174 



KNOW^LEDGE 



[Feb. 27, 1885. 



ever, the leaf buomes smaller and smaller, until notliing 

 is left but the flattened leafstalk or phjllode. In one 

 species the plant throughout life produces both leaves and 

 phyllodes, which gives it a very curious and interesting 

 appearance. In eucalyptus, again, the young plant has 

 horizontal leaves, which in older ones are replaced by 

 scimitar-shaped jihyllodes. Hence the different appearance 

 of the young and old tree.", which must have struck every 

 visitor to Algiers or the Eiviera. 



(To he continued.) 



'■-._■■ THE FACE OF THE SKY. "■ 

 ; TuoM Fed. 27 lo IIakch 13. 



By F.E.A.S. 



THE Sun, who is daily rising higher above the mists of the 

 horizon, should be examined for spots and facnloe whenever 

 the sky is clear. Map III. of '• The Stars in their Seasons" por- 

 trays the face of the Xight Sky. Mercury is very badly placed 

 indeed for the observer, for he is travelling, as it were, behind the Sun 

 — a remaik which applies almost equally to Venus, who, though, does 

 not come into superior conjunction, as he dees dtiring the next fort- 

 night. Mars is quite invisible, as is Xeptune too now ; Jupiteris, 

 par excellence, the object in the Night Sky now, and is practically 

 visible all night long. During the time covered by these notes he 

 will be travelling towards, and in a direction slightly above, 

 Eegulus, or a Leonis (the "Stars in their Seasons," Map IV.), to 

 which he will be very close towards the end of the next fourteen 

 days. The phenomena of his Satellites will present a series of the 

 most interesting spectacles to the observer during that period. 

 Beginning with to-night, the transit of Satellite I. may possibly be 

 seen to begin at 6h. 10m. p.m , followed by its shadow at 6h. 28m. 

 The Satelhte leaves Jupiter's opposite limb at Sh. 35m. ; the 

 shadow at 8h. 48m. Then at 9h. 38m. Satellite IV. will enter on 

 to Jupiter's face, and its transit should be carefully watched to 

 sec whether the Satellite appears light or dark on the disc of the 

 planet ; whether it changes from light to dark — or what. Its 

 shadow does not enter on to the limb of Jupiter until llh. 34m., 

 and it is not nntil more than two and four hours after 

 midnight that the Satellite and the shadow respectively com- 

 plete their transits. At 5h. 54ra. 57s. p.m. on the 28th 

 perhaps Satellite I. may be seen to reappear from eclipse. 

 Satellite II. will be occulted at 8h. 48m., to reappear from 

 eclipse 10m. 5s. after midnight. On March 2, the egress of 

 Satellite II. happens in twilight at 5h. 53m. : its shadow following it 

 off Jupiter's face at Oh. 27m. p m. On the 5th, Satellite I. will be 

 occulted at lOh. 42m. p m. On the 6tb, Satellite III. passes off the 

 limb of the planet at 7h. 19m. p.m. The transit of Satellite I. 

 begins at 8 o'clock, and that of its shadow at 8h. 23m. Then at 

 8h. 50m. the shadow of Satellite III. follows the Satellite casting 

 it, off Jupiter. The egress of Satellite I. occurs at lOh. 20m. ; that 

 of its shadow at lOh. 42m. On the 7th, Satellite I. reappears from 

 eclipse at 7h. 49m. 4s , and Satellite II. is occulted at llh. 4m. p.m. 

 On the 9th, the ingress of the shadow of Satellite II. happens at 

 Ch. 6m. p.m., but its visibility is doubtful. Satellite II. itself leaves 

 the opposite limb at 8h. 8m. ; as does its shadow at 9b. 2m. On 

 the 12th, Satellite I. will be occulted 27 minutes after midnight. 

 Finally, on the 13th, a transit of Satellite JII. will happen, 

 which should be carefully watched throughout. At 7h. Im. 

 p.m. the ingress of this Satellite occurs, as does that of its 

 shadow at 9h. 11m. The transit of Satellite I. begins at 

 9h. 45m. ; its shadow following it at lOh. 17m. The egress 

 of Satellite III. takes place at lOh. 39m. ; the egress of Satellite I. 

 at 12h. 5m.; that of its shadow at 12h. 37m.; while, lastlv, 49 

 minutes after midnight, the egress of the shadow of Satellite III. 

 will leave the face of the planet quite clear. Saturn is approaching 

 the west, and the observer who wishes so see him now must direct 

 his telescope towards the ringed planet as soon as ever it is dark. 

 He continues to form a rudely isosceles triangle with ,i3 and J Tauri 

 (the '• Stars in their Seasons," Map. I). Uranus is now coming 

 into a very good position for observation, and may be seen with the 

 naked eye to the wesst of t] Virginis by any one who knows exactly 

 where to look for him. His pale greenish planetary disc in the 

 telescope renders him identifiable at once. The Moon is full at 

 4h. 0-4m. a.m., on March 1 ; and enters her last quarter at Oh. 

