ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR SEPTEMBER 1915.

Wanganui Herald, Volume L, Issue 14699, 2 September 1915, Page 8

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES FOR SEPTEMBER 1915.

the" SUN is in the constellation’ Leo . till .the 18th, when'he reaches ,Virgo. His declination is north till the aftefloch of the 24th (New Zealand mean dine), .When he crosses the Equator ind enter's the Southern Hemisphere, ihd spring begins in these latitudes, riie solar surface has hot been so drongly marked by spots during Utgusl as At' was during-the two or • teree months preceding, but observers would do well;to watch it carefully at-this period. Qfeat areas of disturbance may make their appearance .it any time. . \ ’■ .• The MOON, in her monthly circuit of ..the heavens, conies into the vicinity t the planets arid some of the brighter itars,; and serves as a, convenient pointer to thorn. She.may be seen near Mars on the mornings of the 4th and 3th; Saturn on the sth,. Venus on the 10tli, Mercury on the evening of the ■llth, Jupiter on the evening of, tue 33rd. Her path through the constellations visible in our evening skies s ! •is follows:—In Virgo, as a crescent -in the western sky, on tue 11th and oh" the 12th, when She will be near the bright star Spica; Libra on the 13th and 14th; Scorpio on the 15th and 16th.. 'ind nearest the bright red star Antares on the former date; Sagittarius on the 17th and 18th; Capriclbrnus on the 19th and 20th; Aquarius on the £Jst and 22nd; Pisces on, the 23rd, 24th, a,nd 25th; Aries on the 2,6 th- and 27th; Taurus .from the 28th till the end c the month, and nearest the bright star AUlebaran on .the night of the former date ‘ . PHASES OF THE MOON in New Zealand mean time: D. Hr. Min. Last Quarter ..... ; • 22 2o a.m. New Moon ..... 9 10 23 p.m. First Quarter . . 16 6' 51 p.m. Full Moon ...... 23 • 9 5 p.m. Apogee 2 8 42 a.m. Perigee 15 2 48 a.m, MERCURY is an. evening star, during September, lie will be close to the sun’s place at tho beginning of the month, but will draw away towards the end. and' will bo at his greatest, elongation, viz., 20 (leg-., -on the 28th, when lie will uii an, easy object to tbe naked eye observer, being high in the west.- at sunset, as compared with elongations, which, take place at, other seasons of tbe year. .He will be in conjunction wit..* the Moon bn the evening, of the 11th; in aphelion on the 17th, and will make a very close approach to the Star Spica,. in Virgo, on the 22nd, but as this closest approach takes place when the two bodies are not visible, they will' be. •separated again, by. the time they are seen after sunset on that date. . VENUS is a morning star at the beginning of the mbnt.lv close to the sun, towards which she is moving. She will be in line with tbe sun’s place on the 13tli, between the sun and tbe earth on that date, after which- che will draw-away from him, and gradually become visible as a:revening star. She is in lunar coir’unction on the evening of the 10tb. and in greatem latitude north, as from the sun’s centre, on the 11 111 .

MARS is a morning star during the month, in the constellations Cancel and Gemini. He will be in lunar conjunction on The • 4ih; in conjunction With the planet Saturn on the tlth, the -two bodies appearing very close together on that morning, before sunrise', the closest .approach taking place at 1.0-32 a.ra. on that date. JUPITER is the only one of ’t’ P bright planets now visible in our evening sides Rising in the south-eastern quarter shortly after dark, he cannot he mistaken, being by far the brightest visible object next to the niooii. His surface is very interesting at this opposition, no less than . eight • belts, well defined, being seen recently in the large telescope at. the Observatory. .;He >\'iH bo in opposition, i.e., on the meridian, at midnight on the 18th, and'in conjunction with the moon on the evening of the 23rd, The most favourable dates for viewing the interesting phenomena of-his satellites are as follows: —3rd, 6th, Bth, 9th, 10th, 13th, 15th, 2.oth, 22nd, 28th, 29th. ....

'SATURN is a morning star during the month, in the constellation Gemini., He may be well seen in the early mornings, and is a fine telescopic object at; this time. He' will be ,n lunar conjunction on the morning of the sth, and makes an interesting conjunction witlv Mars on the morning of the Tlth, being hear ...quadrature at. that time. URANUS is an evening star in' September. ;He is in lunar conjunction on .4 he 2dth, making a very close approach.- - - , . : . •> NEPTUNE is a morning star through the month, in the constellation Cancer. He is in lunar conjunction oh the Gth.

The CONSTELLATIONS . visible in our skies at about 8 p.m,. during the mohtj.l are placed for The middle of that period as follow^;—To the north, and'dearest the horizon;. may .be seen ’Lyra, and the ‘bright star Vega, with Cygnna right on the meridian; Hercules lies well away to Die northwest, and Pegasps just over the northeast positions; Aquila and the. Dolphin are higner and due north, and Capricorn ns : and Sagittarius- over these dgain, and near the zenith. Pisces is rising with Getus more to the east and south of ehst, with F-ridanus, in part, may be seen just emerging.. Acheruar is, with Hydros, Phoenix, - and Toucan, to the east of the South Pole, and Triangulum and the Centaur to .the west of it Cross is well down in the south-west. With the Pointers of- Cen-taurus ,over . it. Argo is low down, due south; the fine star Canopus ' being, at this time, to the east of the southernjneridiaii. In the west Libra and Serpens are nearest the horizon, with- Ophiuchus and Scorpio above them. , The. ZODIACAL .LIGHT has been ■well- seen .hero - on several nights during the past, month. During the per od mentioned it appears to be wider thaw, in the four or five years preceding,' but not quite so high. It would appear, as jf it altered its shape, slightly/ synchronising with the sun spot periods. THE HON. DIRECT'D it, Wanganui Observatory. August.-30t!v, 1915. .■