ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR MARCH.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8370, 1 March 1907, Page 3

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR MARCH.

v.;?;:''' '.nv wi liifl'iM';' vr'UIJ ■l'iV' i 'i <, i nfH: ' r't V .{; '! T|»e SUN -is ; ;in - the constellation; : tjll the l>lth, rwhen the ;<en^i ters Pisces. He will., cross the< : i equator into,.the Hemis T phefre ! "oA fHfe- eati^ J of the . atitunifr cbhimenc'eS in thW : ' The 1 altitlicje at noon will decrease by'dfeoui V.' 12deg. t during the ; month. Quite'a 1 phenomenal rise'in solar activity was jnot'ed during the mbiith ofjF6bWiary. On 1 the'l2th three large groups of ; spots'lVere visible upon its surface.' Taking them in order of position 1 from 'the following ■ to advancing groups, , they, measured roughly 80*000, 110,000, and 60,000 miles oi t. solars longitude,;, and -were.. from « 15,000 to 40,000 miles in solar latitude. ■ The first group increased rapidly in size, and by the time-that-; JMos. 2 and 3 had passed out of sight : by,the sun's rotation, on tie 17th, it. was not less than 100,000 by 55,000 miles of solar dimensions. These groups may increase while on the re verse side; if so, we may look for a magnificent display during the early i days of Mai c'i. The MO&N, 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 hear Mars on the evening of the 7th", 1 to the north; Uranus on the, evening of the 9th, to the north; Venus on the morning of the 11th, to the- south ; Saturn, on the morning of the 14th, south; Mercury on the 15th," south; Vesta (minor planet) on the i morning of the 17th, Jupiter on the; evening of the 22nd, and Neptune on the-morning ■ of the 23rd, to the ' south; She. will pass through the'following, constellations >on the evenings stated, and in the' order given:—As a crescent, in Aries on the 17th and ' 18th; Taurus, on the 19th, 20th, and 21st}' close to A Tauri on' the latter date; Gemini: on the 22nd and 23rd, near A and B Geminorum (Castor and Pollux) on the,... 23rd; Cancer on the 24th and 25th; Led on the 26th, 27th, and 28th, near Regulus on the 27th ; Virgo *on the 29th to the 31st, near A Virginis <(3pica) on the 31st, to the north. PHASES of 'the Moon in New Zealand rtiean tinje;—Last \ Quarter: March,' 7 days, Bhr 12min p.m. New Moon: March, 14 days, shr 35min' p.m. First Quarter;, March, 22 daysj oir4omin p.m. , Full Moon: March, •33 days, 7hr 14min,a.m. ■ •„! MERCURY is .an evening star at tha beginning of the month. He wiU fl be at greatest eastern elonga- . tioyn on the ,2nd,-at which time,;he will >be ..removed on ,the 18,ldeg.»fr,om. the sun. He wilLbe-< corpe: stationary amongst the stars on the. evening of the Bth,- atgreatestheliocentric -latitude north of on the I morning of, the 10th,..in conjunction f with the moon on the early morning, I of the 15th, in inferior conjunction [ the sun on the evening of the < 'lSth, and stationary amongst the j st&rs again on the 31st. VENUS is a morning star in the ] constellation - Capricornus, moving forward 'in that constellation.'- She will be vit) conjunction with the mdbn on the morning of the' 11th and -in' hef descending ' node on the ■evening of "the 27th;' She may be' fotfnd wfefet of the sun, being on the 1 / meridian about 9 a.m., at an altitude of about 67deg. MARS is an evening star rising onthe Ist shortly after 11 p.m. in the •constellation . - He -will be..in conjunction with the moon op, the 7th at about 10. p.m., 3.2deg. tovthe <south .of that body ; in quad : ,, latere -with ythe suiv on-..the evening. ;his the,: 31sfc . . js : now the only, bright,• in lour,, eveiung<s^es, ( H§tinay,«fee;seen on the meridian. at } P- m * in .the - constellation Gemini,: movangjorward again. to the, nojqth of : ?the 4wp. . s|ars Eta and Mu,, uij { he ; -slowly retrograded during January and ... H&-. will be in conjunction with the moon oif the |v6iling ;• of the 22nd, and - ' Will bt'lin quadrature oh the 24th. His sur-' face markings may be ' well seen wheni■'< rhe-iiison- the meridian, the belts being, . very ■ just * now*- i; Iftter-eting/,phenomena in; <?on ; -. nection with his satellites may .beseen,,.oni the ; . ? following evenings t#e§h th' 6 hburs: 6f 7 and 10 ~p;rh. J ':^—. 2tt^ ; '4thi" sth, :6th, 'llth, 13th, 19th; r ' '2£(thr:; SATURN is now a horning' Star iff vthelconstellation < but too for- purposes - of ;.obser r vittjba. :s»He'>will>nbe ;in conjunction': with thafcrbody: on. the ;9th,< and i withthe,anoqn on ,the-i4jth». <4 ~ havjhg: a', fo mbtion. cdnj&nctfori yr'ith' *s?evening of the 9th. * ' ' ?j^P:SUN&uii9--:ani,ey6ning ;^tariin G?Hiwiv; 1 CoJtt3i)g. i .ip'tP. opßosftfcnr m thewxtoinfe 22ndy S°P^ jiiaStiAn with.4h e O?h?P° n '.Qn fl« io nti METKOB&/rr3 , <s■ this class due in the month of March axe. 'the .Vii^p beloi6ked ?or morning are as follows North: Geih'ffiiy afi'd I fif im K WW ? . I b & e]. J seen J , ! i4rgf?—^e in the prowl' Cancer is to be the east, with the pretty naked-eye cluster,, the which J looks >B3l hSosiJle wpiwmO§ti an.djjHhig)?efi . and fif^eqeasfed^'Virgo,. with/ffilk Sfifea? i,( AboVe"thesfeiinay -be>sefii faaSMMfiß Jjhjs cth» Hhe 'msgbstarai s called ffih Heaths SMt iI»K <piijt^a|}^qul(}; i .jpn sfe,Ui ihd!iarg§st.^^?QP!9 Tha'oeiros£iv:i3«ij©3«yat:.^3 ing followed Alpha and Beta Centauri—and the Southern Triangle. The possessors of field glasses, or larger optical means, should sweep over the region from the Cross along the Milky Way

yto o¥foh 1 &t '-tlife-kiltie fortfri any-fiite "cle&£ night ik no-'ino6n.< The*e' -is o'ntac& , ' i very>«fiWe visible there. .\;i4'n;! ,' -'?ii£i' ! «Pfi©-»!SON.»'DIRBCTO»; vv '■ ... !,i \- February 28th/1907.- ? ; '' !!; ' 1 ; ;)