No^-EJ^BEB 1, 1899.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



263 



gives an ephemeris of the comet for the last three months of 

 1899, and from this the following positions are extracted : — 



The comet is travelling away from the earth and becoming 

 fainter. On the evening of November 1st it will be about half a 

 degree X. of the star 9 Persei (mag. 4'2). 



The Comkt of the Leonids CTercpel. 1866 I.). — This comet 

 was due to return in the spring months, but its position was 

 very unfavourable, and it has eluded detection. Whenever its 

 perihelion passage occurs in about November or December, the 

 comet can be favourably observed from the earth, but this only 

 takes place once in a century. At the close of 1965, and again 

 at the end of 2U65, this interesting object is likely to be 

 presented under the best conditions. 



Fireball of August 27th, IOh. 13m. — About eight accounts 

 of this object have been received, and they indicate the radiant 

 as situated approximately in 191° + 32*. When first seen the 

 meteor was sixty-eight miles above Wigan, and at its dis- 

 appearance forty-seven miles above Cambridge. Its length of 

 path was one hundred and forty-three miles, and velocity about 

 twenty-five miles per second. 



Fireball of Oitober 2nd, 8h. 20m. — A very brilliant and 

 striking meteor was seen by Lieut.-Col. J. P. H. Boileau, a. M.S., 

 at Trowbridge, passing very slowly from Corona Borealis to 

 Ursa Major, where it disappeared below £ on a line drawn 

 from y to >). Its duration of flight was four or five seconds. 

 Shortly before extinction, the nucleus divided into two very 

 distinct bright stars, one following the other in the same line 

 of motion. The meteor left an evanescent train of white 

 nebulous light. The same object was seen by Mr. M. .1. Nyhan, 

 of Bristol, and he recorded its path as from about fifteen degrees 

 below a Lyrae to twelve degrees above $ Ursae Majoris. The 

 meteor moved with extraordinary slowness, its whole duration 

 of visibility being estimated as eight seconds. Near the end of 

 its flight the head broke into two portions, which were three- 

 and-a-lmlf degrees asunder when the meteor vanished. The 

 radiant of the meteor was at 284" — 17" in the northern region of 

 Sagittarius. Its height was from about sixty-seven to forty- five 

 miles above the English Channel, thirteen miles W.N.W. from 

 Ilfracombe to Knighton, Radnor. Length of path eighty-six 

 miles, and velocity about thirteen miles per second. When the 

 meteor disappeared, the distance between the two fragments 

 into which the nucleus separated was about six miles. 



Thf, Expected Leonid Shower.— The moon will be full 

 on the morning of November 17th, and her light will greatly 

 moderate the brilliancy of any display that may occur. If, 

 however, the maximum should take place on the morning of 

 the 15th, just before sunrise, it ought to be well seen, as the 

 moon sets at 4h. 54m. a.m. There will also be a little dark sky 

 on the morning of the Ifith after 6h. 13m. a.m. According to 

 Drs. Stoney and Downing the most probable time for the 

 middle of the ensuing shower is the 16th, at 6 a.m., when the 

 moon is near setting, and the display ought to be seen to advan- 

 tage if the calculations are justified by the event. In 1898 

 the shower, such as it was, occurred earlier than the time pre- 

 dicted, and in view of the uncertainty prevailing it seems 

 desirable to watch the sky on the mornings of the 15th and 16th. 

 Many attempts will be made to photograjjh the shower and 

 determine the centre of the radiant from the trails impressed 

 on the plates, so that observers, viewing the shower in the 

 ordinary way, need not concern themselves with this feature. 

 They will probably be more usefully occupied in noting the 

 time of maximum, the number of meteors per minute near 

 and at the period of maximum, and in recording the appa- 

 rent paths of brilliant Leonids or of large meteors from other 

 showers. If any observer decides upon fixing the place of 

 the radiant this may be done with considerable accuracy by 

 registering the paths near to it, and, for intervals of (say) half- 

 an-hour, getting independent positions for it. The mean of 

 eight or ten well determined places would probably be very 

 accurate and agree very closely with the best positions ascer- 



tained by the photographic method. As the radiant of the 

 Leonids does not rise until about lOh. 15m. p.m., observations 

 must not, in any case, be commenced before that hour, and it 

 is rarely that many of the meteors are seen before midnight. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR NOVEMBER. 



By A. Fowler, f.b.a.s. 



THE SUN.— On the 1st the Sun rises at 6.56, and 

 sets at 4.32 ; on the 30th he rises at 7.43, and 

 sets at 3.54. Few simspots are likely to be 

 observed. 



The Moon. — The Moon will be new on the 3rd, 

 at 10.27 A.M.; will enter first quarter on the 10th, at 

 1.35 P.M.; will be full on the 17th, at 10.18 a.m.; and enter 

 last quarter on the 25th, at 6.35 a.m. The following 

 occultations are the most notable of those occurring 

 during the month : — 



The Planets. — Mercury is an evening star throughout 

 the month, but on account of his great southerly declina- 

 tion he is unfavourably situated for observation in our 

 latitudes. He is at greatest easterly elongation of 22° 18' 

 on the 16th, but even then he sets about fifty minutes 

 after the Sun. 



Venus is an evening star, but too low and too near the 

 Sun for observation. 



Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus are also out of 

 range. Jupiter is in conjunction with the Sun on the 

 13th, and Uranus on the 30th. 



Neptune remains nearly midway between '(, Tauri and 

 1) Geminorum, and is above the horizon practically all 

 night. 



The Stabs. — About 9 p.m. at the middle of the month, 

 Gemini will be low in the north-east ; Auriga and Perseus 

 high up in the east ; Taurus between east and south-east, 

 with Orion below ; Aries nearly south-east ; Cetus nearly 

 south ; Andromeda and Pisces in the south ; Cassiopeia 

 almost overhead ; Pegasus and Aquarius towards the south- 

 west ; Cygnus and Aquila in the west ; Lyra a little north 

 of west ; Corona setting in the north-west ; and Ursa 

 Major towards the north. 



Convenient minima of Algol occur on the 2nd at 5.39 

 p.m., on the 19th at 10.82 p.m., and on the 22nd at 

 7.21 P.M. 



(S^t%% Column. 



By C. D. LococK, b.a. 



Communications for this column should be addressed to 

 C. D. LooooK, Netherfield, Camberley, and be posted 

 by the 10th of each month. 



Solution of October Problem. 



Key Move— 1. Kt to KB5. 

 Threat Variation. 



2. R to K3ch. 

 2. . . . P X R, 3. Kt to Q6ch, etc. 



2. ... K to Q4, 3. B to B7oh, etc. 



