142 



KNOWLEDGE 



[June 1, 1899. 



Thk Lkomh Meteoric Showei:. — In an interesting and 

 valuable paper (Ast. Xuch., 3555), Drs. Stoney and Downing 

 give the results of some calculations of the " Perturbations of 

 the Leonids," made by various members of the computing staff 

 at the Nrititica! Alinaiiac office. They find that the earth will 

 encounter the main stream {i.e., the region through wliich the 

 earth passed in 186G, November 13th) on 1899, November 15th, 

 18th, or just before sunrise on November 16th next. This con- 

 clusion is, however, based on two assumptions, and the authors 

 point out that the predicted time of maximum, as above stated, 

 " can only be offered with reservation.'' 



In the Aslriiphy.iical Journal, March 1899, Prof. Barnard gives 

 the details of his observations of the Leonid meteors in 1898. 

 On November 9th, at lOh. 50m., he saw a magnificent golden 

 fireball, four or five times brighter than Venus, shooting from 

 near a Cassiopeia to the stars in the head of Draco. This 

 meteor was probably a Cetid with radiant at about 45° + 6^. 

 On November 14th, Prof. Barnard found the radiant point of 

 the Leonids at 149° + 24" from the recorded paths of thirteen 

 meteors. On November 15th the great Yerkes telescope was 

 turned towards the radiant, and two new nebulae were discovered. 

 Prof. Barnard expresses the opinion that though the moon will 

 be present at the Leonid epoch next November, her light will 

 not materially interfere with photographic observations of the 

 meteors in cases where the exposures are not too prolonged. 



April Meteors (Lyrids).— Observations of this shower were 

 comparatively meagre tliis year owing to moonlight and partially 

 overcast skies. Prof. A. S. Herschel, at Slough, watched the 

 heavens on April 16th, 17th, and 19th, but noticed little indication 

 of the radiants in Virgo, Scorpio, Aquila, etc., which usually 

 furnish many of the meteors seen at this period. A shower in 

 Canes Venatici appeared, however, to be in active evidence. 

 On April 4th, llh. 51m., he' saw a meteor as bright as Sirius, 

 with path from 215° + 64° to 188° + 41°, which it pursued slowly. 

 On April 19th the Rev. T. E, R. Philhps, of Yeovil, saw a fine 

 meteor, two or three times as bright as Jupiter, descending 

 from 209° + 5° to 190° - 26°. The colour of the meteor was 

 pale green : it was four seconds in traversing its path. This 

 object, like that seen by Prof. Herschel on April 4th, accords 

 with a radiant in Cejiheus at 315° + 60°. On April 30th, 9h. 55m., 

 Mr. Taylor, of Henley-on-Thames, observed a meteor as bright 

 as Arcturus, passing from k Serpentis to midw.ay between e and 

 K Herculis. On May 3rd, 12h. 5m.. Prof. Herschel recorded 

 a second magnitude meteor travelling from 191° + 16i° to 

 167° + 42°. It was orange yellow, length of path 32°^ and 

 duration of flight three and a half seconds. The two latter 

 meteors appear to have been directed from a well-known April 

 shower of Virginids at 208°- 10°. 



In June no very special showers are observable, and meteors 

 are often scarce in the strong twilight prevaiUng at this season. 

 Fireballs are sometimes casually noticed, and they appear to 

 have belonged to a southerly radiant in Scorpio. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR JUNE. 



By A.' Fowler, f.r.a.s. 



THE SUN.— On the 1st the Sun rises at 3.50, and 

 sets at 8.6 ; on the 30th he rises at 3.48, and 

 sets at 8.18. He enters Cancer, and summer 

 commences at 4 p.m. on the 21st. 



There will be a partial eclipse of the Sun on 

 the morning of the 8th, which will be visible throughout 

 the British Islands and northern Europe. The following 

 table, giving local particulars, has been drawn up from 

 the data given in the Nautical Almanac. 



The magnitudes are expressed as fractions of the Sun's 

 diameter ; the times are all Greenwich mean times with 

 the exception of those for Dublin, which are Dublin mean 

 times. All position angles are for direct image. 



The accompanying diagram illustrates the amount of 

 the eclipse for Greenwich and the immediate neighbour- 

 hoo3, and shows the position of the eclipsed part with 

 respect to the horizon. 



The Moon. — The Moon will be new on the 8th, at 6.21 

 A.M. ; enter her first quarter on the 16th, at 9.47 a.m. ; wUl 

 be full on the 23rd, at 2.20 p.m. ; and wUl enter her last 

 quarter on the 30th at 4.45 a.m. 



On the 28th, there will be an occultation of k Piscium, 

 magnitude 5-0. Disappearance at 11.22 p.m., at 32^ from 

 north point (70° from vertex) ; reappearance at 0.10, 278° 

 from north point (315° from vertex). 



On the 23rd there will be a total eclipse of the Moon, 

 invisible at Greenwich, but visible in India, China, 

 Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Ocean. 



The Planets. — Mercury is not favourably placed for 

 observation this month. He is a morning star until the 

 14th, when he is in superior conjunction with the Sun. 



Venus also is a morning star, but is too near the Sun 

 for easy observation with the naked eye. Her distance 

 from the earth is increasing, and the apparent diameter is 

 only 11". 



Mars may still be seen in the evening, but he will not be 

 very conspicuous, and only those observers who have large 

 telescopes can hope to make out any of his markings. At 

 the beginning of the month he lies a little to the north- 

 west of Regulus, and afterwards describes a path towards 

 /3 Virglnis. It will be interesting to note his proximity to 

 Eegulus on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. He sets shortly 

 after midnight at the beginning of the month, and about 

 11 P.M. at the end. 



Jupiter will be seen in the evening in Virgo. His path 

 is a slow and short westward one until the 28th, when the 

 planet is stationary. The polar diameter diminishes from 

 39-6" to 36-8." On the 1st he will be due south at 9.18 

 P.M., setting about 2.30 a.m. ; and on the 30th he will set 

 about half an hour after midnight. The satellite phenomena 

 are most interesting on the evenings of the 6th, 7th, 14th, 

 15th, 22nd, 25th, 29th, and 30th. 



Saturn will be in opposition on the 11th, so that the 



