SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN April 1, UH 1

326 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN April 1, UH 1

Notes on the Planets, Asteroids, and -fifteen minutes of arc. On October 25th it was en nitude though, and may be picked up by some by tirely stationary. At this time it was a little over Occultations of April, 1911 carefully studying its location on a star map. It is four degrees from Delta Geminorum. It then be not, however, very close to any conspicuous star. Let By Rev. Ruel W. Roberts gan to move toward this star, although only slowly at it be carefully noted, though, that on April 28th Juno �RDLY anyone wo ld experience any difficulty . � first. In Fig. 2 its position is noted for November is very close to Delta VirgiPjs -the R. A. of this star H m findmg the bnght and attractive planets 8th and four subsequent dates. On March 30th it was being 12h. 51min., and its vec. is north 3 deg. 52 min., Jupiter, Saturn and Venus. When visible they out again stationary and at its nearest point to Delta while on April 28th the R. A. of Juno is 12h. 51min., rival all the surrounding stars. Mars is equally Geminorum. So this is the most favorable time for and its Dec. is north 3 deg. 58 min.; in other words, bright and attractive at times of opposition, and al its study. From this time on it moves away from within six minutes of a degree of Delta Virginis and ways visible to the naked eye, even when more dis Delta, and continues to separate itself from that star to the north of it. It is not often so favorable a po tantly located from the earth. Even Mercury can until November 1st, 1911, when it is again stationary. sition is presented. Again, by consulting the ephem be found without difficulty by merely a naked-eye It resumes its motion again toward Delta until April eris given below it will be noted that an almost as view if one ·looks for it at the proper time. This is 1st, 1912, but is not. nearly as close as for this year favorable position of Vesta presents itself late on easily determined by consulting the Nautical Al of 1911, and it will not be close to any star visible to May 1st or early of May 2nd. It will then be near manac, and noting when the planet is at its greatest the naked eye before November and December, 1912, Epsilon Tauri, whose R. A. is 4h. 23min. and its Dec. when it will be very close to 85 Geminorum. is north 18 deg. 59 min. By interpolation of the R. A.of • With the aid of the star map in Fig. 2 one can lo Epsilon Tauri on May 1st or 2nd as stated will be cate it for any of the dates given, or for the inter 4h. 23m in. and north Dec. 19 deg. 13 min., or about mediate dates by making a due allowance. With the 14min. of arc north of this star. Its magnitude is aid of a pair of opera glasses one should study care also favorable. fully the.stars in the field designated. About two de CERES. grees to the left of Delta is an interesting group of Date. lIIa!!, R.A. Dec. quite bright stars which form an interesting circular IIr. Mm. Dep-. Min. shape. In the figure they are connected by lines to April 6th 8.93 2 45.8 N.11 55 show their shape. In a straight line from Delta and April 14th 2 58.0 13 6 through this group one comes to two small stars April 22nd 3 10.5 14 14 fairly bright and close together. They are about on� April 30th 8.97 3 23.3 15 19 degree from the star group. Working out from this JUNO. configuration, and daily studying the area, 'carefully Date. ]\iag. R.A. Dec. Hr. • familiarize yourself with the stars near Neptune . Min. Dtg. Min. Neptune will manifest itself in a short time by its April 6th 9.50 13 8.0 N. 1 28 X NEPTUNE location and manifest 'change of position. Some April 14th 13 1.8 2 29 times it takes 'a few days to detect its 'change, but April 22nd ...... 12 55.9 3 22 Fig. I.-Showing location of 0 Geminorum. usually it is man"ifest within 'twenty-four to forty-eight April 28th , ...... 12 51.6 3 58 April 30th 9.65 12 50.7 4 6 eastern or western elongation, that is, �ost distantly hours if it is reasonably close tb 'some other star. Some claIm to be 'able to deteCt 'Neptune by "its color, situated from the sun in either the evening or morn VESTA. a green, but this is a rather difficult if not impossible ing sky as the case may be. The astronomical notes Date. Mag. R.A, Dec. task, as it IS not in strong contrast with the 'stars HI'. Min. Deg. Min. in the SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN tell this interesting news about it. One will readily note this to be the 'case April 6th ...... 8.53 3 40.5 N.1 6 30 from month to month, and for the majority will be after he has once found it. After 'one has 'struck ths April 14th 3 53.5 17 25 more convenient and communicative than the techni trail of the planet, there should 'be 'little difficulty in April 22nd ...... 4 6.9 18 16 cal and abstract Nautical Almanac. , , following its course from week 'to ·week. It 'will only April 30th 4 20.6 19 3 This leaves Uranus and Neptune. Uranus is not a be necessary to make observations every �few 'evenings. May 8th ...... 8.68 4 34.6 19 45 difficult object of observation at all, and anyone should , , , , This same method employed in finding 'Neptune en· be able to pick it up with the aid of only an or abled me to find Halley's 'comet in ·a 3¥.J�inch re dinary pair of opera or field glasses or a small tele fractor a year ago last November, and may 'also be The Current Supplement scope. At times it is fairly manifest to the naked HE splendid article by J. V. Davies on "Hand- employed in finding faint telescopic comets, asteroids, eye if one knows right where to look for it. It is of T and similar objects, though one has but a small in ling Passengers on a Rapid Transit Railroad," about the sixth magnitude. Early in December last strument at his disposal. which was begun in last week's SUPPLEMENT, is con it was close to t Sagittarii, but not well positioned for "There are," says Astronomer Noble, "few more cluded in the current SUPPLEMENT, No. 1839.