ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR JULY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 4 July 1911, Page 7

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR JULY.

The S-UN' is in the constellation Gemini till the 18th, when he- enters Cancer. His distance from the Earth is .greatest on the 3rd. : His northerly declination is now decreasing, making a rise in altitude at true noon of nearly 5 degrees The solar surface during the past, month has been almost entirely devoid of spots, denoting a close approach to time of minimum "spot" activity 'The MOON, in her monthly circuit of the heavens, comes into the vicinity of the planets a-ild some of the brighter stars, and serves a convenient- pointer to them. She will l be near Jupiter on the evening of the sth; Uranus on the evening of the 12th ; Mars on the morning of the 20th ; and' Saturn on, the morning of the 21st. She will be passing througli the following constellations during the early evenings of the riven dates:—ln Leo on the Ist and 2nd ; Virgo on -the- 3rd, 4th, and' sth ; Libra on the 6th and 7th ; Scorpio on the Bth; Sagittarius' on the 9th, 10th, and 11th. Capri cor nus. on the 12th. 13th, and 14th ; Aquarius on the 15th and 16th ; after which she rises late in the evening. PHASES OF THE MOON in New Zealand meantime:— Days. Has. Mins. First Quarter 3 7 50 p.m. Full Moon 12 0 23 a.m. Lasit Qualter 19 5 1 p.m. New Moon 26 7 42 a.m. Apogee 9 2 12 p.m. Perigee 24 10 6 p.m. MERCURY is a morning star at the beginning; of the month, in Gemini. He will be in perihelion on the Ist, in superior conjunction on the 4th, at his descending node on the 9th, and in greatest heliocentric latitude north on the following day, .in conjunction with the Moon on the evening of the 27th ; and in conjunction with the bright star Regulus on the- 30th. when a very interesting view of botli bodies may be had in a" small telescope or pair of field glasses, and 1 better in a telescope of larger proportions, when useful- comparison. can be made of the two bodies, their light, magnitude, etc. VENUS is now the brilliant evening star of the- west-em skies. Shining brightly in the waning light- of early evening, she immediately arrests the eye of the observer looking towards the west-. She is at her greatest eastern elongation on the Bth. at which time her a.npular distance from the Sun's centre is 45.5 des;.. she is- in her descending node on the 17tli : and in conjunction with the Moon on the 29th, and will appear close to the body on the same evening, when the two will present a very interesting appearance in the western skies-.

MARS I is still a -morning star in Pisces, slightly west of the star Mu. He is still too far away for useful observation to be made for his surface markings 1 ; the only object clearly visible upon his small ruddy disc is his snow cap. H.e ; will be in perihelion ori the 2nd, and in conjunction with the Moon on the 20th JUPITER-" is a.n -evening -star on the borders of Virgo, and is a splendid object in our evening skies at this time. He well' repays telescopic scrutiny-; even in a small ''hand" telescope his disc may be ; made out, 4nd' his four larger moons clearly seen, and' their motions watched- .He will 'be stationary amongst the stars on the 3rd ,in'oonjuncti"on with the Moon on the evening of the sth, at 51 minu-tes past 8; and will be in'quadrature with the Sun on the last day of the month.' .

SATURN" is a morning star at this time, rising about three hours before the Sun, in. the constellation Aries' He' will be im conjunction, with the Moon oil the 21st, being 3.5 degrees to the south- of our 'satellite at the time. Hi's beautiful ring- -sstem, now well inclined to the obring system 1 , now wel'l inclined to the obof great 'beauty, and one that should not be missed- by te*escopists at this time, who find themselves "opposed" to him in the early morning hours. URAN'US is an .evening star in the constellation Sagittarius, having a retrograde' -path amongst the stars at this time He is in> conjunction with the Moo.it on the 12th. NEPTUNE' isi'a morning star in Gemini. iHo'. is> in conjunction with Mercury on •the 9th ,a.nds with the Moon on the 25th-.

METEORS. —fA. radiant located in the constellation' Aquarius may be watched fov during 'the- e&rly part"-of tho month. There are generally slow-moving miebeoi's, with long bright trains, and' the centre is near th® &tar Delta.'- • - 1 • Tho CONSTELLATIONS for the middle df'th'e mofoili at'about 8 p.m. are placed as'follows':—Hercultes, and Bootes with the N : ortlierni Grown-(significant at this time)' near the Meridian. '■ It may be of interest '* t&'"those 1 who take interest in these matters- that; as the Coronation «r& taking pla-c& . in London, we in' New Zealand' may see Corona Borealis at its' cuhmiiatioii in our "evening skies- . ! Serpens' -and Orphinchus, with Libra., and Scorpio still hi gher, well'iip 'to the .-zenith . • In the east we may SS'© the' Eagle rising, easily identified! by the three' bright stars, the central being iAlta'ir,"th6' brfght&Jt. Cap-ricomus'-and ai&■- bver these, and Gl-ug" and-Pisees Australis fuirther towards the ' -The Southei-h Cross is now making it® way downwards on the westercii side* of tli© South' Pole; followed by tho "Pointers ' Alpha and Beta Centauri. ' To- the 'left of the Cross is the Triangle, Pavo, Indus, and' Toucan,'and' Hydrus below. Argo and the brilliant l Canopxis are now getting-' well down in the ..south, while A-chenuar is rising in the south-east: Iri the > - we>st Leo is setting, also-part of-'Hydra, the Water-Snake, bea.rimr down with himself Corvus and Crater,' and over these is Virgo and the bright star Spica. THE HON. DIRECTOR, Wanganui Observatory. June 30, 1911.