ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR NOVEMBER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 2 November 1914, Page 3

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR NOVEMBER

The SUN" is in the constellation Libra till the 23rd, when he enters Scorpio. His Southern declination increases during November bv t degs., being 14 degs. on the Ist, and 21.3 degs. on the 30th. The large sunspots visible in August and September last, closed tip, and "were Ho longer visiblo when that portion of the Sun's surface was again brought into view at the beginning of this month. A pair of small spots became visible on the 18th of the month, being at the central meridian on the 21st, and revealing the strong- repulsive action sometimes noticed l>efore. The MOON, 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 near Saturtt on the 7th; Mercury on the morning of the 17th ; Mars on the evening of the 18th ; Venus on the evening of the 18th and 19th; and Jupiter on the evening of the 23rd, covering the planet, at our station .on that occasion.

Her path through the constellations visibie in our evening skies, during the earlv evenings, are as follow : —ln Aries on the Ist to the 3rd ; Taurus on the 4th, sth> and 6th, and nearest Aldehavan, the bright star in the Hyades { on tho night of th sth : she will be visible as a. crescent over the setting Sun on the evenings of the 20th and 21st, in Sagittarius; in Caprioorntis on the 22nd ana 23rd ;. Aquarius on the 24th and 25th Pisces on the 26th to the 29th; and Aries till the end of the month. PHASES OF THE MOON in New Zealand, mean tirre

MERCURY is a morning star during the major portion of the month. He is in inferior conjunction on the 7th at 11.53 p.m. of our time, which prevents us seeing the transit of this planet across the solar disc, which takes place at that time, and will be seen on the other side of the Earth. He will be in perihelion on the 13th : stationary amongst the stars on the 16th ; and at greatest western elongation on the 24th, when he j may be best seen as a morning star. _ VENUS is now a glorious object in ! aar eveninc skies. very beautiful also I{n the telescope, at this time. where I she appears as a crescent moon. She iray be easily seen in the daytime, being nearly overhead when passing the meridian at about 1 p.m. She will be found moving towards the east, amongst the stars, till the evening of the 7th, on which date she will appear stationary, and afterwards will retrograde, or move, apparentlv, amongst the stars, towards the West. She will be in lunar conjunction on the mornrng of the 19th; in conjunction with Mars on the 22nd: and will pass again into the Sun's rays on tlie 28th, being in solar conjunction on that date. MAES is still to the East of the Sun, but too near to be of interest to the observer. He will be in lunar conjunction on the evening of the 18th, junction on the evening of the loth, and in conjunction with \enus on the 22nd and mav be caught in the telescope' about five lunar diameters to the North of Venus on the evening of that date. , -j - JUPITER is an evening star, riding hio-h in the heavens, during the month. He is a fine object in a telescope of fail- power, at this time. He will be in coni unction with the Moon on the evening of the 22nd when, as viewed from this latitude, the Moon will appear to pass over hiir, the phenomeno should be looked for from 7.30 to 840 p.m. Mr 0. Horner, of Patea has worked this occultation from tables prepared bv Mr Westland, of Chnstchurch, and brings it out as: Time of pea ranee, 7.37; re-appearance, 8.37; which, as the Moon moves over its own diameter in about an hour, shows central passage. . , SATURN is now a morning star, slow - l v retrograding in Gemini. He the meridian at abaut 2.30 a.m. a e middle of the month He will be m lunaf conjunction on the 7th. URANUS is an evening star, in the constellation Capricornus, during the month. He will be m conjunction with the Moon on the 23rd. _ . v i-i,:. NEPTUNE is a irornmg star at tins time in Cancer. He will be m lunar conNovember is the month of meteors, those from Andromeda and Leo bein<r oftentime very brilliant, the first-named overtaking the Earth and aT) tjearing to move slowly, the latter tra veiling against the Earth motion, and appearing to move much faster. should be looked for during the middle of the month from about midtn D ht Constellations for the middie of the month, during of the evening, are as follow . The Great Square of ? e^SU^ ;t £° Norli, nearest the .horizon, with fi-ces lying over and above it; and Aries and the Northern Triang e to the right. Tajrus mav be seen Tismg in the north past and Orion more towards the south . ' x w ith the brilliant Sinus in Cams Ma to -' Eridan i Md the bright AcherS'Ts 'niting the zenith, and Argo and tow d™ nndef Vhe Sontten £ while the "X b. the we=t, followed by Sagittarius and last of Cygnus the SWan ' THE HON. DIRECTOR, "Wanganui ObfiexvatoT}October 30th, 1914, 1

Full Moon 3d. llh. 19m. a.m. Last Quarter lid. lllh. 7ra. a.m. New Moon 18d. ' 3h. 32m. a.m. First Quarter 25d. lh. 9m. a.m. Apogee 3d. 7h. 18m. a.rr. Perigee 17d. 21i. 24m. p.m. Apogee 30d. 10b. 6m. a.m.