 54'lm. p.m. on the 8th. Two occultations only occur in the next 

 fortnight, during the hours terminating at 1 am. The first is of 

 the Cth mag. star, c5 Sextantis, which, on February 28, will. 



disappear at what looks like the bright limb of the moon 

 at llh. 59m. p.m., at an angle from her vertex of 38°, reap- 

 pearing at her opposite bright limb at Ih. 4m. a.m., at an 

 angle of 287° from her vertex. The second occultation happens 

 on March G, when 9 Libra, a star of the 4J magnitude disappears 

 at the Moon's bright limb at 12h. 52m. at a vertical angle of 30", 

 and reappears at the dark limb at 2h. 2m. a.m. at an angle of 24U 

 from her vertex. When these notes begin, the Moon is on the very 

 confines of Cancer and Leo, passing into this latter constellation 

 before 1 o'clock this afternoon. She is travelling through Leo 

 until 6h. p.m. on the 23rd, when she descends into Sextans; but 

 she re-emerges into Leo at 3h. a.m. on March 1, and does not finally 

 quit it for Virgo nntil 2h. a.m. on the 2nd. Her journey through 

 this great constellation occupies her until Gh. a.m. on the 5th, and 

 then she crosses into Libra. Forty-eight hours later {i.e., at 

 Gh. a.m. on the 7th) she arrives at the boundary of the narrow 

 northern strip of Scorpio, which she takes until 5 o'clock the same 

 afternoon to traverse, and move into the southern part of Ophhi- 

 chus. She takes until 3h. p.m. on the 9th to cross this and enter 

 Sagittarius, from which, at 5 a.m. on the 12th, she passes into 

 Capricornus. At midnight she quits this for Aquarius, across 

 which she is travelling when these notes terminate. 



FIRST STAR LESSONS. 



Br Richard A. Proctor. 



THE constellations included in the twenty-four mnps of 

 this series are numbered throughout as follows (the 

 names being omitted on the maps, to clear these as far as 

 possible from all that might render the star-grouping less 

 distinct) : — 



1. Vrsa Minor, the Little Bear 22. 



(a, the Pole Star). I 



2. Draco, the Dragon (a, ■ 23. 



Thuban) I 24. 



3. Cepheiis, King Cephevs, 25. 



4. Cassiopeia, the Lady m the 26. 



Chair. 



5. Persevs, the Chanipion (/3, 27. 



Algol, famous variable). '. 28. 



6. Auriga, the Charioteer (a, I 29. 



C'apella) 30. 



7. I7rsa Major, the Greater '. 31. 



Bear (a, /3, the pointers). 



8. Canes Venaiici, the Hunting \ 



Dogs (a. Cor Caroli). j 32. 



9. Coma Berenices, Queen - 33. 



Berenice's Hair. ] 



10. Bootes, the Herdsman (o, 34. 



Arcturus). 



11. Corona Borealis, the Nor- 35. 



them Crown. 



12. Serpens, the Serpent. 36. 



13. Hercules, the Kneeler. 37. 



14. Lyra, the Lyre (a, Vega). i 38. 



15. Ctiqnus, the Suraji (o, 



"Arided; j3, Albires). [ 39. 



16. Pega'ius, the Winged Horse. I 40. 



17. Andromeda, the Chained i 41. 



Lady. ' 



18. Triangula, the Triangles. 



19. Aries, the Ram. i 42. 



20. Taurus, the Bull (i, Aide- 43. 



haran ; t], Alcyone, chief 44. 

 Pleiad). 



21. Gemini, the Tains (a, 45. 



Castor ; 13, Pollur). 



Note. — The description of the map given in Kxowledge 



for February 13 applies to the present map, with very 

 slight change. It was not thought necessary to repeat it. 



Cancer, the Crab (tlit- 

 cluster is the Beehive). 



Leo, the Lion (a, Begulus). 



Virgo, the Virgin (o, Spica} 



Libra, the Scales. 



Ophiuchus, the Serpen > 

 Holder. 



Aquila, the Eagle (a,Allair). 



Dclphinus, the Dolphin. 



Aquarius, the Water Carrier. 



Pisces, the Fishes. 



Cetus, the Sea Monster (o, 

 Mira, remarkable va- 

 riable) . 



Eridanus, the Biver. 



Orion, the Giant Hunter 

 (a, Beielgeux ; ji, Rigel). 



Canis Minor, the Lesser Voy 

 (a, Procyon). 



Hydra, the Sea Serpent (n, 

 Alphard). 



Crater, the Cup (o, Alkes). 



Corvus, the Croiv. 



Scorpio, the Scorpion (n, 

 Antares). 



Sagittarius, the Archer. 



Capricornus, the Sea Goat. 



Piscis Australis, the Sou- 

 thern Fish (a, Fomal- 

 laut). 



Lepus, the Hare. 



Columba, the Dove. 



Canis Major, the Grente/ 

 Dog (a, Sirius). 



Arno, the Ship. 



We learn that the Revised Version of the Bible is at length com- 

 pleted, and that it will be published shortly after Easter simul- 

 taneously by Mr. Frowde and by Messrs. Clay & Son. 



