ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR APRIL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXV, Issue 13034, 30 March 1910, Page 3

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR APRIL.

1 THE'SUN is in the' Constellation 'Piscep till the 18th, when he enters- Aries. His ' northerly .declination'increases during the ■'mouth by ratheremlore-'than 10 degrees, 1 > 'and his ' altitude 'at apparent noon/ deerea^ • ses in our ihtitudes- by -a like- amount dur ; ing the. same period; a reminder of the short days"‘and long nights, of the approaching winter.- bun spots have been ■ fairly - well - in -evidence during the past month, when although they were not of the dimensions :of past months their numbers have made solar observation anything but monotonous. The MOON,'in her monthly circuit of the .heavens, comes into the vicinity of the planets and ■ some of the brighter stars - and. serves as a convenient pointer to them??;* She- wiir be near Uranus on the morning of the 4th, to the south ;i Venus' ; on’: the mornings of the sth and 6th south of, the' planet; very close to -.Vesta;' the'minor planet, on the Bth, but » owing l to < the' Moon’s close proximity 'to ■ tl\e Sun this will not be visible. She will be nehr to 'Mercury oh the 10th, am*; Saturn on the same date; Mars on the 14th,‘-at : '-9hrs:"limin'.' a.ra.; will ! be in very jclose conjunction with the Moon/ hut hot visible from our station. She «-will be near Jupiter on the evening of fthc 22ndHer oath through the consteli. la; -is ? isihlo in our evening .skies, will. 1 1' ' f Ih'i-s-—ln Tahrus, as a crescent t-.r 1 and'l4th, abd near th’e; .bright .-wbirV/Mebaran ■'bri 'tlie 1 fonmdr/ date/ to . tlio. • north with Mars to the north-east; in Gemini on the 15th and- 16th, and near , the bright stars Castor and Pollux on the 16th; Cancer on the 17th; Leo on the 18th, to the 21st, and near the brilliant Eegulus on the 19th;'/Virgo on the 22nd,, to the 25th, and near the bright'star Spica on the 23rd ; Libra and Scorpia on the 26th to the 28th, after which she rises late in the evening* PHASES OF THE MOON in New Zealand'mean time.— * r ‘

, Days. Hrs. Mins. Last Quarter '. 3 0. 17 p.m New Moon ../ 10 , 8 : 55 a.m First ; 17 1 34 am FnUMoon ,25 .12 53 a.m. _MEECUEY is a morning star: at the beof the ■ month, in Pisces/ but passes the sun on the 6th, after which he becomes an evening star. He will be in conjunction with the moon on the 10th; and with the planet Saturn on the. nth; and in'his ascending node on the 12th; in perihelion on ,the evening of the 16tli; in greatest heliocentric latitude north of the ,26th, and at greatest. eastern elongation at the beginning of May. VENUS is a morning star throughout the month in the constellation Aquarius rising well before the sun, and a most conspicuous object in the eastern morning sky. She will be in conjunction with the, moon on the 6th, at greatest, elongation 01 *?4th, when, she will be at an l anguor distance of 46.2 deg west of the sun’s place, and in her descending node on the saine day. Her great brilliancy at the . of tlle month and beginning of May will somewhat detract from the- appearof Halley’s comet, wiich will'be hj neighbour at these times in the-morning sky. MAES is still an evening star in the constellation Taurus to, the north of that red star Aldebara'n—the eye of the Bull/ He will be in conjunction with the moon: on the 14th of the month. His splendid appearance has decreased as his distance has. increased until at this time he scarce-" ly attracts the notice of the average naked eye star-gazer. ■ " & ' JUPITBE is the most: prominent object in our . evening' skies at this' time. -He ', may _he seen in the south-east in the early evening, and shines throughout- the niuht m Virgo and not far from the star Gamma. His ■appearance in a' teldScqpe, of moderate power/is/very interesting/’ hut in the large telescope at the observatory he is a very striking object at this time, his equatorial “Belts” being very prominent. .

SATURN is in Pisces, but too near the sun for observation. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on on the 'lpth, and will be in conjunction with the Sun on the 17th of the month.

URANUS is an evening star, rising late, in the constellation Sagittarius. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 4th, in quadrature bn the 16th, and is stationary amongst the stars on the last of the month.

NEPTUNE is an evening star in Gemini during April, He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 16th; METEORS.—There is a radiant near the starßota in Libra. These, are of the si owe: moving order and this position should: be observed during the month. The CONSTELLATION for tlje . middle of the month at about 8 p.m: are are as follows.—North: Leo and the fine stars Regains and Denehola with Hydra ov»r these in which is Alphard, the heart of the Water-Snake. This long trailing constellation is in close 1 contact with the two smaller ones—Crater; the Cup, and Corvus the Grow. East of these may be-seen Virgo, the brightest of. which ip. the. fin* Star Spica to the- right of Jupiter at this time. In the north-east Bootes—the Herdman—may he seen just rising,; and .'South of this is Libra preceding the “Scorpion in which we see Antares, a fine red-star. Over the Scorpion is the Cehtaur and the Cross iiow standing high in the south-eastern >ky, followed by the Southern Triangle and Ara. On the southern horizon may b( seen Pavo and .Toucan preceding the lone trailing otlridanus—the River, which stretches along' the southern and western horizon., Argo and the' brilliant Canopm is now high up in the south, while Canif Ma.lpr and the brilliant Sirius are toward? the west. Orion, that urince of constellations is now setting in the west, a reminder ol long winter niqhts to follow, or just the reverse of its' heralding in the northern hemisphere. .

THE. HON. DIRECTOR, ~ Wanganui Observatory Mhrch 31st, 1910. 3