ECLIPSES.

There will be four eclipses this year, two of the sun and two of the moon, as follows:

I. A partial eclipse of the moon February 19. This will be invisible in the Gnited States, except in the Pacific possessions; visible in Europe, Asia and Africa. II. An annular eclipse of the sun March 6; invisible in the United States; visible in Australia, Indian and Antarctic oceans; partially in South Africa and Madagascar. The southernmost islands of the Philippines mark the northern boundary of the eclipse area, where there will be only a contact of limbs.

III. A partial eclipse of the moon on the evening of August 14 and morning of the 15th; visible in the United States, and generally in North and South America, Europe and Africa. The moon will pass through the northern limb of the earth's shadow, and therefore the eclipse will be upon the southern limb of the moon, eclipsing 3.4 digits of her diameter, or about one-third, as shown in the annexed figure. Visible as follows:

Phase of eclipse.

Intercolonial Standard time.

Very slight diminution in brilliancy can be detected in the moon during the time it is in the Penumbra, and even during the time it is in the Umbra her complete outline can easily be traced.

IV. A total eclipse of the sun August 30; visible as a partial eclipse generally east of a line from Austin, Tex., through Denver, Col.. to Helena, Mont. West of this line no phase of the eclipse will be visible. The eclipse will begin at the time of sunrise along the general line of the Atlantic Coast from Cape Hatteras up to Cape Charles, and thence to Washington and Harrisburg, Penn., to Toronto, Canada. The middle or greatest partial eclipse will occur at sunrise along a line running from De Funiac Springs, Fla., through or near Montgomery, Ala.; Birmingham, Ala.; Lexington, Ky.; Springfield, Ill.; Dubuque, Iowa, and St. Paul, Minn., to Lake of the Woods, the western terminus of the belt of totality. From this point the path of the total eclipse varies easterly through James Bay and Labrador, thence on across the Atlantic, through Northern Spain, the Mediterranean Sea, Northern Africa, across the Red Sea, and ends on the east coast of Arabia. The following is the standard time of the different phases:

Mercury will be brightest

SOLAR ECLIPSE OF AUGUST 30.

THE PLANETS.

(1) As a morning star, west of the sun, January 12 to 15 and September 18 to 22, rising shortly before the sun.

(2)

As an evening star, east of the sun, setting shortly after the sun. Greatest western elongations of Mercury: September 15, 17° 54'.

Greatest eastern elongations of Mercury: November 27, 21° 41'.

March 23 to 28 and December 1 to 3,

January 22, 24° 29'; May 21, 25° 26';

April 4, 19° 11': August 2, 27° 18';

Venus will be brightest March 21 as an evening star, and June 2 as a midining

star. (See table of the planets.) The close approach of Venus to the moon and other planets will be noted in the table of phenomena, which see. She will present a slightly gibbous phase at the beginning of the year, which will gradually diminish to a half-moon phase on February 14, when she is at her greatest angular distance ("greatest elongation") east of the sun-46° 41'-although she will from that time steadily approach the sun; she will at the same time increase in brilliancy until March 21 because of her decreasing distance from the earth. At this time only about onequarter of the hemisphere presented to the earth will be illuminated. From that time on her brilliancy will decrease until April 27 when she will be at inferior conjunction with the sun, or between us and that body. After April 27 she must be looked for in the east in the morning, her illuminated crescent toward the sun and the cusps up. Her apparent diameter will steadily decrease during the remainder of the year, though on June 2 she will be at her brightest again. An opera glass, field glass or small telescope will show her phases at these times. On July 6 she will again be at her greatest angular distance (45° 44′) from the sun, but west. See table of rising and setting of the planets, and for her movement among the stars or through the constellations see the table giving the place of the planets for the Sundays of the year.)

Mars will be brightest May 8, when he will pass the meridian at midnight, being at opposition,' " or 180° from the sun. He will be brighter, because nearer, at each succeeding opposition from this on to his opposition in 1907, when he will occupy about the same relative position that he did at the time of his opposition in 1892. At that time Mars will be at his least distance from the sun, while the earth is at its greatest distance, or, in astronomical terms Mars will be at Perihelion and earth at Aphelion, and thus the two planets must be separated by the least distance possible. At such times Mars is something like 30,000,000 miles nearer to us than when these conditions are reversed.

