ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR APRIL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8109, 2 April 1906, Page 3

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR APRIL.

!The Sun is iu trie constellation iPisoe* till the 19th, when he passes into Aries. His declination north : inol eases from 4.3 degrees on the Ist t0'14.6 degrees on the 30th. His aJtitude at tvue noon decreases by over, 10 devices during the month. The altitude for any place may be found by the latitude from.9o. and adding the declination, if south, and substrp.cting it, .if nocth, from the reiult. Sun spots and faoulp.e of respectable dimensions <seie observed during Maich, two fine spots, hs well a several other igroups, coming round on the 18th. A good watch on our luminary is time well spent at this season; an interesting outburst of solar energy may take place at any time. ■The MOON, in her monthly circuit ■ of the heavens, comes into the of the planets, and many of the brigher stars, and serves as a (Convenient pointer to them. She will be near Neptune on the morning of the 2nd, to the south; near Uranus on the 14th and 15tb: near Saturn on the morning of the 19th, to the south; near JMe cury ou the 21st, to the south; near Venus, on the 25th, to the south; near Mars on the following morning, also to the south; .and Jupiter again on the 26tb, and 27th, to the south of the planet. The Moon will pass through the following constellations dining the evenings stated in the order named:—On the border of Gemini on the let; in the same constellation on the 2nd and 3rd; Cancer on the 4th; Leo on the 6th and 7th; and near Hegulus -on the 6th; Virgo on the 7th, Bth, 9th and 10th; Libra on the 11th and 12th; Opiebus and Scorpio on the 13th.; Sagittarius on the 14tb, 15th and 16tb; in Taurus again in her first quartet on the 26th. 27tfa and 28th; and Gemini to the end of the month. Phases of the Mcon in New Zealand mean (civil) time:—First quarter 2 days3hr 32min ; f nil moon 3days shr 42min; last quarter 16 days 2hr 6miu; new moon 24days 3hr 36niin. MERCURY is an evening star at the beginning of the month, but too near the Sun for observation, being in inferior conjunction with that body on the sth, which means that he occupies a positiou between the Earth and Sun at that time. He would appear stationary among3t the stars as viewed trom the Earth, onthel7tb; is in conjunction with the Moon on the 22nd, shortly after midnight, and is farthest from the Sun on the 26th. VENUS is an evening star drawing away slowly from the Sun throughout the month. She may be seen shortly after sanset towards the end of the mouth, near and above the group of the Pleiades, moving up towards Jupiter in conjunction with which sbe wiJl be during the early part of next month. She will be at her descending node on the morning of the 25tb, and in conjunction v?:tb the Moon on the same date during the afternoon, being 5 2 degree to the north, MARS is a - evening star, though low down, near the Sun's place during the early evening, He sets during the middle of the mouth about au hour and a half after the Sun. He will be in conjunction ,with the Moon on the ,26th, the planafc being 5.6 degree away to the north of the Moon. JUPITEK ia yet the most prominent object in our western evening skies. He is still an interesting object'in the telescaone although hie disc has since opposition last November diminished to barely 31 seconds of arc or not much more than two-thirds of bis former dia meter. He will be in conjunction With the Moon on the morning of the 27th and will appear near that; body on this and the preceding even ing. His path is a forward one in the constellation Taurus, close to the cluster of stars called the Hyades, which be will pass at the end of the month on the last day of which he will be seen beneath the fine red star Aldebaran, when the contrast will be most marked. Eclipses and occupations of his satellites may be looked for ou the evenings of the Ist, Btb, 10th, 13th 14th, 15th, 17tb, 20th, 21st. 24th, 27th and 28th; transits on the 2nd, 3rd, 4tb, 7th, Btb, 9th, I.oth, 11th 16th, 22nd, 23rd. 25th and 29th. SATURN is a morning star rising about two and a-balf hours before the Sun at the beginning of the month. His path is a forward in the constellation Aquarius close to the star Lambda. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the night of the 19tb, and will rise close to that body on the following morning. URANUS is an evening star in the constellation Sagittarius. His path ia a forward one, moving slowly south of Zeta and towards the star Nu. He will appear stationary on the 14th and will be in conjunction with the moon on the following day, being 3.6 degree to the south. NEPTUNE is an evening star in Gemini. His path is forward between the stars Mn and Epsilon, bein£ about one-third of the distance separating the two stars, taken from the first mentioned. He will be in conjunction wtb the Moon on the evening of the 29tb, being sightly north of that body on the same evening. METEORS.—A radiant is due in Libra on the 20th north of beta. Meteors are described as moving slowly with long paths. This should be watched by southern observers, and any well-determined positions sent to the director of the Meteorio Section of* the British Astronomical Association. The Constellations for the middle of the menth about 8 p.m. are as follows:—North: Leo, conspicuous by the "sickle," the handle of which contains the fine starßegulus; above this .is Hydra, the Water Snake, along trailing object having one bright star, Alphard (the solitary one), which forms the heart and can be distiaguished by its reddish hue Following Leo is Virgo, and the bright star Spica, now well above the horizon. Above Virgo are the two small constellations Corvus and Crater. East and south-east may be seen Bootes just rising. Libra well above the horizon, and the Scorpion well olear of the horizon, the great red star Antares scintillating brilliantly. Above the Scorpion is the Centaur and the Southern Cross. followed by ' th« Triangle and Ara. The Feaoock and Touaan are skirting the horizon to the south, followed by the long trailing form of

Eridanus, the brilliant Achernar belug in the lead. South-west is Argo and the bright star Canopus, while higher lie some of the richest spotß in the Milky Way, closely-packed mpsies of stars and nebulae, which give most interesting views even in that modest aid to naked-eye vision—the opera or Held glass. In the west may be seen Orion just going down, followed by Canis Major, and the brilliant Sirius (the Dog Star). COMETS.—Two known periodical comets are due during thp present year. Comets Holmes and Finlay (named after their discoverers), have periods nearly identical, viz., 6.8 and 6.5 years. The are both faint objects, and of little interest to those deprived of fairly largo optical means. By the death of Mr C. T. i'er.kos astronomy has lost one of its mont. generous benefactors. The magnificent observatory of that name, erected and brought to completion in 1397, contains the largest refracting telescope in the world. Its fine objective of 41.5 inches in diameter will grasp as much light in its one huge aperture ab will enter the eyes of over 43.000 persons in the «amo time. This immense celestial gauge, with all its delicate and massive machinery, housed in the fine, tripie-domed observatoy, on the shores of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, U.S.A., is due entirely to the beneficence of the gentleman who has lately passed away. The great dome of the observatory is 90 feet in diameter and the total length of the large telescope 75 feet. HON. DIRECTOR, Wanganui, Observatory. March 31at, 1906.