The Observer's Handbook 1962
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THE OBSERVER’S HANDBOOK 1962 Fifty-fourth Year of Publication THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA Price One Dollar THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA Incorporated 1890 — Royal Charter 1903 The National Headquarters of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is located at 252 College Street, Toronto 2B, Ontario. The business office of the Society, reading rooms and astronomical library, are housed here, as well as a large room for the accommodation of telescope making groups. Membership in the Society is open to anyone interested in astronomy. Applicants may affiliate with one of the Society’s sixteen centres across Canada, or may join the National Society. Centres of the Society are established in Halifax, Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, London, Windsor, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, and Toronto. Addresses of the Centres’ secretaries may be obtained from the National Office. Publications of the Society are free to members, and include the Jo u r n a l (6 issues per year) and the O b s e r v e r ’s H a n d b o o k (published annually in November). Annual fees of $5.00 are payable October 1 and include the publications for the following year. Requests for additional information regarding the Society or its publications may be sent to the address above. Communications to the Editor should be sent to Miss Ruth J. Northcott, David Dunlap Observatory, Richmond Hill, Ontario. BOOKS FOR YOUNG ASTRONOMERS OBSERVING THE HEAVENS THE ATMOSPHERE HOW TIME IS MEASURED HOW THE EARTH IS MADE clearly written, well illustrated books by Peter Hood for children from 12 to 16, each $2.25, from all bookstores OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS THE OBSERVER’S HANDBOOK 1962 E d it o r R u t h J . N o r t h c o t t Fifty-fourth Year of Publication THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 252 C o l l e g e S t r e e t , T o r o n t o 2B, O n t a r io CONTENTS PAGE Acknowledgements .................................................................. 3 Anniversaries and Festivals.......................................................................3 Julian Day C alendar ............................................................................... 3 Symbols and Abbreviations.......................................................................4 The C onstellations ............................................................................... 5 Miscellaneous Astronomical Data .............................................6 Ephemeris of the S u n ............................................................................... 7 Principal Elements of the Solar S y s te m .............................................8 Satellites of the Solar System . 9 Solar, Sidereal and Ephemeris T i m e ................................................... 10 Map of Standard Time Z o n e s ............................................................11 Radio Time S ig n a ls ......................................................................... 11 Times of Rising and Setting of the Sun and Moon . 12 Sunrise and Sunset............................................................................. 13 Beginning and Ending of T w ilig h t ...........................................19 Moonrise and M o o n se t ............................................................20 The Planets for 1962 26 The Sky and Astronomical Phenomena Month by Month . 32 Phenomena of Jupiter’s S a te llite s ...................................................56 The Observation of the M o o n ............................................................57 Longitude of Jupiter’s Central M eridian .......................................... 58 Ephemeris for the Physical Observation of the Sun . 59 Eclipses, 1962 60 Planetary Occultations............................................................................. 60 Lunar Occultations, 1962 61 The Brightest A stero id s .....................................................................64 Meteors, Fireballs and M eteo rites ................................................... 65 Table of Precession for 50 Y e a r s ................................................... 66 Finding List of Named S t a r s ............................................................67 The Brightest Stars, their magnitudes, types, proper motions, distances and radial velocities and navigation stars. 68 Double and Multiple S tars .....................................................................79 The Nearest Stars . 80 Variable Stars 82 Clusters and Nebulae: Star Clusters......................................................................................84 Galactic N ebulae ............................................................................. 