218 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[November 1, 1892. 



and only recently upheaved. Time has not yet brought 

 them low by denudation, nor have they reached a state of 

 equilibrium between external and internal forces, so that 

 they still manifest volcanic action. Thus we see the two 

 tj'pes of coast line well exemplified, and these may be 

 called the Atlantic and Pacific types. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR NOVEMBER. 



By Herbert Sadler, P.R.A.S. 



SOLAR spots and faculffi show little diminution either 

 in number oi magnitude. The following are con- 

 veniently observable minima of two Algol-type 

 variables : — Algol, November 3rd, llh. 51ni. p.m. ; 

 6tli, 8h. -10m. P.M. ; 9th, 5h. 29m. p.m. ; 26th, 

 lOh. 22m. P.M. ; 29th, 71i. 12m. p.m. U Cephei, November 

 4th, llh. 20ui. P.M. ; 9th: llli. Om. p.m. ; 14th. lOh. 40m. 

 P.M. ; 19th, lOh. ]9ra. p.m. ; 24th, 9h. 59m. p.m. ; 29th, 

 9h. 39ni. P.M. 



Mercury is a-i evening star throughout November, but 

 for the first three weeks of the month he is too near the 

 Sun to be seen, and after that his great southern declina- 

 tion will prevent his being satisfactorily observed in these 

 latitudes. He is at his greatest eastern elongation (22|-) 

 nn the 23rd. He is at his brightest about the 80th, when 

 he sets at 4h. 53m. p.m., or one hour after sunset, with a 

 southern declination of 25^°, and an apparent diameter 

 of 8'0", T%V*''^'' 0^ ^^^ ^'^^'^ being ilhiminated. During the 

 last week m the month he describes a short du-ect path 

 from Ophiuohus into Sagittarius. Venus is a morning 

 star, and though still a conspicuous object in the heavens, 

 is rapidly dwindling in brightness. On the 1st she rises 

 at 2h. 52m. a.m., with a northern declination of 2° 7', and 

 an apparent diameter of 16", to'o*^''s of the disc being 

 illuminated, and her brightness being about equal to what 

 it was at the middle of last March. On the 16th she 

 rises at 3h. 36m. a.m., with a southern declination of 

 4° 26', and an apparent diameter of 14|", just three- 

 quarters of the disc being illuminated. Ou the 30th she 

 rise.-; at 4h. 13m. a.m., with a southern declination of 

 101", and an apparent diameter of 13s", yVu^^s of the 

 disc being illuminated, and her brightness being about 

 equal to what it was at the end of February last. During 

 the mouth she pursues a direct path thr.)Ugh Virgo, but 

 without approaching auj" nalced-cye star very closely. 



Mars is an evening star, and though his brightness and 

 apparent diameter have notably decreased, he is never- 

 theless hotter situated for observ'atiou on account of his 

 increasing elevation above the horizon. On the 1st he 

 rises at 2h. 5m. p.m., with a southern declination of 15° 4', 

 and an apparent diameter of 12'4", the defect of illumina- 

 tion ou the following limb being obvious. His brightness 

 is then but httle more than one-fifth of what it was at 

 opposition. On the 16th he sets at llh. 4Gm. p.m., with 

 a southern declination of 11^% and an apparent diameter 

 of 10-8". On the 30th he sets at llh. 41m. p.m., with a 

 southern declination of 7° 50^', and an apparent diameter 

 of 9-6", the apparent brightness of the planet being only 

 one-eighth of what it was at opposition. Daring the 

 month Mars describes a direct path through Aquarius, 

 being very near the 44 magnitude star t Aquarii on the 

 evenings of the 3rd and 4th. 



Ceres is an evening star, being in opposition to the Sun 

 on the loth, at a distance from the earth of about 166| 

 milhons of miles. She souths on the 20th at llh. 29m. 

 P.M., with a northern declination of 11° 46'. She will 

 appear as a 7f magnitude star at the present opposition. 

 During November she pursues a retrograde path through 



Taurus, but without approaching any naked-eye star. For 

 measures of the diameter of Ceres cf. " Face of the 

 Sky " for May, 1890. Vesta is also an evening star, being 

 in opposition to the Sun on the 12th, at a distance from 

 the earth of about 146 millions of miles. On the 20th 

 she souths at llh. 12m. p.m., ■«'ith a northern declination 

 of 8° 44'. She will appear as a 6| magnitude star at the 

 present opposition. IDuring November she pursues a 

 retrograde path thi'ough Taurus to the confines of Cetus. 

