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Progress, Volume VI, Issue 12, 2 October 1911, Page 841

(Hon. Director Wanganui Observatory.) rn, 0 „ • • ~ ± n j.- TT . "he bun is m the constellation Virgo ,i,,•,,„ + i i i * j-i • ? during the whole of this month; he * iu Libra . t if , m ' , SJ sou ?h of the' Emmtor increasing from 3deg on tltt Keg. on the last the month. His altitude on the kst of H . g

will therefore show an increase of about llcleg. at noon for the same period. Sunspots have not entirely disappeared, but from the smallness of the areas disturbed, and the rapid merging of the same, into the bright conditions surrounding them, we consider our luminary to be well within "the minimum stage." Eclipse.An annual eclipse of the Sun will take place on the 22nd. The line of central contact passes nearly 30deg. to the north of our position, but Wellington and places to the north may be favoured with a glimpse of part of the phenomenon. For New Zealand time it will begin sh. 21m., and will end oh. 35m. p.m., lengthening for places to the north. * * * 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 will be near Saturn on the morning of the 11th, Mars on the following evening, Venus on the morning of the 19th, Mercury on the 22nd, Jupiter on the 24th. Her path through the constellations, visible in our evening skies at about 8 o'clock, is as follows:—In Sagittarius on the Ist and 2nd, Capricorn us on the 3rd and 4th, Aquarius on the sth and 6th. Pisces on the 7th and Bth. Aries on the 9th and 10th, Taurus on the 11th and 12th, and nearest the bright star Aldebaran, in the Hyades, on the 12, Gemini on the 13th, 14 and 15th, and nearest the two bright stars. Castor and Pollux, on the latter date. She will appear again as a crescent in the Scorpion on the 25th and 26th, Sagittarius on the 27th, 28th and 29th, and in Capricornus at the end of the month.

Mercury is a morning star during the month, coming into superior conjunction on the 24th, after which she will set after the Sun. lie will he in conjunction with the Moon on the afternoon of the 22nd., and in his descending node on the 80th. * * * Venus is now a morning star in the constellation Leo. drawing away to the west of the Sun. She will appear stationary amongst the stars on the sth; in conjunction with the Moon on the 19th; at greatest brilliancy on the morning of the 23rd, when she will present a hue spectacle in the early morning shy. •» * * Mars is an evening star, rising later in Taurus. He is now drawing away from the Sun, and will soon be visible in our early evening skies. Tie will he in conjunction with the Moon on the night of the 12th, and will appear stationary amongst the stars on the 18th. * * * Jupiter is still an evening star and visible for a while after sunset, underneath Alpha Librae. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 24th, and may he seen in the western shy rather lower than our satellite on this and the preceding evening. Saturn, rising shortly before midnight, in the constellation Aries, is now a line object for the telescopist in the early morning hours. His ring system is well inclined to the line of vision, and presents a most attractive appearance at this time in a telescope of fair dimensions. He will be found near the Moon on the morning of the 11th, being on the same meridian at shrs. 58min. * * * Uranus is an evening star in Sagittarius, at this time, and has a forward motion amongst the stars and making very nearly a perfect equilateral triangle with the stars c and h2 in that constellation. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 2nd. stationary on the sth, after which his motion will be forward, and is in quadrature or; the 20th. Neptune is in Gemini moving to the east amongst the stars. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 15th and stationary amongst the stars on the 28th.

The Constellations for the middle of the month, at about 8 p.m., are placed as follows: —In the north the "Great Square" of Pegasus is the object which first catches the eye, the lower right hand corner being made up of the bright star Alpha in Andromeda. Aquarius and Capricornus are over the "Square" and Piscis Australis, with the bright Fomalhaut, near the zenith. In the east Cetus, the Sea Monster, is now seen well above

the horizon, with Aries just emerging to the north-east and Pisces over it. In the south-east we may see the long trailing shape of Eridanus, the River, with the fine star Achernar in the end of it, nearest the Pole. West of the northern meridian is Cygnus, and over this Aquila, the Eagle, and the bright stars Altair, and those of the Dolphin. Ophiuclus and Serpens are now partly below the horizon, to be followed by the Scorpion and Sagittarius. In the south is Argo, the Ship, rising from its lower passage beneath the Pole, the fine star Canopus coming once more into prominence in the clear sky. The Cross and the bright 'Pointers," Alpha and Beta Centauri, are moving down to their lower passage in the south-west, followed by the Centaur, Lupus and the Triangle. * # * The Zodiacal Light has been seen to great advantage on several evenings during the past, month, the delicate cone of soft pearly light being a most beautiful sight when seen away from the glare of street lamps and other artificial lights. * * * New Comet.—A new comet, found on a photographic plate, at the Lick Observatory, became visible to the naked eye in the northern hemisphere during July, and was seen in powerful telescopes, in the south, during August, but has very rapidly receded from us and was at no time visible to the naked eye in these latitudes. September 30, 1911.

The phases of the Moon in New Zealand mean time :—- First Quarter . . 1 days 10 hrs. 38 min. p.m. p.m. Full Moon S days 3 hrs. 41 min. p.m. p.m. Last Quarter . , Id days 11 hrs. 1(3 min. a.in. a.m. New Moon 22 days 3 lirs. 39 min. p.m. p.m. First Quarter . . 80 days (3 hrs. 11. min. pm. p m. Perigee 12 days (3 hrs. (3 min. p.m. p.m. Apogee 28 days 10 hrs. (i min. a.m. a.m.