98 Star anfr TOeatbet (gossip 



The crescent of Venus is far beyond the vision of the 

 unaided eye, according to Mr. H. McEwen, of Mount 

 Florida, Glasgow. A number of test observations 

 showed that a magnifying power of at least five 

 diameters is necessary to exhibit the crescent when 

 the apparent diameter of the planet is, say, 58 seconds. 

 Mr. McEwen thinks that seeing some of the large 

 satellites of Jupiter, when they are suitably placed, 

 without telescopic aid would be an easier feat. He 

 observed Venus under almost ideal conditions at the 

 western elongation of 1913 and found that the planet 

 did not rotate rapidly ; at any rate, the few markings 

 visible in the central part of the disk maintained a 

 fixed position relative to the terminator. A brilliant 

 white spot was noted at the southern part of the 

 planet, which spot could not be distinguished from a 

 snow cap. 



Venus was seen with the naked eye on June 21st, 

 1914, when it was 130 days past superior conjunction, 

 by Mr. H. D. Fleming, of Banbridge, County Down, 

 Ireland. He states that he set his transit instrument 

 for the planet's meridian passage and then used the 

 telescope merely as a pointer, by which means he was 

 able to pick up the planet in a few seconds. This was 

 his earliest observation of Venus with the naked eye 

 at its southing. 



The transit of Mercury on November 7th, 1914, 

 was well observed throughout the country, judging 

 from the reports sent to the Journal of the British 

 Astronomical Association. Mr. H. McEwen, the 

 director of the Mercury and Venus Section, states 

 that he observed the transit from Glasgow with a 

 5-in. refractor, under favourable conditions. No ring 



