238 



KNOWLEDGE 



[October 1, 1895. 



gathering up the threads, it has been permissible to 

 introduce an element of speculation, and enable iis to form 

 some picture of the earlier ages iu the earth's history ; a 

 picture strange beyond any that the imagination alone 

 could have conceived. But we must deny ourselves, and 

 only express the hope that after so great a work our 

 country may not be patriotically puffed up, but may con- 

 tinue to take its fair share — a large one — in those further 

 researches which have so largely added to the value of the 

 Challenjer P.eports, which were in great part the outcome 

 of her memorable cruise. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR OCTOBER. 



By Herbert S.U)ler, F.E.A.S. 



SUNPOTS and faculse are still fairly numerous, 

 though of course they are decreasing in magni- 

 tude. Conveniently observable minima of Algol 

 occur at lOh. 45m. p.m. on the 20th, and at 7h. 'dim. 

 P.M. on the 23rd. 



Mercury is too near the Sun to be visible till quite the 

 end of the month. On the 31st he rises at 5h. 50m. a.m., 

 or Ih. 3m. before the Sun, with a southern declination of 

 8° 53', and an appai-ent diameter of 8j ", rather over Jj^th 

 of the disc being illuminated. He is then some little 

 distance to the N.E. of Spica Virginis. He is at his 

 greatest eastern elongation (25i°) on the 1st. 



Venus is a morning stir, and is getting well placed for 

 observation. On the 1st she rises at Ih. 43m. a.m., or 

 Ih. 18m. before the Sun, with a southern declination of 

 2^ 10', and an apparent diameter of 54i", ^^-_ths of the 

 disc being illuminated. On the 8th she rises at 4h. 

 A.M., or two hours and a quarter before the Sun, with a 

 southern declination of 0° 18', and an apparent diameter 

 of 50|^ ', yVflti's of the disc being illuminated. On the 18th 

 she rises at 3h. 19m. a.m., or 3h. 12m. before the Sun, 

 with a northern declination of 1° 7', and an apparent 

 diameter of 43^", T^ths of the disc being illuminated. On 

 the 31st she rises at 2h. 35m. a.m., or nearly four hours 

 before the Sun, with a northern declination of 0^ 43', and 

 an apparent diameter of 36", -/'gths of the disc being 

 illuminated. She is at her greatest brilliancy on the 2Gth. 

 She describes a curiously looped path on the confines of 

 Leo and Mrgo during the month. 



Mars is in conjunction with the Sun on the 11th, and 

 Saturn and Uranus are invisible. 



Vesta is an evening star, though her great southern 

 declination militates against her successful observation. 

 On the 1st she souths at 9h. 29m. p.m., with a southern 

 dechnation of 21° 52'. On the 12th she souths at 

 8h. 40m. P.M., with a southern declination of 21' 35'. 

 On the Slst she souths at 7h. 35m. p.m., -nith a southern 

 declination of 20"^ 17'. During October she appears 

 as a 7th magnitude star. A map of the small stars near 

 her path will be found in the Em/lish Meclianic for August 

 2nd. 



.Jupiter is an evening star, rising on the 1st at lib. SGm. 

 P.M., with a northern declination of 19° 23', and an 

 apparent equatorial diameter of 85-7" ; the phase 

 amounting to \" . On the 7th he rises at lib. 38m. 

 P.M., with a northern dechnation of 19° 13', and an 

 apparent equatorial diameter of 3GJ". On the 17th he 

 rises at llii. 5m. p.m., with a northern declination of 

 18° 5G', and an apparent equatorial diameter of 37^". On 

 the 31st he rises at lOh. 18m. p.:m., with a northern 

 declination of 18'" 38', and an apparent equatorial diameter 

 of 38J". During the month he describes a direct path in 



Cancer, being near J Cancri at the end of October. The 

 following phenomena of the satellites occur while the 

 planet is more than 8"^ above and the Sun 8° below the 

 horizon. On the 1st a transit egress of the first satellite 

 at Ih. 46m. a.m. On the 4th a transit ingress of the 

 shadow of the fourth satellite at 4h. 28m. a.m. On the 

 7th an eclipse disappearance of the third satellite at 

 Oh. 44m. 7s. a.m. ; a transit ingress of the shadow of the 

 second satellite at 2h. 10m. a.m. ; an eclipse disappearance 

 of the first satellite at 2h. 59m. 52s. a.m. ; an eclipse 

 reappearance of the third satellite at 4h. 5m. 6s. a.m. ; a 

 transit ingress of the second satellite at 4h. 57m. a.m. ; 

