ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR SEPTEMBER.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14758, 30 August 1913, Page 10

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR SEPTEMBER.

« (liy the Rev. P. "\\". Faikclocch, V.It.A.S.) Mars and Saturn riso beforo midnight. They are still in Taurus. Jupiter is our evening star, and is steadily making his way westward and losing brilliaucy through his increasing distance. Venus is very splendid an houi" or two before sunrise. About 10.30 p.m. on the loth instant a total eclipse of tho moon will begin, and totality will bo reached an hour and eight minutes later, and last nioro than an hour and a half. On the 30th a partial eclipse of the sun will tako place. It will sweep across the Indian Ocean from the centre of Madagascar, §outh, of Australia and New Zealand, and reach latitude 61 in longitude 178 east. This eclipso begins about 2.32 p.m. and ends about G. 12 p.m. In this month tho incrcaso in tho length of the day reaches its swiftest pace. The 21st is regarded as the lirst day of spring. Mr Alex. Pauline, of ilombala, .New South Wales, found an irregular piece of iron weighing 801b. When struck with a hammer it rang liko a bell. A specimen sent to Sydney brought a specialist up, who speedily identitied tho block as meteoric iron, and took tho iind to tho geological museum. There can be little doubt that these meteorite.-i aro chips or splinters-of some pre-ex-istent body that had its iron hoart strewn through spaco by the wreck of matter and tho crash of worlds in which our- system originated.

It is suspected that a minute parallax has been detected for one of the small islands of nebula that lie oft the. shores of tho groat nebula in Andromeda. Of course a vaguely defined object liko a nebula is a very illusive ono for refined measurements, and tho suggestion of parallax must be taken for what it is worth. But if it is correct the great nebula cannot bo an external universe, as it has been supposed to bo, for it would be too hear and therefore too small. Still, it would bo vastly too largo to be an empty solar syslom.

The observations on tho variation of solar radiation made at Mt. Wilson, in California, and at a station in Algeria, have. l>cen worked up. The mean value, corrected ior atmospheric absorption, etc., is 1.929 calories per squaro centimetre per minute. "It appears to increase 0.07 for an increase of 100 in Wolfer's sun-spot numbers." There is an irregular variation of 11 per cent., which is believed to be in tho sun himself. The maximum is accompanied by an increase in tho violet rays and in tho contrast between tho limb and the centre of the sun. Both tlio.se facts .support the conclusion that the fluctuation is in the sun. Mt. Wilson had observed n fluctuation of 10 per cent., or more, and it was to correct this—for it seemed too larp;o to be probable—that the expedition was sent to Algeria. The resultant 11 per cent, is quite startling, and will probably lead to further enquiry. Considerable hazo prevailed in 1912. It is thought to have been due to the eruption of Mt. Kalmai, in Alaska. When this is allowed for, tho radiation of 1912 was really greater than that of 1911, which was abnormally hot. Hence hot and cold seasons may turn out to be duo to purely terrestrial causer;, and not to astronomical ones.

The Academy of Sciences in Chicago is now teaching astronomy by means of a largo sheet-iron globe, into which iifteen pupils can enter. The stars are represented in their correct places by rr.c-ans of perforations of suitable sizes through which light penetrates. The «lobe revolves slowly, causing the various bodies lo rise and set. etc.

-M. J. Guiliaumc reports that Jupiter's third satclJito, when eroding Dm planet's disc on Hay n\>l>carfid Kibbniis, liko a moon threequarters full. Ho also saw a very

