ASTRONOMICAL NOTES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10497, 19 November 1901, Page 2

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES.

Conjunctions of the Planets, etc. (Ry "Equatorial.")

As many people seem to have expected -to see tho planets, apparently, touch ono another at thcße conjunctions, a few words on the subject may not bo out of Beason.

Last evening 'Venus, the brightest of the planets new in our western sky, came into conjunction with "Jupiter, the next in order of brightness, at 5.30 pirn. At this time these two planets were due norths and -south of one another. A line produced from these objects, in a southerly direction, following the curvature of the earth, would carry the observer to the' .southern pole of the heavens. The planets may come into line at -all degress of distance from, one another, as Venus and Jupiter last night, and Venus and Saturn this evening, but when the. two large planets, Jupiter and Saturn, come into conjunction on tho evening of the 38th inst. they will appear much closer; they will, in fact, bo visible together in the field of the telescope, being separated by rather less than tho. apparent diameter of the moon. I have heard that many people are ascribing the great storms we have had on various parts the earth's surface to the influences of these conjunctions of the planets, also the disastrous earthquakes in the South Island and in Europe to the same influences. Some have even gone so far as to predict a great deluge, which goes to prove that the veneer of knowledge must be a very thin surface-covering to the bulk of. ignorance and superstition when 60 many caii be thus imposed upon. />s a matter of fact, the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn are less advantageously placed for effecting a disturbance in the laws governing our own little habitation in spaco at this present than they were six months",, ago. The distances of these planets from the earth at the present time are:—Venus, about 73 million miles; Jupiter, • 510 millions; Saturn, over a thousand ir.illibns; and Uranus, about twice- this amount. Our own sun, immensely larger, and more powerful in its influence than all the planets together, is not more than 92 millions of miles away at this time.