 At lOh. P.M. on the 8th she will be 6' due north of the 

 5 1 magnitude star t G Tauri, and on the evening of the 

 15th she will be less than j° nf., and on the 16th less 

 than ~° np., the 3j magnitude star o Tauri. For 

 measures of the diameter of Vesta cf. " Face of the 

 Sky " for January, 1890. 



Jupiter is an evening star, and is still by far the most 

 magnificent object in the evening sky. He rises on the 

 1st at 3h. 24m. p.m., with a northern declination of 

 5° 22', and an apparent equatorial diameter of 48^''. On the 

 30th he rises at Ih. SOm. p.m., with a northern declination 

 of 4° 37', and an apparent equatorial diameter of 4oJ''. 

 During the month he describes a retrograde path in Pisces, 

 being about 28' north of the 6th magnitude star 77 Piscium 

 (a very pretty wide pair) on the 18th, and rather over 30' 

 south of the 6th magnitude star 73 Piscium on the 22nd. 

 Shortly after midnight on the 3rd a 9^ magnitude star will 

 be f north of the planet, and at 7^-h. p.m. on the 24th a 

 9i magnitude star will be f south of the planet. The 

 following phenomena of the satellites occur while Jupiter 

 is more than 8° above and the Sun more than 8° below 

 the horizon. On the 2nd a transit ingress of the first 

 satellite at llh. 2m. p.m. ; of its shadow at llh. 34m. p.m. ; 

 an occultation disappearance of the second satellite at 

 llh. 42m. P.M. On the 3rd an occultation disappearance 

 of the first satellite at 8h. 16m. p.m., and its reappearance 

 from eclipse at llh. Im. lis. p.m. On the 4th a transit 

 ingress of the first satelUte at 5h. 28m. p.m. ; of its shadow 

 at 6h. 3m. p.m. ; a transit ingress of the second satellite at 

 6h. 25m. p.m., and of its shadow at 7h. 34m. p.m. ; a 

 transit egress of the first satellite at 7h. 41m. p.m., and of 

 its shadow at 8h. 16m. p.m. ; a transit egress of the second 

 sateOite at 8h. 54m. p.m., and of its shadow at lOh. 5m. 

 P.M. On the fifth an eclipse reappearance of the first 

 satellite at 5h. 30m. 7s. p.m. On the 6th a transit egress 

 of the third satellite at 5h. 33m. p.m. ; a transit ingress of 

 its shadow at 6h. 57m. p.m. ; a transit egress of the 

 shadow at 8h. 12m. p.m. On the 10th an occultation dis- 

 appearance of the first satellite at lOh. 2m. p.m. On the 

 11th a transit ingress of the first satellite at 7h. 13m. p.m., 

 and of its shadow at 7h. oHm. p.m.; a transit ingress of the 

 second satellite at 8h. 44m. p.m. ; a transit egress of the 

 first satellite at 9h. 26m. p.m., and of its shadow at lOh. 

 11m. P.M. ; a transit ingress of the shadow of the second 

 satellite at lOh. 13m. p.m., and a transit egress of the 

 second satellite at llh. 14m. p.m. On the 12th an eclipse 

 reappearance of the first satellite at 7h. 25m. 42s. pji. On 

 the 13th a transit ingress of the third satellite at 6h. 49m. 

 p.m. ; an eclipse reappearance of the second satellite at 

 7h. 7m. 4s. p.m. ; a transit egress of the third satellite at 

 8h. 59m. P.M. ; a transit ingress of the shadow of the third 

 satellite at 9h. 59m. p.m. On the 17th an occultation dis- 

 appearance of the first satellite at llh. 49m. p.m. On the 

 18th a transit ingress of the first satellite at 9h. Om. p.m. ; 

 and of its shadow at 9h. 53m. p.m. ; a transit ingress of the 

 second satellite at llh. 5m. p.m. ; a transit egress of the 

 first satellite at llh. 13m. p.m. On the 19th an occultation 

 disappearance of the first satellite at 6h. 16m. p.m., and its 

 reappearance from eclipse at 9h. 21m. 22s. p.m. On the 

 20th an occultation disappearance of the second satellite 