white spot at tho north pole satellite. These features hate l2k seen before by the same ol>s ervcr tl~> are less conspicuous when the nLT;" not in transit. H was this san3e JJV that was recently discovered to T' noarly the same size a 8 Mars or n<Jr'*"' double tho diameter pr«,viom!y J?-'" mated. Tliis discovery wne raa ,i c tho satellite occulting a star. Professor Barnard, of , been using the great 40-hrfr teW^.' t,> follow tho Novas thnt have tdj* ' from common her.. Thero are meS-'" minute stars noar tlio point wlelT.veho's felfbratfld sta r appeared 1J72, but none of ther.i , nuv * har fcatur-s. One of tht-m Ri-oai. olaze star, but there ca' u be certainty, for Tychos nio2 Sa:o3 not sulneioiitly ey.vt; , hn< been time for some of « ■ tion. Nova Cypni (iS7r>> i s 15th X. Ainit;.? US"I) * tho 1-ith. N. Sagittarii £ loth, N. P(-rsoi (1901). which was-5 > tho 14th to the l;',thin 1S1X), isnorS " tho 1L I }. X. L«CLU-ta> (1910> was 13j v - foro tlu> outburst and is 12} now V Geminoriun (of HK)3) is now iGj j 'J ftill fading, X. Geminorum (1912) V still B}, ihough it was only 131 befo« the outbreak.

On May 30th the Plmical Sociotj e { Great Hi itain devoted .in evening • in exposition of his theory by Prof«. sor Biekerton. At the end ihe <±&. i:uui, Professor Schuster, F.RS. jjjj the whole theory was oitremely a*.festive. Olio poiut ho would like to have discussed, and that was tho high velocity of hydrogen in the expand of the third body. Experiments showed that, however tremendous the pressri>- atho velocity of hydrogen never exceeded that of sound. Professor Bickcrtoj replied that the velocity observed ia »-~ Nova was the result of temperature,' not of pressure. The velocity of eoujrf was a question of thermodynamic*. If ' tho compressed hydrogen had the tea-' peraturo involved by impact the velocity of .sound would proportionately & crease. * *

iSatiirn has been in a very favourable - position for observation iv tho norti. Professor Barnard reports thai tho sth satellite, which was supposed to b«;», difficult object of the lb'th magnitude, is really an easy object of tho U:l. ■ Tho observed position agrees with the calculated ephcineris—vnichii •'' considered to show very fino work «J W" the part of the computer. -"-#-

Dr. EartoTi, in the Astrophysics! hU* nal, advocates the theory of the spsaT structure of the Milky "Way. Th 4 spiral form is being suspected in th« Magellanic clouds, which have Jong beta thought to be "island univerece. , "' - Many of tho great nebule show a distinctly spiral structure, and these, too l instead of being embrion worltfo, ' probably distant galaxies, This cos-, elusion, as in tliQ case of tho great' , nebula in Andromeda, is based on {he • fact that the spectrum is not that <jf * gas but of stars. "

After incredible labours in obtaining • and analysing large samples of air from : mid-ocMiD, mid-land,' Pike's Peak,"' crowded streets, etc., Dr. Benedict concludes that the "air is-a physical mix* \ turo with tho definiteness of composi- •• tion of a chemical compound." Thie<? " was -the belief of Cavendish in 1783 L V Tho disturbance of the balance t ejf.\l oxygen and carbonic acid gas profanl,-. ' by combustion and tho vital pre«Sw - of all living things, is levelled out«i&,, extraordinary rapidity. TLo air of iJ» most crowded street shows but tilt merest traco of a deficiency of oxypri.** Tho atmospheric constant is 0 031 % " cent, of carbon dioxido and 20.952 {fer, cent, of oxygon. • "' Lecturing in South Australia, Mr, Clement "Wrasge told Jiis hearers thei; • "tho varieties of the sua's moods »; between maxima and minima art ; causes that favour outbreaks of opK" demies, euoh. as plaguo in India|' typhoid, smallpox , , etc. ... It is not ; saying to much to suppose that tho present outbreak of smallpox - jfc, Australia is referablo to tho etheflijr-j. conditions emanating from iho existing?- 1 * solar minima." Thus have we com?I*1'* back to the dark agjes! Such, idttw^/ were laughed at even in Shakespeare* time:—"This is the excellent foppery of , tho world, that when we aro sick in fortune (often tho surfeit of our osrtr lehaviour) wo make, guilty of CWJ disasters the eun, tho moon, and tie ', stars." ; Mr Wraggo went on to explain the*, the salt Jakes of South Aubtralia were evidence that tho "soeular rainfall was 1 , pr.-iduaily drying up hko tho planet dial's, aud that wo are approaching tio . conditions of tho moon." It is alimetnredlcss to say that tho salt lake* are - duo to tho elevation of tho land frow ; ' the sea and to tljo evaporation of tie r ce.i-water entrapped by the elevation-'

