ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR APRIL

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXV, Issue 13035, 31 March 1910, Page 3

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR APRIL

THE SUN is in the Constellation Pisces Hill the' 18th, when he 'enters Aries. His northerly declination increases during the month by rather more than 10 degrees, and his altitude at apparent noon decreases in our latitudes by a like amount during the same period, l a reminder of the short days and long nights of the approaching "■winter. 1- 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 a'nd : ; I shfWs;''a 1 u k converifeht' pointer; .t» them." She / will 1 be, ri.ear 'Uranus .An the morning of the 4th, to the .isoiith-; Venus on the mornings, of the sth .and : §th south of the /planet j; very; to / Vesta, the minor planet.; on the Bth'/ 'but owing ito the Moon’s close .proximity to the Sup this will not be- visible. She will Bo near to t; Mercury on the 10th,- and Saturn; on the same date; ,Mars on /the I.4th, at 9hrs. 11-min.' a.m,, , will -be "in very close 'conjunction ' the /jllipon,., but not 'visible from, our/ station. ',.§hc , .will be hear Jupiter on the' evening of the 22nd. For path through, the constellat; -nk .visible, in phr evening skies; .will I -- 1 ;f vlDwi:—ln Taurus, as/ a crescent < i 1 an-1 14tli, and near the,bright A-ifebaraa on .the fortner date, to tne' n'prcli. with Mars to the. north-east; in Gotniai on the 15th, and 16th, and near- the bright stars Castor and Pollux on the-.-16th; Cancer on the 17th; Leo on the ISth, to the 21st, and near the' brilliant; Regulus on the 19th; Virgo, on tile 22nd, to the 25th, and near; , the bright star Spica on the 23rd;' ,Libra and Scorpia bh the 26th to the 28th, after which ; she rises . late in the eveninor, PHASES OP THE MOON in New Zealand 'mean time.—, Days. Hrs. Mins. Last Quarter 3 , 0 .'l7 p.m. New Moon ....... .. iT) 8 55. a.m. First Quarter : 17 1 34,a K m., Full Moon '. 23.- / 12 ". MERCURY is a morning star at .the beginning of 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 -.llth; and in his. aspending node bn the 1 'lh ; in perihelion on the evening of the 16th; 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 op the 24th, when she will be at an angnar distance .of 46.2 deg west of the sun’s place, and in her descending node on the same day. Her great brilliancy at the end of the .month and beginning of May will ■ somewhat -detract from the appearof Halley’s comet, which will be a' neighbour at these times in the morning sky. MARS is still an evening star in the constellation Taurus to the north of that red star Aldebaran—the eye of the Bull He will be in conjunction with the moon on thfe 14th of the month. His splendid appearance has decreased as his distance has increased until at this time he scarcely attracts the notice of the average naked - eye star-gazet. JUPITER is the most prominent object in our evening skies at this time. He may be seen in the south-east in the early evening, ‘ and shines throughout the night in Virgo and not far from the star Gamma. His ’appearance, in a telescope, of moderate power, is, very interesting, ’but 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 bn on the 10th, and will be in conjunction with the Sun oil 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 on 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 star Beta in Libra. These are of the slower moving order, and this position should be observed during the month. The CONSTELLATION for the middle of the month at about 8 p.m. are are as follows:—North: Leo and the fine stars Regains and Denebola with Hydra over these in which is Alphard, the heart of the Water-Snake. This long trailing constellation is in close contact with the two smaller ones—Crater, the Cup, and Corvus •the Crow. East of these ' may be seen Virgo, the brightest of which is the fin*, star Spica to the right of Jupiter at this time.' Jn the north-east Bootes—the Herdbe shea rising, and sourh of this is Libra preceding the Scorpion in which w,e see Antares, a line red star. Over Scorpion ie the Centaur and the Cross, tu.V'- standing high in the south-eastern sky,,,followed by the Southern Triangle and Ara. On the southern horizon may be seen vPavo and Toucan preceding the loner trailing Eridanus—the Riyer-l which stretches along the southern and western horizpri. Argo and the brilliant Canopus is now; high up in the south' while Canis Major and the brilliant Sirius are towards the west. Orion, that prince of constellations’is now setting in the ivegt/a’treminder of long winter nights to follow; or just the reverse of its heralding in the northern hemisphere. - ~ THE HON. DIRECTOR. Wanganui Observatory. • March 31st, 1910. , . ; .