ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11728, 1 December 1905, Page 2

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

The SUN is in the constellation Ophmchus till the 18th, when he enters Sagittarius. His greatest southern declination is reached on the 22nd, when summer commencss in the Southern Hemisphere. His altitude increases from the Ist to the 22n:J, after which it declines slightly towards th© nor tii. His altitude when south of the equator may bo found by taking the latitude of the place of observation, minus the Sun's declination for the day, and deducting this from 90deg. Sun spots Lave been much in evidence during the past month, and thia, coupled with the fine displays of October, incline us to the view that the true- time of maximum is ■with us now. The sun presented a most interesting sight on the 13th, when a train of spots and groups \ver<S soon extending over quite three-fourths of the equatorial diameter in the northern latitudes, r while to the south were several groups, and at each limb brilliant faculse could be seen. The MOON, in her monthly circuit of th© heaven 3, comes into the vicinity of the planets and many of the brighter stars, and serves as a convenient pointer to them. She will be near Mars on the Ist to the north; near Saturn on the 2nd and 3rd, to the north; near Jupiter on the Iftfh, to tho south: near Mercury on the 25th, -to the north; and near Venus on the same date, nine hours later, but both planets and the Moon lie very close to the Sun at this time. She will again approach Mars and Saturn on the 30th, passing close to the north of each at this time, when the two planets will appear within a short distance of each other in the western skies. She will pass through the following contellations on the evenings mentioned: — Capricornus on the Ist and 2nd, Aquarius on the 3rd and 4th, Pisces on the sth. 6th, and 7th, Aries on the Bth and 9th, Taurus on the 10th, 11th, an'l 12th. and* occultating the fine star Aldebaran on the 11th, visible in tho Northern Hemisphere only; in Gemini on the 13th and 14th, Cancer on the 15th and 16th, and Leo on the 17th and 18th, when sh*v ris?s late in the evening. Phases of the Moon in New Zealand, mean (civil) time: — First quarter, 4 days 6hr 7min a.m. ; full moon, 12 days lOhr 55min a.m. ; last quarter. 19 days, llhr 38min p.m. ; new moon, 26 days 3hrs 33min p.m. MERCURY is an evening star at the beginning of the month, in the constellation Sagittarius, appearing stationary amongst the stars of this constellation on tho sih and 6th. He will be in his ascending node on the 10th, nearest the Sun on tli3 15th, and in inferior conjunction on the 16th. He will be in conjunction with the planet Venus on the evening of the 22nd, Mercury being 2.sdsg to the north; in conjunction with the Moon on tho morning of the 25th, the planet I.7deg to the south at greatest latitude south as from the Sun's centre on the same date; and again stationary amongst the stare, in Scorpio, on the 26th. VENUS is a morning star during the month, moving through the constellation Scorpio, and into Sagittarius at the end of tho month. She will be in conjunction with the Moon on the evening of fne 25th, both bodies being too near the Sun to be observable at the time. MARS is still moving rapidly forward amongst the stars of Capricornus and Aquarius, and is a prominent object in our western skies during the early evening. Ho will be in conjunction with the Moon on the Ist evening at about Bhr 30min, and again on the evening of the 30th at about lOhr 30min, being s.7deg to the south of the Moon on the Ist, and only 4min of arc to the south on the 30th. This very close approach of the Moon forms an interesting spectacle to nakedeye observers, and to those using binoculars the aparent distance separating the two bodies being only about one-eighth the Moon's diameter. Another interesting spectacle will be the close approach of this planet to Saturn on the evening of the 26th, when barely a Moon's diameter separate the two bodie3 as viewed from the Earth. JUPITER is now an evening star, rising in tha early evening between the groups of the Pleiades and the Hyades in Taurus. He shineg with great intensity at this ■ time, being soar opposition, but his northern declination renders -him a difficult telescopic object unless well on the meridian. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the evening of the 10th, being 4.ldeg to the north at about shr 30min. His most interesting satellite phenomena may be looked for by the telescopist on the evenings of the sth, 6th, 7th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, 22nd. 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st, when transits and eclipses of these bodies take place. His southern equatorial belt is the most prominent marking visible on his surface. SATURN is still an evening star in the constellation Aquarius, to the right of the two stars Delta and Gamma Capricorni. His motion is now forward in Aquarius. Ho will be in conjunction with the Moon on the morning of the 3rd, at about 4hr 30min, when he will be l.Sdeg to the south of that body, and again on the 30th. at about 4hr 30min of the afternoon, when he will be only 54min of arc to th-y south of the Moon. His ring system still offers a most attractive spectacle in a large telescope, but to be well soan the ' planet should be viewed when at a good altitude. UEANUS is an evening star in the constellation Sagittarius, moving forward throughout tho month near the star Mu. and in conjunction M-ith the Sun on the morning 1 of tho 27th. NEPTUNE is moving retrograde in the constellation Gemini throughout the month. He will be in opposition with the sun on tho Ist of January, 1906. METEORS may be looked for during December from Gemini on the 4th, and Taurus on the 6th, and Gemini again about 10th to 14th. These meteors arc amongst those which move swiftly across the sky. leaving short streaks of light, and quite the reverse, of the slower trainbearers of other radiants. • Tho CONSTELLATIONS at the middle of the month are as follow: — Aries. Cetus. and part of Taurus, containing the Pleiades and Hyades to ilie' north, Pisces and Androinccla north-west, and remainder of Taurus, with Orion and Canis Major containing the brilliant Sirius to the northeast. The Cross may be seen emerging from its lower passage beneath the Pole, followed by the fine stars Alpha and Beta in tho Centaur, while. to the south-east may be s?en Argo, and the brilliant Canopus mounting steadily night by ni?ht. bringing up that splendid train of Urilliant stars, and wealth of rich clusters and nebulae, which makes this portion of our southern heavens such a brilliant spectacle, and which, c^ounled with the fine fields stretching from Orion to the Cross, makes up the richest zone visible in either hemisphere of the stellar universe. To the cast of the zenith may be seen Achernar, the brightest in The Eiver, and to th© west will be seen the last of Sagittarius, with Capricorn following, and Aquarius, also in the wake, aboVe the latter.

Professor Kapteyn has drawn the attention of the" members of the British Association at the Cape to a most interesting discovefy in astronomy. The Professor has been working for many years upon an investigation into what is termed the "proper" motion of the stars, viz., the

actual motion of these suns in space, in relation to each otiier, and distinct from the apparent motions imparted to them due to the motions of the earth. He iinds that their motions are not at random, but that a great part of the brighter stars move in "one or otiier of two great streams of stars moving in the plane of the Milky Way, and meeting one another in space." To complete his diaoovsry, th-s Professor requires considerable data, furnished him in. the nature of spectroscopic determinations, of the motions of stars in the line of sight. This field of research opens a way to labours of great magnitude, and for which none but the larger telescopes are adapted. It is to be hoped the indefatigable Professor will obtain the assistance he reqiiires, for nothing in the whole realm of the niiiverss is so fascinating as this motion, and its cause. "Teach me the ways of wandering stars to know" grows into a new significance in these later days. - .THE HON. DIRECTOR, ' Wanganui Observatory. November 30, 1905.