STRONOMICAL NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXX, Issue 12036, 1 December 1906, Page 2

STRONOMICAL NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

The SUN is in the constellation Ophiuchuß till the 19th when he enters Sagittarius. His southern declination increases till the 23rd when it reaches 23deg. 26 mins. 58secs. of arc, its altitude at noon of the same day being nearly 73.5 deg. This is the longest day, not the 22nd of December. Sun spots were fairly plentiful during the early part of November, and should be looked for again from the sth to 15tH.

The MOON, in her monthly circuit of the heavens, comes into the vicinity of the planets and some of the brighter star 9, and serves as a convenient pointer to them. She will be near the minor planet Ceres on the night of the Ist, Jupiter on the 4th, Neptune on the same date, Mara on the 12th, the minor planet Juno on the same date, Venus on the 17th, Saturn on the 21st, and Jupiter and Neptune again on the last of the month. She will pass through the following constellations on the following evenings and in the order stated: — Capricornus on the evenings of the 18th and 19th, Aquarius on the 20th and 21st, Pisces on the 22nd to the 24th, Aries on the 25th and 26th, Taurus on the evenings of the 27th, 28th and 29th, and Gemini on the 30th and 31st. Her considerable southern declination while in the first quarter still offers great advantages for the successful study of her surface at this time.

PHASES OF THE! MOON, in New Zealand mean time: — Full moon, lday lOhrs 37mins. am.; Last Quarter 9days lhr. 15 mins. p.m. ; New moon 16 days 6hre. 24 mins. a.m.; First Quarter 23 days 2hx9. 34mins a.m. ; Full Moon 31days 6hr9. 14 mins a.m. The moon is seen to be "fuW" twice during December. She is also v twice in Apogee, viz., ou the 2nd and 29th. MERCURY is a morning star at the beginning of the month rising about half an hour before the sun. His path is a retro, grade one in Scorpio till the 10th, when he again moves forward. He will be in perihelion on the Ist; at greatest heliocentric latitude north on the 12th ; in conjunction with Venus on the 14th, and with the moon on the same date ; and at greatest western elongation on the 19th. VENUS from being the resplendant star of the western sky has once more passed into the overpowering rays of the sun. She is now a morning star, rising at the beginning of the month nearly half an hour in advance of the sun. He path is retrograde in Scorpio till the 20th, when &he again moves forward amongst the stars. A most interesting phenomenon to possessors of astronomical telescopes takes place on the early morning of the 10th, when this planet passes before the star Beta Scorpii. Time will vary for different positions in New Zealand, but Dr. Downing, F.F.A.S., computes it for "Wellington at 4hrs 47mins a.m. for the star's immersion, and shrs 42mins for its emersion. It is to be regretted that this phenomenon is beyond the reach of the naked eye stargazer, taking place as it does after sunrise. Venus will be conjunction with the moon on the 14th.

MARS is a morning star during the month, rising about two and a quarter hours before the sun on the Ist. His path is a forward one in the constellation Virgo. He will be in conjunction with the moon on the 12th.

JUPITER is now the evening star, taking the place of Ver.u6 in the west by presenting his brilliant disc in the Eastern <iVy shortly after 9 p.m. at the bearrnnin? 'if |-V moni!'. TTc v ill well re 1 ay fov?»vm '.r liter i" t';e evonine, when at sufficient "!< vation above the horizon. He is in rovliinction with the moon on the early morning of the 4th, in opposition on tbe 2Mb when he is at hi 9 most favourable position for the telescopic observer, and in conjunction with the moon again on the last of the month, 2.3 deg. to the north.

SATURN is still in a favourable position for the observer, moving 1 forward in the constellation Aquarius. He is in quadrature (with the sun) on the 2nd, and in conjunction with the moon on the 21st, to the north 1.2 deg. Those who wish to see the ring system of this planet before the edge is quite turned towards ue, and it becomes invisible, 6hould not miss the present opportunity. URANUS is an evening star in Sagittarius, moving forward amongst the stars of that constellation. He will be in conjunction with the moon on the 17th, and will pass into the same right ascension as the sun on the last day of the mont.h

NEPTUNE is an evening star in the constellation Gemini, having a retrograde movement. He will be in conjunction witV the moon on the morning of the 4th and again on the 31st. METEOES. — No well marked meteors were seen at this station from the radiants in Leo or Andromeda, but several very fine ones were reported fro mother positions. Gemini and Taurus have given interesting displays during the early part of the month. They are generally noted to he amongst the most swiftly moving visitants of this class, and should be looked, for from about the 4th to the ]4th.

The CONSTELLATIONS at the middle of the month for about c • are as follows: — Aries Cetus and part of Taurus, containing the Pleiades and Hyades to the north ; Pieces and Andromeda in the northwest and the remainder of Taurus with Orion and Canis Major to the north-east. The brilliant Sirins, with Orion, and the fine zone of stars and Milky Way towards Arg*o, are the chief objects offering attraction in the east, while to the south the Cross is seen rising, from beneath the Southern Pole, followed by the bright pointers, Alpha and Beta Ontauri. Canopus lies between Sirius and the Cross. To the west may be seen the last of Sagittarius, with Capricorn and Aquarius following downward to their 6etting. Looking towards the north, at the beginning of the month, at about 9 p.m., and at nearly a third of the distance from the horizon to the zenith, there will be noticed the triangle formed by the three principal etara in Aries. At about another third of altitude is a similar but larger triangle a little to the east. If a line ie carried along the two upper stars of this hig-her triangle, which is a part of Cetus, and this is produced about the same distance to the left, it will carry one to the position of the noted star Mira Ceti, or the "Wonder Star" in the Whale. This ia one of the best known of the variable stars, and ita career has been watched for upwards of 300 years. From being invisible for several months, to the naked eye, it mounts up to the brilliancy of a second magnitude star, then after a few weeks begins to decline again, and is soon lost to view by the unassisted vision. This variation of brilliancy is accompanied by considerable differences in the periodcity as well as colour changes, making it one of the problems in astro. physics. This star will be at maximum brilliancy about the 19th