September 1, 1900.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



215 



Scorpio. The iii.u..ii> >\Mtiii to which this brilliant object oe- 

 loimcil is a remarkable oiie, for it furnishes many large lireballs 

 in the summer months. 



Ou July 18 at llh 55m. a meteor as briirht as Jupiter was seen by 

 Prof. A. S. TIerschel at Slous;h, by Mr. H. S. Camiibell at CIroyilon, 

 and others. It was a most extraonlinary object, for it had a very 

 slow /.ijzai; motion. It was very low in the air, for its coniputeil 

 heights were from 48 to 24 miles over Suffolk, and velocity only 

 7 miles per second. 



On July 24 at lOh. 49m. a fine meteor, seen in its greatest 

 splendour over the eastern counties of England, aiiil considerality 

 exceeding the lustre of Venus, fell from heights of 68 to 27 miles 

 over the coasts of Ksse;c and Xorfolk. It had a path of about 103 

 miles, velocity 19 miles per second, and a radiant point at about 



Jri.T Shootixg St.i^rs. — The hue, hot weather prevailing during 

 the la.st half of .July enabled a large number of meteors to be 

 recorded by Prof. A. S. Herschel, Mr. W. K. Besley, the writer 

 at Bristol, and other observers. The earliest indication of the 

 Perseids was noticed on July 16, and the shower gradually de- 

 velojied in intensity on later nights. The ea,sterly motion of the 

 radiant was distinctly traced. A fine Perseid was seen by Prof. 

 Herschel at Slough, and by the writer at Bristol ou July 19 .it 

 nil. 49m. It* nuliant was at IT^ + .'iO", and it fell from ,SI to .j t 

 miles. Another bright Perseid was recorded on July 24, 12h. 12ni., 

 by Prof. Herschel. Mr. W. E. Be.sley, and the writer, shooting from 

 a radiant at 24" + 52", and descending from Hi to 55 miles. 

 Many interesting minor showers were seen in July. The 

 most active display of all seen by the writer was tli.it of the 

 Aquarids from a nuliant at 33S" -10", which furnislieil 23 iiieteoi-s 

 out of an aggregate of 177 observed between July 15 — 30. One 

 of these was a verj- curious object. It appeared on July 24 at 

 llh. Sm., and looked like a small nebulous streak running slowly 

 across the sky. Its path was .So degrees long from 324" + 25" to 

 145^ + 6y°. The meteor seemed to be very feebly iiicaiulescpnt, and 

 was directed from a radiant on the horizon at about 321° — 33°. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR SEPTEMBER. 



By A. FOWLEK, F.H..\.S. 



The Sun. — Sun-spots and facuhe may be looked for, 

 but they are not likely to be either numerous or large. 

 On the 1st the sun i-ises at 5.14 and sets at 6.46; on 

 the 30th he rises at 6.0 and sets at 5.40. He enters 

 Libra, and Autumn commences at noon on the 23rd. 



The Moon. — The moon will enter first quarter on 

 the 2nd at 7.56 a.m. ; will be full on the 9th at 5.6 a.m. ; 

 will enter last quarter on the 15th at 8.57 p.m.; and 

 be new on the 23rd at 7.57 p.m. The principal occul- 

 tations are as follows, that of Saturn on the 3rd licing 

 especially notable : — 



The Planets. — Mercui-y is not well placed for obser- 

 vation this month. He will he in superior conjunction 

 with the sun on the 13th. 



Venus is a morning star, reaching greatest westerly 

 elongation of 46° on the 17th. The time of rising is 

 about 1.30 A.M. throughout the month. She passes 

 from Gemini into Cancer about the 4th, and into Leo 

 about the 26th, the path being towards Regulus. At 

 the middle of the month the diameter of the planet is 

 24".4, about half the disc being then illuminated. 



Mars rises shortly before midnight during the greater 

 part of the month. The path of the planet is easterly, 

 passing from Gemini into Cancer about the 19th. On 

 the 5th the planet will be near Delta Geininorum, less 

 than a detn-ce to the north of the star. On the 15th 



the apparent diameter of the planet is 5". 2, and the 

 illuniiuated part 0.915; the distance of the planet from 

 tlic earth will then be nearly IGS millions of miles. 



Jupiter remains an evening star, in Scorpio, but as 

 it sets about half-past nine ;it the beginning of the 

 mouth, and shortly before eigiit o'clock at the end of 

 the month, tliore will ])robably be few opportunities 

 of observing him. On the 1st, at 8 p.m., the planet will 

 be in conjunction with the moon, 0° 51' to the north. 

 Tlie most notable salellitc phenomena are a shadow 

 ingress of the first satellite at 7.51 on the 4th, a li-ansit 

 ingress of the second satellite at 7.21 on the 12t.li, an 

 eclipse reappeai-ancc of the second satellite at 

 7.18.38 on the 14th, and a transit egress of the first 

 satellite at 7.13 on the 20th. 



Saturn is also an evening star, in Sagittarius, but 

 perhaps too low for useful observation. On the 1st 

 the planet sets about 11 p.m., and on the 30th snim 

 after 9 p.m. The planet is stationary on the 2nd, and 

 in conjunction with the moon, 1° 5' south, at 8' p.m. 

 on the 3rd. On (he 22nd the planet is in quadrature 

 with the sun. 



Uranus is in quadrature with the sun on the morning 

 of the 1st, and may perhaps bo observed during the 

 early evening. The planet sets soon after 9.30 p.m. 

 on the 1st, and shortly before 8 p.m. on the 30th. The 

 position of the planet is near Omega Ophiuchi. 



Neptune is an evening star, in quadrature on the 

 22nd, rising shortly after 11 p.m. on the 1st, and about 

 9.17 P.M. on the 30th. The planet describes a sliort 

 easterly path in Tauiiis, almost midway lictwcen 132 

 Tauri and Eta Geminorum. 



The Stars. — About 10 p.m. at the middle of the month, 

 Auriga and Perseus will be in the north-east; Taunis 

 low down a little north of east; Aries, Andromeda, and 

 Cassiopeia towards the east; Pisces a little south of 

 east; Cetus low down from east to south-east; Pegasus, 

 south-east ; Aquarius and Capricornus nearly south ; 

 Cyguus almost overhead ; Aquila and Lyra nearly 

 south-west; Hercules in the west; Corona and Bootis 

 to the north of west; and Ursa Major nearly due north. 



Minima of Algol will occur on the 17th at 12.8 a.m., 

 and on the 19th at 8.57 p.m. Omicron Ceti (Mira) may 

 bo expected to be at or near a maximum. 



€^tnn Column. 



Bv C. D. LOCOCK, B.A. 



Communications for this column should be addressed 

 to C. D. LococK, Netherfield, Camberley, and be posted 

 by the 10th of each month. 



Solutions of August Problems. 



No. 1. 

 1. Kt to R4, and niad's next nmve. 



No. 2. 



(A. F. Mackenzie.) 



1. B to R.5, and males next move. 



B to QB7 also ajijiears to solve this problem. 



[This problem was selected in haste and, following the 



example of the BritiKh Cliefx Mufjaziw, whence it was 



taken, erroneously given as a thrtje-mover. Solntinns in 



three moves are of course adjudged cori-rect.J 