Mr Wrasgo actually dircussod .ti«.. elevation, which united the cast *o»- < west sides of Australia—those- haTiag", once been separate islands. "Tiw ,'' took placo at least 120,000 years-ago, when tho earth's axos were horieont*! • and tho couator cut the ecliptic at rigo* angles. Gigantic catastrophes such M-, subsidences of continents and. op". hcnvals of -others, can only take pi*?* , undor a horizontal axis, at - involving vast ayes, when cither P<W, by reason of its aecunmjation of ice *Bu chow becomes 'top heavy, , causing » - eudden tilting of tho axis. Tber*-. ; after, axial tilt—quite apart from tfc* precession, of tho equinoxes— is very brachial, as at the present time, ea it :s slowly approaching the vertical... When tho-axis .becomes uprigiit, tn - . nbent 00,000 years from the present . time, there will be no change of seasffl 1 ' - on any given lino of latitude." ]t is difficult to offer any «rioa» criticism on such nonsenre.- There J', ,

no period or motion knovrn to s*trOiioniy that will cawso the axes of «* earth to b<? .it one timo ycrpendioif"/ to tlio ecliptic, and at another "he?* sontal." The latter nation w*™ ; involvo an overhead sun .it each Po» - dternatelr, which will not a" o * cither Pole to s-enre th" nsceMM? accumulation of ico and i.now to make it top-heaw ami i'j';e it ,-i chance <" - toppfins Kick asaia to a position co»----jiatJble with life. Wo -apolopise to onr readers for that th* id* ° r theoanh's sudden tilting over . of a load on one l»o!o is tho ku» c : conception that the conrnnporw** » ' Galileo and Copernicus had f« <;f a,< S motions. As a matter ol fact, » .*» the wnter of tho ocean ver* into ice and snow, and piled on «»•» c ' , the Polar repione, the earth's «n^ 1 . - rravitv would simply shift a few tou-ards that Pole, ™d ercrytljjj WOU M bo on a. before. not bo. the -lishtcrt the inclination of the axes to the ccUl

w« arc dealing trith the *ili

of tho learned, let us tako l :ll! !*** cSs e—George Borrow, no leas. r -31l to be very devoted to tho ' v H* % Tm'itcr and this is how that man ' P ' aß lir O rou« reading talks about it. '.' - C 1 we I always taken an interest ••" L"o Jupiter! I know nothing - ' t ilm, "save what every child "- : : thnt'thou art a big star whose -'» derived from moons. . . . ' 4 Y I'% is beneath the dear sun-life =" w * -jUr is life beneath moons—four ~'" tB n» «T'lo moon is ablo to ' «W^ O V must lifo ho in mighty sffi on vh\"h no sun ever shines, JS ?whicn is never lighted save by palo v a V " etc chapter , ; *?"YThi» was published in IMI, nroular bo<,'ks on astronomy * h !! 0 » course, not so plentiful or m> ,Tf l\cthov are now. Still, no book ■ : a r ag« or two to Jupiter Ti be nnd hi» moons muho by the ■• fSrfthesun. It would hardly m..s - ],^ l ° '.ithcr. that his moons were of / *,3J«*to'hiin, for when they aro on 'f* V eun w.ird side they are in daylight, '■/when they aro on the other *ide .tr ara crlipßrd by his m«hty • w The truth is that Borrow, - ;EfSn. other people sot- iumb!«l -'' t intoihis head in eh.M .o«l, and tcr corrected it, but rather nursed ' J throng* life as ono of tho sacred jsysieries of science.