ASTRONOMICAL NOTES

Evening Star, Issue 17959, 4 May 1922, Page 4

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES

FOR MAY, 1922. [By the Hon. Director, Wanganui Observatory.] —The Sun—is in the constellation Aries till the 16th, when lie enters Taurus. His declination is now towards the north, increasing daily and from 15cfeg to 22deg during the month, reducing his altitude at noon by tho same amount during that period. Sunspots have, shown a falling off during the past month. —Tho Moon—will bo nearest Saturn on the. evenings of the 7th and Bth, Jupiter on the night of the Bth, Mars on tho nights of the 13th and 14th, Uranus on tho night of the 20th, and Venus on the 29th. Her path through tho constellations visible in our evening skies is as follows: —In Gemini on the Ist, 2nd, and 3rd; Cancer, on tho 4th; Leo on the sth, 6th, and 7th, and nearest tho bright Regains on the 6th; Beta or Denobola on tho 7th; Virgo on the Bth, 9th, and 10th, and nearest the brilliant star Spica on the 9th; Libra on the. llih : Scorpio on the 12th, and nearest tho fine red star Ant-ares on that date; Ophiuchus on the 13th; Sagittarius on the 14th, 15th, and 16th; after which she rises late in the evening. —Phases of the Moon in New Zealand Alcan Time.— First quarter 5d 12h 26min a.in. Full moon lid 5h 36min p.m. Last quarter 19(1 5h 47min a.m. New moon :. 27d 5h 34min a.m. Perigee ... 8d 6h 42roin p.m. Apogee 20d 4h Omin p.m. —Mercury—is an evening star during the whole of May. He is coming out from behind the Sun at the beginning of tho month, is in perihelion on tho 2nd, at greatest elongation towards the east on tho 24th, when ho will have an apparent separation of 22.6dcg from the Sim. Ho will bo in conjunction with the Moon on the.night of the 28th. —Venus—ie an evening star during the month, slowly drawing away from the Sun’s place in, the sky. Sho is in perihelion on the morning of tho 27th and in lunar conjunction on tho 29th. —Mars—is an evening star, rising in the early evening under tho Scorpion, to tho south of cast. Ho is still rather small, having a diameter at the beginning of the month of rather over 15min of arc, as against 21min on Juno 20. This increase in apparent size, duo to his greater proximity at tho latter date to the Earth, means everything to the student at the telescope. The "coming opposition favors the southern hemisphere to a much greater extent than tho northern, and all observers should lose no opportunity of taking advantage of clear ovenjngs and steady air to familiarise themselves with the appearance _of his surface as a preparation to delineating what they see during opposition. He will be in lunar conjunction on the 14th. —Jupiter—is tho bright star of the early evening, Jn the constellation; Virgo. He is now a, tine object in a good telescope, his “belts” revealing much interesting detail, especially in southern latitudes. Ho will be in lunar conjunction on the 9th. The more interesting eclipses, occnltalions, and transits of his four bright moons over his surface rnav be looked for on the following dates43rd, 4th, 6th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 14th. 17th, 18th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 24th, 25th, 27th,: 28th. —Saturn—is an evening star to the west of Jupiter. He will bo in lunar conjunction on the Bth. His ring system is slightly opened, and ho affords a fine spectacle in a good telescope. —Uranus—is a morning star, in the constellation Aquarius. He will be in lunar conjunction on the evening of the 20th. —Neptune—is an evening star, in the constellation Cancer, during the month. Ho will bo in quadrature on the 4th, and in lunar conjunction on the following morning. Tho constellations visible in our early evening skies move slowly towards tho west, night -by night; those unde* tb® Southern Pole to tho east. As given, below the positions servo for 8 p.m. of the middle of tho month, or an hour later on tho Ist and an hour earlier on the 30th. Looking north, and to the left of the meridian, we see Loo and the Sickle, the briliant star Regains standing at the outer end of the handle. Leo Minor is under the larger Lion. Virgo, higher than Leo, stands to the right of tho northern meridian, with Coma Berenice underneath and Bootes, with its fine star Arcturus, towards tho north-east, where tho Northern Crown is just clearing tho horizon. Over those mentioned, and towards the zenith, tho long, sinuous fortn of Hydra, the Water Snake, with Coitus and Crater, may bo seen. Ophiuchus and Serpens, are over tho eastern quadrant, with Scorpio and its great star Antares—ono of tho “red giants” of our system, a sun possibly of such vast dimensions as to be millions of times the size of our own Sun. Sagittarius is rising under tho Scorpion, and above him may be seen Centaur, tho two fine stars Alpha and Beta, the Pointer’s, with tho Cross, being now near their highest point in the southern skies. Argo is past the southern meridian, and getting well down towards tho west, its fine star Canopus, another of the giant suns of space, being now about midway between the zenith and the south-west. Cams Major and its brilliant, Sirius are still above the western horizon. Sirius is the brightest of afi the starry host, as seen from this planet; but the small, faint star to the left, Beta,- is really a- much greater star. The light from,Sirius takes about twelve years to reach us, that from Beta about 1,800 years. If Sirius were at the 'distance of Beta it would be quite invisible without a telescope; yet Sirius is as much larger than our Sun as a large orange is larger than a plum.