Jupiter will be brightest November 24, when he will be at opposition. The eclipses of the satellites of Jupiter will take place to the right of the planet, in an inverting telescope, up to May, and after that upon the left. The satellites will not be easily seen between the last of March and the first of June, as the planet will be in conjunction with the sun May 4. Only the reappearances from the shadow, or an eclipse, will be seen from January to March in the case of the two inner moons, and from June to December the disappearances.

Saturn will be brightest August 23, when he will pass the meridian at midnight. The ring system of this planet can be observed to better advantage during January than later on.

Uranus will be brightest June 24. Neptune will be brightest December 31. MORNING STARS-WEST OF SUN. EVENING STARS-EAST OF SUN.

INFERIOR PLANETS.

Mercury (), until March 9, from April 23 to June 24, August 29 to October 12 and after December 15.

Venus (9), after April 27.

SUPERIOR PLANETS.

Mars (), until January 26.

Jupiter (2), from May 4 to August 29. Saturn (h), from February 12 to May 24. Uranus (H), until March 25 and after December 26.

Neptune (4), from June 30 to October 4.

INFERIOR PLANETS.

Mercury, from March 9 to April 23, June 24 to August 29, and October 12 to December 15.

Venus, until April 27.

SUPERIOR PLANETS.

Mars, after January 26.

Jupiter, until May 4 and after August 29.

Saturn, until February 12 and after May 24.

Uranus, from March 25 to December 26. Neptune, until June 30 and after October 4.

THE SUN'S COURSE THROUGH THE ZODIAC AND THE SEASONS. Sun Washington mean time.

enters

Sign. Con.

D. H. M.

December
January

D. H. M.

22 053 a.m. Winter begins, and lasts 89 0 48 S. of Equator. 20 11 36 p.m. February 18 7 27 p.m.

March

April

21 1 41 a.m. Spring
20 1 24 p.m.

begins, and lasts 92 19 54 N. of Equator.

1 10 p.m.

9 25 p.m.

23

8 29 a.m.

3 12 p.m.

September 23
October 23
November 22
December 22

Summer begins, and lasts 93 14 39 N. of Equator.

0 14 p.m. Autumn begins, and lasts 89 18 34 S. of Equator.

Time north of the Equator, 186d. 10h. 33m.
Time south of the Equator, 178d. 19h. 22m.

Tropical year..305 5.55

78. 15h. 11m. longer north of the Equator than south, owing to the slower motion of the earth near its aphelion, or most distant portion of its orbit from the sun, for we are about 3,000,000 miles nearer the sun in winter than in summer.

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

figures in the column "Sidereal noon" in the table for surveyors and engineers for the desired date, interpolating for dates between those given. 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 in 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 or setting.

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 5.. 10 23 p. m. Fomalhaut in "meridian" column.... 22 48

Subtract

9 11 p. m.

4 0 in "Rising and setting" column.

33 11
24 0

9 11 p. m. of the 6th Time of meridian passage.
9 11 p. m.
40

5 11 p. m. Time of rising. 1 11 a. m. of the 7th 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 11⁄2 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 declination is greater than latitude, such difference is to be counted northward (otherwise southward) from zenith.

MOON SOUTH, OR ON THE UPPER MERIDIAN, 1905.
AT WASHINGTON.

Jan.

Days,

Mo. Mo. Mo. Mo. Mo. Mo. Mo. Ev. Ev. Ev. Ev. Ev.

123

10 38

10 20

11 15

11 21

Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. | Oct. Nov. Dec. H. M. H.M.H.M.H.M. (H.M. H.M. H.M.H.M. H.M. (H.M. (H.M.H.M. 8 26 9 55 8 43 9 49 9 50 10 47 11 8 9 19 10 46 9 32 10 34 11 34 Ev. 1 10 14 11 36 Ev.24

12 34]

2 0

2 32 4 9

4 39

1 29

Note. Add two minutes for each hour of longitude west of Washington.