l ,-. this star appeared more marked at • : ', this'maximum, than in previous years. •In the- south-east 1 the Cross and the , .Pointers are to be seen emerging -V ■ . -'■. from lower transit with the rich.con- ';'; / stellations Argo and Canis Major i' -tearing more north,, the whole formJ ',\, ; "inga'fjne zone of stars and a rich -' • ,' .."field.for the star-gazer,, whatever his ■;V , ;;-aperture',' for, .even a pair of good, ;;'!;vl!;tbinbcularai ; wi]i -reveal detail in this ■;;'" :: }. ;region that will surprise the begin- ' .£-' -" v'ier,',, At this season of the year all ".': of good • binoculars should over this iregion, -viz., from

the Gross to Orion, when they will make the acquaintance of many rich iields of stars and nebulae, including the great nebulae in the sword of Orion. This will, with most, lead to a desire to see these objects through the medium of an instru- ; ment of greater power, when the delicate detail of the nebulae and the | rich assortment of many of (the great star clusters will amply repay them for any time spent in. satisfying this ' THE HON. DIRECTOR, Wanganui Observatory, December 31st, 1906.