236 



KNOWLEDGE & SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[Sept., 1905. 



The Face of the Sky 

 for September. 



By W. Shackleton, F.R..\.S. 

 The Sun. — On the ist the Sun rises at 5.13 and sets at 

 6.47 ; on the 30th he rises at 5.59, and sets at 5.41. 



The equation of time is negligible on the ist, the Sun 

 being only 4 seconds after the clock at noon. 



Autumn commences on the 23rd, when the Sun enters 

 the sign of Libra at 5 p.m. 



Sunspots and prominences are numerous. The posi- 

 tion of the Sun's axis and equator is as follows : — 



Axis inclined from N. 

 point. 



Equator S. of 

 Centre of disc. 



The Moon : — 



Perigee 225,003 mites 

 Apogee 252. 30D ,, 

 Perigee 222,600 ,, 



II 18 a.m. 



4 36 a.m. 



5 12 p.m. 



OccuLT.\TioNS. — The following are the brighter stars 

 which suffer occultation visible at Greenwich : — ■ 



The Planets. — Mercury is a morning star in Leo ; 

 he is at greatest westerly elongation on the 15th, when 

 he rises about 3.45 a.m. This is a favourable elongation 

 for observation of the planet in the morning. 



Venus is a morning star in Cancer and Leo; near the 

 middle of the month the planet rises shortly after 2 a.m. 

 On the morning of the 26th the planet will be in con- 

 junction with Kegulus, being only 16' away to the 

 north. 



Mars is a feeble object in the S.W. evening sky, 

 setting about 9 p.m. 



Ceres is in opposition on the 4th ; the magnitude of 

 the minor planet is 74, but it is badly placed for observa- 

 tion, being low down in Aquarius. 



Jupiter rises about 9.30 p.m. on the ist and about 

 7.45 p.m. on the 30th, Towards the end of the month 

 he will be the most conspicuous object in the sky, looking 

 east about 10 p.m. 



Saturn, though somewhat low down in the sky, is suitably 

 placed forobservatii n, being on the meridian at 10.25 P**" 



on the 15th. The planet is a fairly conspicuous object in 

 the evening sky, looking S.E., about 9 p.m., and is easily 

 distinguished by its dull yellowish colour. As seen in 

 the telescope, the planet always appears a beautiful ob- 

 ject, and well repays observation. The polar diameter 

 of the ball is i7"'4, whilst the major and minor axes of 

 the outer ring are 43""5 and 8"-2 respectively ; thus the 

 ring plane is inclined to our line of vision at an angle of 

 1 1 , the northern surface being visible. 



Uranus is on the meridian about fi.30 p.m. on the 

 15th. The path of the planet lies in Sagittarius, in 

 which constellation he will appear for several years to 

 come. The planet is in quadrature with the Sun on the 

 24th, and is situated about 2A south of the 4th magni- 

 tude star M Sagittarii. 



Neptune rises about 11 p.m. on the 15th; he is situated 

 about 6" east of the star in Geminorum. 



Minima of .\lgol occur on the 8th at 10.20 p.m., and on 

 the nth at 7.19 p.m. 



Mira Ceti is due at minimum on the ijtii; magnitude 

 about 8-5. 



Telescopic Objects: — 



Double Stars. — Polaris, mags. 2-1, 9-5; separation 

 i8"'6. The visibility of the small star is used as a test 

 for a good 2-inch object glass. 



f Sagittae XIX.'' 45"", N. 18° 53', mags. 5, 10; separa- 

 tion 8"-6. 



a', a-' Capricorni XX."" 12"", S. 12'' 51', mags, n' 4-5, 

 a- 3-8; naked eye double, separation 373", very easy with 

 opera glasses. 



7 Delphini XX. "^ 42"", N. 15" 46', mags. 41, 5*0 ; sepa- 

 ration ii"'8. \'ery pretty double for small telescopes; 

 brighter component yellow, the other light green. 



Nebulae, tk.c. — Dumb Bell nebula in X'ulpecula, nearly 

 4° due north of 7 Sagittae. Katlier faint object in a 

 3-inch. 



(M 8) Cluster in Sagittarius ; large luminous field of 

 small stars; fine object in pair of field glasses. About a 

 degree E. of the star 4 Sagittarii. 



Roya-l School of Mines. 



Till-: Marquess of Londonderry, K.G. i I'lisidi-iit of the 

 Hoard of Education), has .-ippointed Mr. S. Herbert Cox to 

 the Professorship of Mining .it the Koyal School of Mines. 

 South Kensington, vacant on the death of Sir Clement le Neve 

 Foster. In view of the changes in organis.ition that may be 

 found desirable in the Koyal College of Science and the Koyal 

 School of Mines after the completion of the investigations now 

 in progress by the Departmental Committee, it has been 

 thought best to make this appointment a temporary one. 

 Mr. Co,x is an Associate of the Koyal School of Mines. After 

 experience as Assistant Geologist and Inspector of Mines in 

 New Zealand, he was appointed Instrnctor in Geology, 

 Mineialogy, and Mines in Sydney Technical College; con- 

 currently with his tcnnre of this oflicc he was employed to give 

 technical lectures at various mining camps in New South 

 Wales, and practised as a Mining luigineer. Since ifScjo he 

 has been entirely eng.iged in private practice, and has had 

 experience of mininR in I'.ngland, France, Spain, ICgypt, the 

 United States, and Canada. Mr. Cox was President of the 

 Institution of .Mining and Metallurgy in 1899-1900. 



Lantern Slide CAniNETs. — Messrs. Flatters & Garnett, of Man- 

 chester, have just placed on the maiket a new form of cabinet for 

 storing lantern shdcs. They arc very compactly built up of 

 various numbers of drawers, each holding 100 slides, and being 

 wlihout grooves damage lo the binding is avoided. The cabinets 

 are fitted in such a m<inncr a,s to render the extraction and replace- 

 ment of a given slide the work of a couplj of seconds. The same 

 firm also offcis an improved style of "despatch box " for carrying 

 lantern >1ides. These arc fitted with rubber packing to prevent 

 breakage. Both articles are very moderate in price. 



