Venus," when ♂ will be 3° N. of Spica and (October 22) less than 1° S. of 9. At the close of the year he will be in m close to and above (N.) of the red star Antares. Jupiter will be brightest March 31, as an evening star. He will be an evening star from January 4 to October 19, and a morning star until January 4 and after October 19. At the beginning of the year he will be in my and remain in that constellation until November, when he enters October 1 he will pass 3° N. of Spica, setting in the evening twilight. The superior planets, those exterior to the earth, may be very properly called "all night" stars at or close to the time of their opposition, or when they rise at sunset and set at sunrise. This will be approximately the case with 2 until March 31.

Saturn will be brightest October 27, being at that time an all night star. He may also be considered an evening star until April 16 and after July 30, and as a morning star from April 16 to July 30. He will be in eastern and will cross the line into P and return again into at the close of the year. At no time will he be near any bright stars for which he might be mistaken. His wonderful ring system will be best seen during the summer months.

Uranus will be brightest July 16 as an evening star, and then only faintly visible to the naked eye.

Neptune will be brightest as an evening star January 8. Both Uranus and Neptune are too distant and faint to be objects of general interest.

ECLIPSES, 1910.

There will be four eclipses this year, two of the Sun and two of the Moon, as follows:

I. Total of the Sun, May 9, invisible in the United States, visible in the Southern Pacific and Indian oceans.

II. Total of the Moon, May 23-24, beginning on the evening of the 23d, and visible in North, Central and South America, except Alaska. Visible as follows:

III. Partial of the Sun, November 2, invisible in United States, except Alaska and Hawaiian Islanās. Visible as follows:

Yakutat, Alaska, marks the eastern limit of the eclipse. Throughout Alaska west of Yakutat, and Hawaii, the sun will set more or less eclipsed. Begins, Honolulu, 3:45 p. m.; size, 1 digit. Begins, Nome, Alaska, 1:39 p. m.; size, 5 digits at sunset. Mean tin:e.

IV. Total of the Moon, November 16, visible as follows:

VESTA, THE PLANETOID.

Vesta, the brightest of the Asteroids and the only one ever visible to the unaided eye when brightest, may be seen in September and October, being brightest on October 28. She will then be in the constellation Cetus, the whale. Her motion The last of September will be westward past the stars in the head of the whale.

she will be almost two degrees from the brightest star of the constellation, Menkar; early in November, five degrees north of Mira, the wonderful variable star. It will be interesting to watch her pass one degree north of Gamma Ceti on October 10, and These stars are of the fourth magfour degrees north of Delta Ceti on the 13th.

nitude or about two degrees brighter than Vesta. On October 28 Vesta will be on the meridian at midnight and about 47 degrees up from the southern horizon in Jatitude 40 degrees. She will not be well situated for visibility again until February, 1912.

MERIDIAN PASSAGE, RISING AND SETTING OF THE PLANETS. Washington Mean time. All P. M. figures are in black type.

H MH MH MH MH MH MH MH MH MH MH MH 1

SITUATION OF THE PLANETS FOR THE SUNDAYS; ALSO MOON'S POSI TION FOR THE YEAR.

Equator.. 2-16 12-26|12-25 8-22 6-19 2-15-29|12-2619-23 5-19 2-19-30/13-26|10–2

Explanation of Signs.- Aries. 8 Taurus. ► Gemini.

Cancer. N Leo.
Aquarius.

m Virgo. Libra. m Scorpio. ↑ Sagittarius. Capricornus. Pisces. The place indicated for the planets is for the first, second, third, fourth and fifth Sundays of each month, in the order of the planets.

This

Note. The Moon will "run high" from "Lowest" to "Highest," and "run low" from "Highest" to "Lowest." The Full Moon will be highest of the year at meridian passage December 16 and lowest June 22. She will begin to run lower March 21 and decrease in altitude until June 22, and then increase ("run higher") until December 21, after which she will gradually get lower until June 22. because the Full Moon must always be on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun, and hence when the Sun is lowest in declination the Moon must be highest, and when the Sun is highest the Moon must be lowest. The difference between extremes being 57° or (23%1⁄2°+5°)x2, 5° being the inclination of the orbit of the Moon to the ecliptic.

Explanation.-To ascertain when any star or constellation will be on the meridian, add the numbers opposite in the column "for meridian passage" t

figures in the table "Sidereal noon" following this note. Note whether the figures be
"Morn" or "Eve." If "Morn" and the sum is more than 12 hours, the result
will be evening of the same day; if "Eve" and the sum is more than 12 hours,
the result will be morning of the next day. Having found the time of meridian
passage, for the rising subtract and for the setting add the numbers opposite the
name of the star in the column headed "For Rising and Setting," observing the
directions as to "Morn" and "Eve," as given above. Those stars marked
the last column are circumpolar and do not rise or set in the latitude of New York
City. Stars having an asterisk (*) in the last column are only to be seen in the far
south and when near the meridian, as the vapors of the horizon will obscure them
at rising and setting.

in

To tell how high up from the nearest point of the horizon a star will be at its meridian passage, subtract the declination of the star from 90°, and if the result is less than the latitude of the place of the observer that star will neither rise nor set, but is circumpolar, and the difference between that result and the latitude shows the star's altitude above the north point of the horizon or below the southern horizon. Or, (90° dec.)-latitude = altitude or elevation of the star above the nearest point of the horizon at meridian passage for stars of a south declination. Examples: Sidereal noon, November 4.. 9 06 p. m.

Fomalhaut in "meridian" column..... 22 48

7 14

7 26

5 48

3 13

Less 4 00 in "Rising and Setting" column.

9 10

7 54 p. m. of the 5th-Time of meridian passage.
7 54 p. m.
Plus 400

3 54 p. m. = Time of rising. 11 54 p. m. Time of setting. Declination of Fomalhaut 30° south; therefore 90° 30° = 60°-40° 20° altitude of Fomalhaut in latitude 40° north at the time of the meridian passage of that star. To measure celestial distances with the eye, keep in mind that one-third of the distance from the zenith to the horizon is 30°. For smaller measurements use the "Pointers" in the "Big Dipper," which are nearly 5° apart a convenient celestial unit because always in sight. The "Yardstick" or "Ell and Yard" in Orion, or the "Kings," is just 3° long, or 121⁄2° each way from the central star (see Star table). When the declination of a star is such as to bring it nearer to the zenith than to the horizon at meridian passage, use its zenith distance to locate it. The difference between latitude and declination = zenith distance. If declnation is greater than latitude, such difference is to be counted northward (otherwise southward) from zenith.

SIDEREAL NOON OR MERIDIAN PASSAGE OF THE VERNAL EQUINOX, (For use in connection with the Star Table. See Note under same.)

Jan. Feb. H. M. H. M. 5 17 3 15 5 13 3 11 5 9 3 7 5 5 3 3

11 9 13

5..

P. M. figures black.
Mch. Apr.
H. M. H. M.
1 25 11 23 9 25
1 2111 19
1 1711 15
1 13 11
1

7 23 5 25

9 21

7 19

5 22

9 17

7 16

5 18

7

12

5 14

8 9 10

7

8

5 10 3 8