38 



KNOWLEDGE 



[December 2, 1889. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR DECEMBER. 



]iY IIerbkrt Sadler, F.R.A.S. 



BOTH sunspots and faculit continue to increase 

 slowly in number. There will be a total eclipse 

 of the sun on the morning of December 22, but 

 it will not be visible in Europe. Conveniently 

 observable minima of Algol take place on the 

 11th at llh. 10m. p.m., on the 14th at 8h. 6m. p.m., and 

 on the 17th at 4h. 49m. p.m. Mercury comes into 

 superior conjimction with the sun at midnight on the 7th, 

 and is invisible throughout the month. Venus is a morning 

 star, but is getting fainter daily. On the 1st she rises 

 at .^h. 53m. a.m., with a southern declination of 16° 45', 

 and an apparent diameter of lOV". On the 31st she rises 

 at 7h. 18m. a.m., 50 minutes before simrise, with a 

 southern decimation of 23" 21', and an apparent diameter 

 of 10". At 7 A.M. on the morning of the 10th she will be 6^-' 

 due south of /3 Scorpionis, the two forming a close naked- 

 eye jiair. She does not approach any other consj^icuous 

 star very nearly. During the month she j)asses fi'om 

 Libra through portions of Scorpio and Ophiuchus into 

 Sagittarius. Mars is a morning star, in Virgo throughout 

 the month, but his diameter does not exceed Gf", and, 

 though increasuig in brightness, the ordinary observer 

 will make out nothmg but a small gibbous red disc. On 

 the 1st he rises at 2h. 20m. a.m., with a southern decli- 

 nation of 3^°, and on the 31st at 2h. Om. a.m., with a 

 southern declination of 10°. He is about 1° north of 

 Uranus on the 24th and 25th. -Jupiter has left us for the 

 season. Saturn is now getting into a favourable position 

 for observation, rising on the 1st at lOh. 41m. p.m., 

 ha\lng a northern declination of 11^°, and an apparent 

 diameter of 17f '' (the major axis of the ring being 41^" 

 and the minor of" in diameter). On the 31st he rises at 

 8h. 37m. P.M., with a northern declination of 11° 39' and 

 an apparent diameter of nearly 19" (the major axis of the 

 ring being 431" and the minor 6|-" in diameter). He is in 

 Leo, to the east of EegiUus, and is practically stationary 

 thi-oughout the month. On the evening of the 2nd Titan 

 will be about 25" ii. of Saturn, and on the lOth about 

 26" s. a little./'. At lOh. 30m. on the 13th lapetus will 

 be 22" due south. On the I8th Titan is about 28" ii-p., 

 and on the 26th aliout 28" s.f. the planet. As Uranus does 

 not rise till Ih. 40m. a.m. on the last day of the month, 

 he is practically invisible to the amateur. Neptune is very 

 favourably situated for observation, rising on the 31st at 

 3h. 32m. P.M., with a northern declination of 19° 5', and 

 an apparent diameter of 2|". On the 31st he rises at Ih. 

 32m. P.M. A map of the small stars near his path will be 

 found in the ?huiliKli M,'i hemic for November 15th. He is 

 in Taurus, and on the evening of the 23rd will be 19' due 

 south of the 6th magnitude star 43 Tauri. December is a 

 fairly favourable month for shootmg stars, the chief 

 shower being that of the Geminids on December 9-12, the 

 radiant point being in R.A.. V llh. Om. and decimation 

 32°, rising about 4h. lOm. p.m., and setting at Ih. 40m. 

 a.m. The moon is full at 9h. 52m. a.m. on the 7th, enters 

 her last quarter at 2h. 58m. p.m. on the 15th, is new at 

 Oh. 52m. P.M. on the 22nd, and enters her first quarter at 

 5h. 16m. A.M. on the 29th. On the 8th at 5h. 16m. p.m. 

 the 3i magnitude star tj Geminorum will disappear at an 

 angle of 56° from the vertex, and reappear at an angle of 

 241° at 5h. Im. p.m.. At_9h. 84m. p.m. the same evening 

 the 3rd magnitude star /x Geminorum will make a near 

 approach to the lunar limb at an angle of 330° from the 

 vertex. At 4h. 55m. p.m. on the 9th the 6^ magnitude star 

 44 Geminorum will disappear at an angle of 27° from the 

 vertex, the moon being below the horizon of Greenwich at 



the time, and will reappear at 5h. 34m. p.m., the star 

 being on the horizon at the time, at an angle of 282°. At 

 2h. 10m. A.M. on the 10th the 6th magnitude star 58 

 Geminorum will disappear at an angle of 80°, and will 

 reappear at 3h. 33m. a.m. at an angle of 299° fi-om the 

 vertex. At 7h. 56m. p.m. on the 10th the 65 magnitude 

 star 7 Cancri will disappear at an angle of 70' from the 

 vertex, and reappear at 8h. 51m. p.m. at an angle of 211° 

 from the vertex. At llh. 35m. p.m. on the 15th the 6J 

 magnitude star B.A.C. 4104 will disappear at an angle 

 of 40° from the vertex, and reappear at Oh. 31m. a.m. 

 on the 16th at an angle of 202 ' from the vertex. The 

 same morning at 4h. 57m. a.m. the 5th magnitude star <■ 

 Virginis will make a near approach at an angle of 

 130°. At 5h. 5m. p.m. on the 31st the 6th magnitude 

 star B.A.C. 830 will disappear at an angle of 123°, and 

 reappear at 6h. 3m. p.m. at an angle of 240° from the 

 vertex. 



J!:i!itt)i0t CTolumn. 



1!y \V. MoNTA(il; Gattie. 

 INFERENCE FROM AN ADVERSE DISCARD. 



THE folio whig hand, which occurred a few years ago 

 in actual play, and was pubhshed at the time in 

 the Field, furnishes an excellent illustration of the 

 information that may be gained from an opponent's 

 discard. The play of the hand is in other respects 

 very brilliant, and quite worthy of the reputation of the 

 late Mr. F. H. Lewis, who held A's cards, and in memory 

 of whom we now reproduce the game. Mr. Lewis was a 

 distinguished and enthusiastic whist-player, and an occa- 

 sional correspondent of this paper. He will long be missed 

 in London whist circles. 



Score — One All. Z turns up the seven of hearts. 



Note. — A and B are partners against Y and Z. A has 

 the first lead ; Z is the dealer. The card of the leader to 

 each trick is indicated by an arrow. 



The notes appended to the tricks are supposed to be 

 made during the play by the player whose hand is ex- 

 posed. The subsequent remarks relate to the play gene- 

 raUv. 



A 



ds—AB, 1 ; 



Tricks— AB, 1 ; YZ, 1. 



Note. — Trirk 2. — Y is void of diamonds, and his discard 

 of a club shows that liis strong suit is spades. 



