702 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



SUN AND PLANETS FOR APRIL, 1885. 



W. DAWSON, SPICELAND, IND, 



Having passed the Vernal Equinox, the starting point of R. A., the Sun be- 

 gins another course of the 24-hour circle; and on April ist has gone just three- 

 fourths through the first hour, and has attained a north declination of 4° 48'; 

 when it rises six hours and sixteen minutes before southing, and sets six hours 

 sixteen minutes after — making the day twelve hours thirty-two minutes long — in 

 40° N. latitude. At the end of April the Sun's R. A. will be 2h. 32m.; and 

 declination 14° 58' N. At this declination the Sun (or any other celestial body) 

 rises 6h. 52m. before southing, and sets as much after; making its time above 

 the horizon i3h. 44m. 



The eclipse of March i6th was partially observed here. It began at 11:04, 

 S. M. T., or 10:45 R- R' Time, 90th Meridian. In two or three minutes it 

 made a grandly curious notch in the west side of the Sun. Mountain protuber- 

 ances on the Moon's edge were quite prominent. For ten or fifteen minutes it 

 seemed to move almost directly eastward as if the eclipse would be nearly, or 

 quite annular here ; but it passed upward and northward and left the Sun's edge 

 a little eastward of the north point, about two or three minutes before two o'clock, 

 but the last contact was obscured by clouds. At 1:55 there was quite a visible 

 notch, but it was entirely gone at 1:59. Clouds prevented seeing a tfansit of the 

 Moon's edge over a good sized spot near the lower edge of the Sun; 

 but P.small spot just to the left was hid at 11:33. Contact with the large 

 spot above centre occurred at 11:44; ai^d a small one about half way from 

 this to the lower edge, twenty seconds earlier. The next smaller spot at 

 upper end of the group was in contact at 11:48. Dense clouds soon came 

 over and prevailed until 12:50, when it thinned just enough to get a good 

 view without shade-glass. The black Moon now appeared in the upper side of 

 the Sun, obscuring near half its diameter. It soon rose above the large group 

 of spots, and in a short time everything was again hid by clouds; and the eclipse 

 not seen much more; though enough to get nearly the time of ending — to learn 

 that it lasted two hours and about fifty-four minutes. 



The planet Mercury will be "Evening Star" all the fore part of April — 

 coming to greatest elongation east (19° 26') in the morning of the 8th, when its 

 declination is nearly 17° N., which at this time of year is a position quite favor- 

 able for observation. It will set several degrees north of the sun-set point. Ve- 

 nus is still Morning Star, but too near the Sun to be well seen. 



Mars is also Morning Star and near Venus, hence of no interest for observa- 

 tion. Jupiter is still a very prominent evening star high up in the eastern sky ; 

 southing at 9:14 P. M. on the ist. and setting at 4:00 o'clock next morning. Its 

 proximity to Regulus, n mc soutn ead of the SiCKJe gi\es a beauty to both. 

 Saturn is high in the western-sky, setting near midnight on the ist of April, and 



