STRONOMICAL NOTES FOR NOVEMBER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14209, 4 November 1909, Page 9

STRONOMICAL NOTES FOR NOVEMBER.

' mS. STUART, BRITISH ASTRONOMICAL //,' ASSOCIATION.] ■ • '.' ■■ " : ' r ■"■ 'Jjm little planet Mercury is now found »** the morning stars, as he rises in the " **??£ of tho month at about a-tjuarter past m «m He is at present, passing through iUt \'tm' Libra, which ho will leave on tho ■ '&? entering Scorpio at sh. 21m. a.m. 0 to his rapid motion in this part of Ins raVRSI ho ■ passes quickly through this sign *S onthe 27th. at. 2h. 11m/ a.m., he will ; *"£.. c-pittarius. of which he reaches the ,28*3" by tho end of the month These. ' Sons must not be confounded with the . Spoliations' of the. same name; for, if '!?»«; whs once a time when both coincided, 1 > must have been some 2700 B.C. What we ' lithe signs of the zodiac are equal spaces C f 30 degrees each, beginning with the vernal " ' °nuinOX of the northern hemisphere. Mer'/■urv was at. his extreme heliocentric latitude or most to the north of the ecliptic, an.the Ist, at llh. 30m. p.m. His next ' notable position is on the 12th, when about 10 a.m. ho will be about two degrees on the south of the moon's centre, and after this, on tho 25th, nearly at noon, we find him passing from the north to the south of the ecliptic, or crossing his descending node.Venus is becoming a more and more beauti- ,;' ful and noticeable object in our western heavens, as she has come more into our hemisphere, and is, therefore, continuing a longer time above our evening horizon. She sets on the 15th at lOh. 32m. p.m., among the stars of Scorpio and Sagittarius, and is attracting much attention, though but few r read the notes sufficiently to recognise what' "the beautiful star" is. She is at present in the 'sign Sagittarius, which she leaves to enter Capricorn on the Tth, and is in tho 'third decree of south latitude as seen by us, 'bat reaches its extreme as seen from the sun on the '7th, between seven and eight a.m. . On'the 17th, near five p.m., there will occur /'* very notable conjunction of the moon and Venus, which is an occultation in more "northerly latitudes, and may be slightly so 'here;.■•.■but of this more particulars will be • given on the day it occurs. In the evening '■'•Venus will lie seen a little to tho west of the moon, but very close to her, and if the sky is clear the two will be a most beautiful * sight. On the 24th. at a quarter to one p.m., Veau3 will be close to the remote planet ; Uranus, or Herschell, and two degrees to the south of it; in the evening a little more i distant, "but anyone with a good opera-glass 'will be able to find Herschell to the right--1 hand of Venus.

M&rs, although decreasing in brilliancy as he gets nearer the sun, is still very bright. He crosses our meridian in the middle of the month, about half-past eighton the 15th, to be precise, at Bh. 22m. p.m. He is, therefore, in a favourable position for observing.. We have yet to learn if any attempts have been made to communicate with his inhabitants at tho opportunity we have had in his near approach to us, or if they appear to have made any ■. such attempt for us. He is at'present passing through the sign Pisces, which he leaves to enter Aries on the 21st, at9h.,24m. a.m.,. and is moving in the third to the first degree of south latitude in the heavens. On the 23rd, at 9h. 40m. a.m., he '.will bo due north of the moon's centre, and about three degrees from it. Doubtless observations of his satellites will lately have been made.: . " v -

Jupiter, the giant ( of our system, is now but an insignificant star to us, rising on the 15th at 2h. 46m. a.m., and pursuing a course between the fifth and the tenth degree of the sign Libra, in the second degree of north latitude. About six p.m. on the 9th he will be about four degrees on the north of the moon's centre. . •

Saturn now passes our meridian between nine and ten p.m.. as a dull-looking star to the right of Mars, which is distinguished from the surrounding stars by the absence 'of any twinkling. He is still in a good posi- . tion for observing, but Ja . fairly good telescope is needed to show his belts and moons, although a good opera-glass will show that he looks of a very different shape to Mars. This was a great puzzle to Galileo "and Huygens 300 years ago, in the infancy of the telescope. "We at present find" Saturn moving retrograde, between the 19th •and , 17th degrees of; the sign Aries, or moving retrograde, and in the < third degree of south latitude.' Observers should turn their glasses upon him while this opportunity lasts, as when it is past ho will be absent from },i a similarly_;> convenient position for some time to come. <.