 a transit egress of its shadow at 5h. Im. a.m. On the 8th 

 a transit ingress of the first satellite at lb. 23m. a.m. ; a 

 transit egress of its shadow at 'ih. 30m. a.m. ; a transit 

 egress of the satellite itself at 3h. 43m. a.m. On the 

 9th an occultation reappearance of the first satellite at 

 Oh. 58m. a.m., and an occultation reappearance of the 

 second satellite at 2h. 8m. a.m. On the 13th an occultation 

 disappearance of the fourth satellite at Ih. 23m. a.m. On 

 the 14th an eclipse disappearance of the third satellite at 

 4h. 41m. 53s. a.ji. ; a transit ingress of the shadow of the 

 second satellite at 4h. 43m. a.m.; an eclipse disappearance 

 of the first satellite at 4h. 52m. 57s. a.m. On the 15th a 

 transit ingress of the shadow of the first sateUite at 2h. 5m. 

 A.M., a transit ingress of the satellite itself at 3h. 19m. 

 a.m. ; a transit egress of its shadow at 4h. 24m. a.m. On 

 the Kith an occultation reappearance of the first satellite 

 at 2h. 53m. a.m. ; an occultation reappearance of the second 

 satellite at 4h. 49m. a.m. On the 18th a transit egress of 

 the third satellite at 3h. 21m. a.m. On the 2lst a transit 

 egress of the shadow of the fourth satellite at 2h. 25m. a.m. 

 On the 22nd a transit ingress of the shadow of the first 

 satellite at 3h. 58m. a.m.; a transit ingress of the first 

 satellite at 5h. 15m. a.m. On the 23rd an eclipse dis- 

 appearance of the first satellite at Ih. 14m. IGs. a.m. ; an 

 eclipse disappearance of the second sateUite at Ih. 59m. 46s. 

 A.M. ; an occultation reappearance of the first satellite 

 at 4h. 48m. a.m. On the 24th a transit egress of the 

 shadow of the first satellite at Oh. 46m. a.m. ; a transit 

 egress of the first satellite at 2h. 3m. a.m. On the 25th a 

 transit egress of the second satellite at 2h. 4m. a.m. ; a 

 transit egress of the shadow of the third satellite at 

 2h. 11m. A.M. ; a transit ingress of the third satellite at 

 3h. 47m. A.M. On the 29th a transit ingress of the shadow 

 of the first satellite at 5h. 52m. a.m. On the SOth an 

 occultation reappearance of the fourth satellite at Oh. 24m. 

 A.M. ; an eclipse disappearance of the first satellite at 

 3h. 7m. 19s. a.m. ; an eclipse disappearance of the second 

 satellite at 4h. 35m. 58s. a.m. On the 31st a transit 

 ingress of the shadow of the first satellite at Oh. 21m. a.m., 

 a transit ingress of the satellite itself at lb. 37m. a m., a 

 transit egress of its shadow at 2h. 40m. a.m., and a transit 

 egress of the first satellite at 3h. 57m. a.m. 



Neptune is an evening star, and is now well situated 

 for observation. He rises on the 1st at 8h. 22m. p.m., 

 with a northern declination of 21° 28', and an apparent 

 diameter of 2-6'. On the 31st he rises at 6h. 23m. p.m., 

 with a northern declination of 21 ' 24'. During the month 

 he describes a short retrograde path to the S.S.W. of the 

 &~ magnitude star 108 Tauri. A map of the small stars 

 near his path is given in the Kniilish Mechanic for August 

 16th. 



October is rather a favourable month for observations 

 of shooting stars, the most marked shower being that of 

 the Orionids, from the 17th to the 20th of the mouth, the 

 radiant being situated in R.A. Vllh. 0m. + 15° declination. 

 The radiant point rises about Sh. 45m. p.m., and sets 

 shortly after 4h. a.m. 