85 External Galaxies............................................................................. 86 Four Circular Star M a p s .....................................................................87 PRINTED IN CANADA BY THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS THE OBSERVER’S HANDBOOK for 1962 is the 54th issue. The section on lunar occultations has been expanded to include all the predictions made for the Canadian Stations by the British Nautical Almanac Office; occultations of stars of magnitude 7.5 or brighter are listed. Comments are requested concerning the increased value of this enlarged section. The longitude of the central meridian of the planet Jupiter has been added for planetary observers; this has been prepared by Geoffrey Gaherty, Jr. Cordial thanks are offered to those who assisted in the preparation of this volume, to those who are named and to Barbara Gaizauskas, William Greig, Kulli Milles, Isabel Williamson, and Dorothy Yane. Special thanks are due to Gordon E. Taylor and the British Astronomical Association for the data on the planetary occupation and to Margaret W. Mayall, Director of the A.A.V.S.O., for the predictions of the times of maxima of the long-period variables and for the preparation of new maps for this section. Our deep indebtedness to the British Nautical Almanac Office and to the American Ephemeris is thankfully acknowledged. R u t h J. N o r t h c o t t ANNIVERSARIES AND FESTIVALS, 1962 New Year’s D ay..........Mon. Jan. 1 Pentecost (Whit Sunday)........ June 10 Epiphany...................... Sat. Jan. 6 Trinity Sunday..........................June 17 Accession of Queen Corpus Christi...............Thu. June 21 Elizabeth (1952) Tue. Feb. 6 St. John Baptist (Mid Septuagesima Sunday Feb. 18 summer Day).............Sun. June 24 St. D avid...................... Thu. Mar. 1 Dominion Day...............Sun. July 1 Quinquagesima (Shrove Birthday of Queen Mother Sunday)...................................Mar. 4 Elizabeth (1900)... .Sat. Aug. 4 Ash Wednesday......................... Mar. 7 Labour D ay...................Mon. Sept. 3 St. Patrick.................... Sat. Mar. 17 Hebrew New Year Palm Sunday Apr. 15 (Rosh Hashanah) Sat. Sept. 29 Good Friday Apr. 20 St. Michael (Michael Birthday of Queen mas D ay)....................Sat. Sept. 29 Elizabeth (1926). .Sat. Apr. 21 Thanksgiving................ Mon. Oct. 8 Easter Sunday Apr. 22 All Saints’ D ay............. Thu. Nov. 1 St. George..................... Mon. Apr. 23 Remembrance Day... .Sun. Nov. 11 Victoria Day.................Mon. May 21 St. Andrew......................Fri. Nov. 30 Rogation Sunday.......................May 27 First Sunday in Advent........... Dec. 2 Ascension D ay............. Thu. May 31 Christmas Day..............Tue. Dec. 25 JULIAN DAY CALENDAR, 1962 J.D. 2,430,000 plus the following: Jan. 1 ................7,666 May 1 ..................7,786 Sept. 1 ..................7,909 Feb.......1................7,697 June 1..................7,817 Oct. 1..................7,939 Mar......1 ................7,725 July 1 ..................7,847 Nov. 1 ..................7,970 Apr. 1 ................7,756 Aug. 1 ..................7,878 Dec. 1 ..................8,000 The Julian Day commences at noon. Thus J.D. 2,437,666.0 = Jan. 1.5 U.T. SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS SUN, MOON AND PLANETS ASPECTS AND ABBREVIATIONS SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC THE GREEK ALPHABET THE CONFIGURATIONS OF JUPITER’S SATELLITES In the Configurations of Jupiter’s Satellites (pages 33, 35, etc.), O represents the disk of the planet, d signifies that the satellite is on the disk, * signifies that the satellite is behind the disk or in the shadow. Configurations are for an inverting telescope. CALCULATIONS FOR ALGOL The calculations for the minima of Algol are based on the epoch J.D. 2437208.7224 and period 2.8674 days as published in Sky and Telescope, 1961. CELESTIAL DISTANCES Celestial distances given herein are based on the standard value of 8.80" for the sun’s parallax. THE CONSTELLATIONS Latin Names with Pronunciations and Abbreviations MISCELLANEOUS ASTRONOMICAL DATA U n it s of L e n g t h 1 Angstrom unit = 10-8 cm. 1 micron, μ = 10-4 cm. = 104 A. 1 meter = 102 cm. = 3.28084 feet 1 kilometer = 105 cm. = 0.62137 miles 1 mile = 1.60935X105 cm. = 1.60935 km. 1 astronomical unit = 1.49504 X1013 cm. = 92,897,416 miles 1 light year = 9.463X1017 cm. = 5.880X1012 miles = 0.3069 parsecs 1 parsec = 30.84X1017 cm. = 19.16X1012 miles = 3.259 l.y. 1 megaparsec = 30.84X 1023 cm. = 19.16X1018 miles = 3.259 X106 l.y. U n it s of T im e Sidereal day = 23h 56m 04.09s of mean solar time Mean solar day = 24h 03m 56.56s of mean sidereal time Synodical month = 29d 12h 44m; sidereal m onth = 27d 07h 43m Tropical year (ordinary) =365d 05h 48m 46s Sidereal year =365d 06h 09m 10s Eclipse year = 346d 14h 53m T h e E a r t h Equatorial radius, a = 3963.35 miles;