ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR OCTOBER

Evening Star, Issue 12624, 2 October 1905, Page 2

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR OCTOBER

The SUN is in the constellation Leo throughout the month. His diurnal path is now south of the celestial equator, decimation and attitude increasing, with us to the extent of lldeg, nearly, for the month. His attitude for true noon of any place may be loond by taking the latitude of file place mdnm the soils declination south for the day, and deducting this from fiCV.eg. SUN SPOTS have dedSned throughout the month. Four small groups were viable at the beginning of the month, bat at the time of writing our hmthmiy is quite devoid of anything more tlian one or two minute spotlete near the centre of the disc. This is somewhat remarkable, considering wc are so rkeo to the period of maximum activity, tart it in a corrfitkm that may be reversed at any time by the sudden appear, anoo of a great outburst of solar energy. TUT. MOON in her monthly circuit of the heavens comes into the vim nity of the pJaneto and many of tbo brighter atara, serves as a oanvenrient pointer to them, ate •will be near Mars on the ©veiling of the 4th, some distance to the north; near Saturn on fhe 9th, and about three lunar diametes to the north; near Jupiter mi “* e 17tb; Venus on the evening of the 35th; Mercury ra the morning of the 29th, ooth objects rather close to the sun for observation. Her southern declination at the first quarter gives her a most prominent position in our southern skies at this seseon, the wima-plumrrtniion of that portion of her surface not receiving directly the sun’s rays being verv noticeable. She will pass through the eansteflations in tb© evening as follows :—ln Scorpio on the 2nd, Sagittarius on the 3rd to the 6tb. Capricomus on the 7th and Btb. Aquarius on the 9tb. 10th, and 11th, and Pisces on the 12th and 13th. MERCURY is a morning star in th©early part of the month. He is in superior conjunction with the sun on the 12th, in bis descending mod© on the 22nd. and in conjunction with the moon ou the 29th, looming. being s.9deg to the south. VENUS is also a morning star during the month. She is in perihelion ou the morning of the 16th, and in conjunction with the moon on the evening of the 26th. I. south, both bodies being below our horizon at the time. Her path is in Leo and Virgo during the month, moving forward from ICh 2§min of right ascension on the Ist to 12h 46min on the 31st. MARS is an evening star in Sagittarius, moving rapidly forward amongst the stars ficm night to night, covering un arc of nearly 23dcg during the month. He is still a brilliant object in our western skies above tlie bright stairs Ant are® in the Scorpion. 11. » u ill be in conjunction with the bright star Lambda Sagittarii on the evening of Ike loth, both objects being in the same (i-!;i of a telescope at that time. He will ;.e i:i conjunction with the moon on" the -Li, lying 6.7deg south of that body, and i-i . on junction with Uranus ou the mom- • of the 3th, bang LSdeg to the south oi .bar, planet, and dose to him on the -ami- evening. He will be at his greatest heliocentric latitude south on the 15th of -.1,.- month. His appearance in tlie tcleM ope is amrilar to the moon at about the litli day. JUPITER is now an evening star in Taurus, rising at the beginning of (lie month at about eleven o'clock. He is slowly moving backward amongst the stars during the month, as the earth comes into opposition with him. He will be in conjunction with the moan on the evening of the 17tb at 6b 30mm, when both bodies are yet below our horizon, but on rising a few hour* afterwards tlie planet will be seen to the north of the moon. SATURN is an evening star in Aquarius, having a retrograde motion amongst the stars. He occupies a fine position for observers in the Southern Hemisphere, and all who have access to astronomical telescopes should not miss the opportunity of seeing this most interesting and unique bouy. liis rings are ; ; 1 -.veil ‘mcVmod to our view, although IH..V slowly eluting. The moat noti.eeabi.- feature on the body of the planet is the extreme darkness of the broad system of belts upon bin northern temperate y,-nc! He will bo in conjunction with the moon on the 9th at 2h oOmin after noon, the planet 2dcg to the south, and Hose together ou the same evening at rising. He will appear stationary amongst the stars at the end of the month. URANUS is an evening star in Sagittarius, his path being a forward one during the month, south-east of the star Mu Sagittarii. He wfll be in conjunction with Mars on the morning of the 9th, and may be easily identified on the same ©venin, being then nearly four diameters of the moon to the north of Mars. _ NEPTUNE is a morning star in Gemini, his path being a forward one, ana near the star Zola of that constellation at the beginning of the month. He becomes stationary on the 13th, after which he again moves backwards amongst the stars METEORS.—There are radiants due in the following constellations during the month • —Perseus on the Bfh, near the sir Eta; Taurus about the same date, ri.ir the star Beta; Pisces on the Bum, .-■ml near Epsilon, and Aries on the 16th, m- ,i- the star of the same name. Tii- CONSTELLATIONS for the middle of the month at about 8 p-m. are as follow 1 ;— North : Pegasus (the Great Si, Hire). Aquarius, Pisces Australis, near fi,e zenith, with the bright star Fomalhaut. South : Argo and the bright star Canopus, rising from has lower passage to the south-east. Hydras and the Toucan — containing the famous cluster 47 near the Magellan Cloud—with Pavo and Indus to the east; near the zenith is Gros, the .Southern Crane. East : Andromeda is rising, with Cetns, the Sea Monster, above her, while Aries may be seen just emerging from the horizon; further to the south-east is the long straggling form of the Kvsr Eridanns with Achentor—the largest and brigutest of this constellation. North-west is Aonila (the Eagle), with the bright star Altaic, and dose by the Dolphin, while to the north-west is Cygnus, poised over the lyre, just setting. West: Ophiudms is going down, followed by Scorpion, a constoUstian whose curving form comes nearer to supplying the fancied form whose name it bears than most others: the Cross, followed by the two bright pointers (Alpha and Beta Centaori), is moving to the lower transit beneath the pole, followed by the Southern Triangle. The ZODIACAL LIGHT has given some beautiful manifestations this season, and should be looked for on all fine nights devoid of moon, standing up Tike a soft pearly cone of light in the line of the ecliptic, over the place of sunset, arft following south. THE HON. DIRECTOR. Wanganui Observatory. September 30. 1905.