GLORY OF THE STARS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20243, 1 May 1929, Page 20

GLORY OF THE STARS.

BY CRUX AUSTRALIS.

V" ** . ' f THE HEAVENS IN MAY. j' • /

PLANETS AND CONSTELLATIONS. • AN ECLIPSE OF THE SUN. i)

I'ho Sua is in the constellation Aries ontil May 13, when it enters Taurus. Its at Auckland decreases from 38 dog. to 31 deg. during the month. On M?ty 9 the Sun will bo totally eclipsed, but this phenomenon will not be visible in New Zealand.

The Moon will be in conjunction with Yenus ufc 6.30 p.m. on May 7, with Jupiter, 10th, 12.30 a.m.; Mercury, lltli, •5.30 a.m.; Mars, 14th, 2.30 p.m.; Saturn, 26th, 6.30 a.m. Tho following occultatiops of stars will fake place during the month: 1 Virginis, May 20, 7.2 p.m.; Lambda Librae, May 23, 5.55 p.m. Mercury is an evening star during May, reaching its greatest elongation east of the Sun cii May 15, when it will bo best placed for observation.

Venus, having just lately passed in front of the Sun, now move's swiftly out into the morning sky, attaining its maximum' brilliancy on May 26, when it will be easily visible to the naked eye in daylight. Its path is confined to the constellation Pisces.

Mar:; passes from Gemini into Cancer during May. It is visible for about four hours each evening, low in the north-west sky. It is now too far away from the Earth to render telescopic scrutiny of interest/

Jupiter is now in the morning sky, but it is too near the Sun to be visible at present.

Saturn is now splendidly situated for observation, rising at 7.15 p.m. afc the middle of the month. It is lying at present, in the great rift in the Milky Way helow Scorpio, and is splendidly situated for telescopic examination. Even a telescope will reveal its beautiful ring system and four of its satellites. The ■ Constellation Positions. For May the positions of the constellations tifry he found as given below for 10 p.m. of the ,Ist, 9 p.m. of the 15th, and 6 p.m.- of t!\e 31st. Ganis Major, containing the brightest star, Sirius, is now setting in the south-west, with Canis Minor setting further to the west. Above Procyon of Canis Minor is the faint constellation of Cancer, and above Sirius is the large and brilliant group of Argo, with Canopus prominent. Following the Galaxy from Sirius through Argo, we come sSo the • Southern Cross shining prominently almost overhead. Centaurus is to the north and east of this, being readily' identified by the two bright •"pointers." \ Following the. flow of the Milky Way tve come to the small groups of Lupus nnd A)'a, which lie between Centaurus and Scorpio. The brightest star of Scorpio is Ants.res. Below Scorpio, ■• Sagittarius is rising: in the south-east. From Scorpio toward Cancer a stream of faint stars marks the position of Hydra. The promiqfnt group of Leo, with the sickle of star;; containing the bright Regulus, is now near to setting in the north-west. Between this and the zenith are the faint groups of Crater and Corvus. Below Corvus on the meridian is the large group of Virgo, containing the bright Spica. ,To the east Libra and Ophiuchus are rising. and in the north-east Bootes is now prominent. Its brightest star is Areturus. " On the northern horizon are the small constellations of Coma and Canes iVenaticii. ; Eclipse of the Sun. This year tho minimum number of eclipses will occur—two solar eclipses and none oi the Moon —but the total solar eclipse occurring on May 9 will have a duration of totality exceeding five minutes, making it a very noteworthy eclipse indeed. The" length of totality in solar eclipses is generally much shorter than .this; fpt instance, the total eclipse seen in England in 1927 had a duration of only 24 seconds. The path of central eclipse traverses the Indian Ocean from the east coast of South Africa, across: Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and the Philippine Islands to the Pacific Ocean near the Caroline Islands. On account of the long duration of the_ eclipse many astronomical parties jErom both England and the United States have stationed themselves in the eclipse zone in preparation for photographing the phenomena of the eclipse. Special attention is being given to the Einstein effect., or the displacement of stars near the Sun's limb predicted by the relativity theory. With favourable observing conditions many jihotographs of the delicate coronal rays will be taken, the nature of, the corona's rotation and the polarisation of its light being studied. A total solar eclipse is ari event of unusual interest arid rare occurrence in any one locality, and is one of the most splendid manifestations of nature that it is possible to study. Let us travel in fancy to Sumatra and witness what will, occur there on Slay 9. The Sun is high in the heavens, rearing its noon position, when the dark;limb of the Moon first touches that of the Sun, and the eclipse is "on." During this first stage of eclipse nothing of scientific interest can be observed,* and the groups of astrpnomers are busily engaged re-, hearsing for the last time the routine of their respective duties so that not a moment of the precious five minutes of totality mtfy be lost. When the advancing Mooj)i has turned the Sun into a narrow Crescent the landscape begins to fake on a strange yellowish hue, and the foliage of the Irees* throws little crescent images of the eclipsed Sun on the ground. By this time birds and animals in the surrounding bush arc displaying a strange uneasiness, and man himself, if this be his first eclipse,- cannot help feeling a little overawed.

The u ncclipscfl crescent narrows to a thin line' and faint, shimmering, vavclikc bands of light and shade begin to flit, over the ground and sides of the buildings. For about five minutes these persist, ami then we look at the eclipsed Sun, wjmre at the last moment before eclipse t,he edge of the Moon becomes serrated and broken. . As these "Bailey's beads" disappear a mighty shadow rushes upon us from tl>e west and a second later wc are gazing upon the unrivalled beauty of the solar corona with all its delicat.e tracery and intricate detail. The Total Phase. Close to the Moon's limb lie the progreat tongues oi flame jutting out from the scarlet or rosy lined chromosphere. Beyond this ugain spreads the pearly radiance of the corona. As the sunspot "cycle is just past its maximum the corona, wo see is brighter than usual and evenly distributed around the Sun's limb. Nearby /the planets Mercury, Verms and Jupiter have flashed into view, and farther away we see the ruddy Mars. All too' swiftly, it seems, the eclipse progresses. ■ln the group of astronomers nearby someone is counting the seconds aloud, while camera shutters are clicking, 'mid the subdued hum of busy workers is manifest. Then a .sudden flash of returning sunshine dispels the delicate coronal 'detail anfl the prominences, and for another five minutes or so we a?e again immersed in the strangely shifting shadow bands The eclipse is over, and on all sides arises a babel of tongues, recently so strangely stilled. The landscape returns to normal hue, the temperature rises again, and slowly the planets disappear in the fast-brightening sky. Down in the astronomers' camp all have forsaken their .instruments and have gathered little groups discussing their success. No one looks at the Sun now. The final stage of the eclips'e ,is insignificant after what has. just been witnessed. But we have seen yhat the astronomers did not-—they were nil too busy with cameras and spectroscopes to .steal even a hasty glance at the glory of the • eclipse. As one famous astronomer said, he had observed many solar eclipses but he,had never seen one!