/■.."' Herschell, or Uranus, the next planet be.v."i'" rjrond Saturn, is getting rather near the sun11S set for observing, though he sets late," or on ■ 'the 15th at llh. lm. p.m. In any case, some I Bort of telescope is needed for seeing him. pfi'Ai present he is moving between the 18th 1 .-■; 'and 19th degrees of the sign Capricorn, in |; .the lit degree of #outh latitude, and will be , ! about two degrees north of the ■'l'* moon's centre on the 18th, about five a.m.

f; : •- 'v The _ far-distant planet Neptune is now ' I 'V conveniently ■;. situated J for telescopic observa- || tion, rising on the 15th at lOh. 56m. p.m., I•and earlier as ,tho month progresses...,!; He MM was near the moon, about, five degrees to !' .the south of her centre, on the 3rd, about , ; >i l ,one p.m.", and again on the 30th, about the ; ; j * - time ;of ■ rising; ■. : but observers * must. havei good telescopes if they desire to • see' him. || 'He is at present moving retrograde in > the mM 27th • and 19th degrees of the ' sign ; Cancer, in the first degree of south latitude. \'l' ;

The sun has now progressed very far to ' ' Use south of our celestial equator, and the I thno which he • remains above our ' horizon • hs3 accordingly lengthened considerably. Wo have daylight on" the ' 15th -'■ for - 14h. 4m., and on the 30th ■ for 14h. 23m. We are, therefore, practically ; enjoying summer, as far as amount of sun,i shine or daylight is concerned, without the'ifStf*!.;, which will come later. The Auckland •; Clocks on the Ist, when the sun was on the meridian, showed llh. 34m. 325. On the 15th they will show llh. 35m.:24&., and on the 30th J llh. 39m. 17s. The sun is at present in Scorpio. He will enter Sagittarius, j .the sign preceding our summer solstice, on ■the 23rd, at 9h. 50m. a.m.

! ' Our erratic satellite, the moon, will pass . tier last quarter on the sth, at 9h. Bm. a.m., _' and the new moon will take place on the ;, 13th, at lh. 48m. p.m., in the 21st degree t.<- 'of the sign Scorpio. She then passes to her ,' first quarter on the 21st, at 4h. 58m. a.m., • and will be at the full, in the sth degree of •!' Gemini, on the 27th, at Bh. 22m. p.m. On v this occasion there will bo a total eclipse of .; the moon, fully visible throughout its entire coarse to Aucklanders, so that if the night .' W a fine one we should have a treat. Full >. Particulars will b? published in the Hebald on.tta' morning of the 27th. We find the ;. »o*on passing her descending node, or leav- .- ing 'the northern and passing into the | ■■-.:: southern half of her orbit, on the 15th, at i • la. 36m. a.m., and at the opposite point, or ascending node, on the; 28th, at lh. 28m. ' '{"'it' ia ' n consequence of the full ~ wiling in such near proximity to the node .that we have the above-mentioned eclipse, •as it could not occur except when, in astronomical parlance, the lino of svzygy. nearly Coincides with that of the nodes.

~ All observers in Europe and America who wo properly equipped for the purpose are now busily watching the course of Halley's «omet, now discovered, and thus t putting .*» end to all the doubts of sceptics who "wught it might not appear. It is curious w note how history repeats itself in these matters;. in 1758 its expected appearance was laughed at; in 1835 doubted; and in we present £ case also. But the celestial wan7 ° years ago has once more ful°»«i the predictions of astronomers, and in .<- J5J 8 instance it will, for the first time in its . nwtory, have its various phases and aspects . 'Photographed Wo possess drawings enough «'- its previous appearances, none so accuse, as those with which the camera will C~. P - res<?nt «s. And perhaps at its next : appearance, about the year 1935, people will "« .specalating unon these very pictures as '- 2 lie » of a ast and gone process, as . amS. ° i them as the former'drawings now 1 " i coirrl r t.\i. xis - In anv case, the present -.cnurse of the comet will be diligently watch- » and its movements recorded with the W„ accuracy, for not only do we thus Eu nor ° parUcuJars of its orbit, but ineiw « also learn more of tho attrac- - ii »« i WC i r of tho P lan as exercised over y otW 5 J 1 ?"? 0 of their oxact masses and/ »«dIA- a T " ot yct quite certainly de- »«- In past times its appearance was Kreeted Wlth fear and trembling . but on «»« occasion it is not likely that any bub in w ' akll,l & s wsll »» » affected. Even «*&i«»3 they expected the end of the world !'MSnt eVery sort of calamity to follow its ad- :