MOTION OF PLANETS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20656, 30 August 1930, Page 12

MOTION OF PLANETS.

VENUS AND A STAR. POSITION OF MERCURY. The next few evenings, if clear, will present an interesting opportunity to those who follow the changing skies to obtain a good idea of the comparatively rapid motion of the planet Venus. This bodycan bo found at present in the western sky shortly after twilight lias fallen, shining with remarkable brilliance. On Sunday the planet will pass very close to the bright star Spira of the constellation Virgo. At 7 p.m. the two objects will be less than half a degree apart. The conjunction in itself will bo an interesting phenomenon, but comparisons of the relative positions of Venus and the star on several nights will bring forcibly before the observer the rapidity with which the planet is moving across the sky. An even more rapid mover is the planet Mercury, which at present is • situated below Venus, its position at 6 p.m. being about half-way between Venus and the western horizon. It is not as bright as Venus, and shines with a more ruddy hue, but it is an interesting object to look for, because there are not many people who can say that they havo seen this planet.