ASTRONOMICAL NOTES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 15987, 2 December 1919, Page 10

ASTRONOMICAL NOTES.

FOR DECEMBER, 1919. The SUN is in the constellation Scorpio till the 20th, when he enters Sagittarius. His southerly declination will increase till, the morning of the 23rd, when, at Shr. 57min., he is farthest south, and this denotes the longest day in tho southern hemisphere. Sunspots, have shown a falling oif during the past mouth, except for a fine group which passed the centre on tho 24th. If wo may take any notice of certain predictions from the land of the Stars and Stripes, we may look for tremendous outbursts of solar energy about the 17th inst. If the present fine group should increase in activity it would lend support to their claims, as it will be near the centre on tho 18th and 19th of December.

Tho MOON, in her monthly circuit of tho heavens, comes into the vicinity of tho planets and some of the brighter stars, and thus serves as. a convenient pointer to them. She will he nearest Jupiter on the morning of the 12th; Saturn on the morning of the 14th; Mars on the morning of the 16th; Venus on the evening of the 18th; Mercury on the evening of tire 20th; and Uranus on the evening of the 27th. Her path amongst the constellations visible in our evening skies will bo as follows: In Aquarius on tho Ist; Pisces on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th; Aries on tho sth; Taurus on the 6th and 7th, and nearest the fine red star Aldebaran on the latter date; Gemini on the Bth, 9th, and nearest the Twins, Castor and Pollux, on the morning of tlx© 10th; Cancer on the 10th and 11th; after which she rises late in the evening She will again appear as a crescent in our western evening skies on the 25th and will pass through Caprkornus on this and the following evening; Aquarius on the 27th and 28th; Pisces on the 29th and 30th, and Aries at the end' of the month. PHASES OP THE MOON IN NEW ZEALAND MEAN TIME. D. 11. M. First quarter 1 4 17 a.m. Pull moon V 9 34 p.m. Last quarter 14 5 32 p.m. New moon 22 10 25 p.m. First quarter 30 4 55 p.m. Perigee ... 7 2 5o p.m. Apogee 20 3 6 p.m. MERCURY is a morning star during December, retrograding during the early part of the month, stationary amongst tho stars on the 13th, and thereafter moving forward through the constellation Scorpio. Ho is in inferior conjunction on the 3rd, in perihelion on the, 4th, in lunar conjunction on the evening of the 20fch, and at greatest Western elongation on the 22nd, when his angular distance from the Sun s place will be 21.8d0g. VENUS is a morning star. throughout the month, moving forward . through Virgo and Libra. She passes the meridian at the middle of the month, at about Bhr 30miu a.m., and is easily visible to the imbed eye in full daylight at this time; the observer should look at a position 60deg above the horizon, when, in a clear sky, she may be seen as a brilliant white dot on the blue of the apparent background of the sky. She is in Perihelion on the 10th, and in lunar comunction on the evening of the 18th. MARS is a morning star during the mouth, moving forward in Virgo. He is not well placed for observation at this time. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 16th. JUPITER is an evening star during the month, and rising shortly before eleven ap the middle of December. He is stationary amongst the stars of Leo on the 6th, and is in lunar conjunction on the 12th. SATURN is an evening star during the month, rising just before midnight. He is in lunar quadrature (with the Sun) on the 14th, and is stationary amongst the stars of Leo on the 24th. URANUS is an evening star during the month. He is in lunar conjunction on the evening of the 22nd. NEPTUNE is an evening star during the. month, in Cancer. He. will be in lunar conjunction on the evening of the 11th. THE CONSTELLATIONS, visible in our evening skies are placed as follows®; For the middle of the month, at about 8 p.m.—To the north and nearest the horizon is Andromeda on the west, and Perseus on the easts of the Meridian. Triangulum and Aries arc above Andromeda and Perseus, and higher still may be seen Pisces and Cetus. Taurus is over the north-east and is now well risen, as is also Canis Major and the bright star Sirius. Orion is over the eastern sector, and Eridanus, with its bright star Achernar, reaches from the side of Orion to near the zenith. Argo is over the southeast, the brilliant Canopus being highest in this constellation at this time of the year. The Cross has now passed its lowest point, under the South Pole, and is again rising in the south-east, followed by the bright stare Alpha and Beta Centauri, the Pointers, and after these conies the Southern Triangle. The Magellanic Clouds are to thd east and over the Pole, with Hydros and the Toucan, while Pavo, Indus, and Ora are to the West of the centre of motion. Sagittarius is setting in the south-west, with Capricornus and Aquarius following, and over these ylrus and Pisces. The Great Square of Pegasus is turning in the north-west, I and Equileus is near the horizon in the same region. THE HON. DIRECTOR, Wanganui Observatory. November 30th, 1919.