Astronomical Notes for July.

Progress, Volume VII, Issue 9, 1 July 1912, Page 1183

Astronomical Notes for July.

(By the Hon. Drector Wanganui Observatory.) The Sun is in the constellation Gemini till the 18th, when he enters Cancer. His greatest distance from the Earth is

attained on the sth, when he is situated at a distance of about 94y millions of miles. His declinations north is now decreasing; it will pass from 23.1 deg. on the Ist to 18.5 deg. on the 31st, and his altitude at noon will increase by the difference during the same period.' The solar surface, when seen during the past month, has presented no tendency to spottedncss in the higher regions and taeniae have been singularly rare for some months past. 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 Uranus on the 2nd, Saturn on the morning of the 11th, Venus on the 15th, Mercury on the evening of the 16th, Jupiter on the evening of the 24th, and Uranus again on the evening of the '29th. Her path through the constellations visible in our evening skies will be as follows:—In Virgo on the 18th to the 21st, and nearest the bright star Spica on the latter date, In Libra on the 22nd and 23rd, Scorpio on

the 24th and 25th, and nearest the bright red star Antares on the former date; Sagittarius on the 26th to the 28th, Capricornus on the 27th to the 30th, and Aquarius on the last night of the month.

Mercury is a morning star throughout the month. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the evening of the 16th, in his descending node on the 20th, at his greatest elongation on the 26th, when he will be removed from the Sun’s centre towards the east 27.5 deg. of angular measurement, at which time a good opportunity is afforded for observation of this somewhat elusive wanderer. Venus is a morning star in Gemini, close to the Sun’s place, at the beginning of the month. She will pass into superior conjunction on the 6th, after which she will come out as an evening star in our western skies, but too near the Sun’s place to be well seen, for some time. She will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 15th, and in perihelion on the 23rd. ; Mars is an evening star in Leo, but owing to his great distance, is not a very conspicuous object at this time. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 17th when the two bodies may be caught near the western horizon, shortly after sunset, Mars being the reddish star about live times the moon’s diameter away to the south, or above the Moon at the time. Jupiter is the bright planet of the even - ing skies, rising in the early evening, under Scorpio; his bluish-white light contrasting finely with the reddish glare of the Scorpion’s heart. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the evening of the 24th, but no less than nine diameters of our satellite away to the north of her. Interesting phenomena of his four larger moons may be looked for by those possessing good telescopes on the following evenings:—2nd, 6th, Bth, 9th. 10th, 13th, 15th, 16th, 17th,_ 18th, 24th, 25th, 31st. Saturn is a morning star in the constellation Taurus, at this time. He presents a fine object in the telescope when observed just before sunrise. He will be in conjunction with, the Moon on the 11th. Uranus is an evening star in Capricornus, slowly retrograding amongst the stars of that constellation. He will be in conjunction with the Moon on the 2nd, and again on the 29 th of the mouth. Neptune is an -evening star close to the Sun’s place at the beginning of the month. He will be in conjunction with the same on the 16th, and with the Moon two days earlier. Meteors. —There is a radiant located in Aquarius, not far from the star Delta. This is a variable radiant and has not made a marked display for some years, but should be watched. June 30th, 1912.

Phases of mean time the Moon in New Zealand Last quarter .. 8 days 5 lirs. 17 min. p.m. p.m. 43 min. p.m. New Moon 14 days 12 hrs. 43 min. First Quarter 21 days 4 hrs. 48 min. a.m. a.m. Full - Moon .. 29 days 3 hrs. 58 min. a.m. a.m. Apogee .. 2 days 0 hrs. 6 min. p.m. p.m. Perigee .. 15 days 11 hrs. 30 min. a.m. a.m. Apogee 29 days 4 hrs. 18 min. p.m. p.m.