-From observation. From February 1st to April 1st, 1911, curious, instructive, nay, even startling sights in the the earliest days of photographic astronomy, one of it will be from two and three-quarters to five degrees heavens than the occultation of a fixed star, or more the difficulties to be met and overcome has been the and a half to the left of t Sagittarii. Hardly any rarely of a planet, by the moon. When this oc curvature of the field. To correct this, curved pho further suggestions need be given other than that one curs at the dark limb of our satellite, its suddenness tographic plates have been proposed. How they are should study carefully the principal stars of the con is such as not infrequently to extort an exclamation to be used, Mr. F. A. Bellamy explains c1early. stellation Sagittarius, and work out from the more from the observer who witnesses it for the first time. In view of the potash controversy in which this easily detected ones near, to the desired star t, and 'In a 'moment in tpe iwinkling of an eye,' the country and Germany are involved, Mr. W. C. Pha from it to Uranus. With a high power on even a star which shone as a brilliant 'point in the sky is len's authoritative discussion of the subject will be 3¥.J-inch refractor, I have seen Uranus as a disk. blotted out, and its place seemingly knows it no welcomed.-The crane collection of the New York But the case is somewhat different with Neptune. more until it reappears from behind the opposite or Zoological Park is described and iIIustrated.-Mr. F. To find this planet is a somewhat more difficult task illuminated edge of the moon. After full moon, of vV.. Henkel outlines some new theories of the evolu although within the reach of almost anyone if a lit: course, the eastern limb is illuminated, so that the tion of stellar systems.-A turning point in the his tle help is given. Yet it is strange that so -few ama� disappeara.nce takes place at ithe biight 'edge, 'and the tory of iron occurred when Bessemer invented his teurs have ever picked it up. Even many college star on ·its 'reappeara.nce 's'tarts instantly from be converter. Another turning point has been marked professors teaching astronomy have never seen it. hind the dark limb. Such a fascinating sight should by the introduction of electric furnaces. The whole Not long ago a college professor in the West, and a be witnessed by everyone,and so below we furnish the subject is well handled in an article entitled "The really capable one, too, told an amateuf that he :could list of occultations for the month 6fApril, so that Use of Electricity in the Metallurgy of Iron."-Lieut. not expect to find Neptune, as he had never seen it one 'can see when to be 'on the outlook for the phe Frank P. Lahm ably discusses the relative merits of •• : nomena. The magnitudes are given, so that one can the dirigible balloon and aeroplane in warfare . ,-----�I •.•-- ... . -r. l--�. --�--- 23" "(.: judge of the most favorable time for witnessing the : ' . . • DELTA sight in a small telescope or pair of opera or field Sugar from Cellulose hfTH:".-'c·'+.�' �-_. LI. --"Cc"+---I---22" glasses. One should have no difficulty in seeing the . " r sugar and alcohol .... 1ST HE possibility of cbtaining . DEC. 31 :�J�N. 26 occultation of a third or fourth magnitude star in 'even .X ...�MC:�'�� T from cellulose or woody fiber has often been dis av. A.�· .. a small telescope of even one inch aperture or smaH . � .. . . : cussed and several more or less successful experi :. .• ' r--.-;j:.··��.0-' I--:--=-:"!-"-'-!-.,-+-�---i21"N. pair of operas. Any such occultation may be wit ....• . . . . ments in this line have been made. Two German ; nessed in 'it two�inch 'instrument. The nearer to 'new 0 • • . ... ' chemists, Ost and Wilkening, have recently described moon the time, the finer 'will 'be the sight, as the the best conditions for the transformation of cellu light from the moon is less intense, and ,so does not lose into glucose by sulphuric hydrolysIs. The cellu dim the star so 'appreciably. = Dots Fig. 2.-x position of Neptune for given date. lose should be dissolved in 72 per cent sulphuric acid, show stars down to the 10th magnitude. STARS OCCULTED BY THE MOON. at the ordinary temperature, in the proportion of 1 Of the stars occulted by the moon during April, part by weight of cellulose to 10 parts of acid. The himself, though he had a fine six-inch refractor well propor the five following are the more favorable for observ solution is then diluted with water until the equipped in a small observatory. He said it was be ing the beautiful phenomenon described above. The tion of sulphuric acid is reduced to 3 per cent, heated yond the power of a six-inch. The truth is that at time is given in Washington mean time. to 250 deg. F. in an autoclave during one hour, and times it can be seen in even a good' pair of field or opera glasses. Quite often one reads in some sci Disappearance. Reappearance, Date. Name of Star. ]\fagnitnde. entific paper or astronomical journal some such sen HI'. lIiin. IIr. Min. 10 17 P. M. 10 57 P. M, tences as these in giving notes on the planets: "Nep April 3rd ...... k Tauri 5.6 7 34 P. M. tune is beyond the range of all save a good-sized tele April 6th ...... Omega Cancri ...... 6.0 6 19 P. M. 10 12 P. M. scope and the aid of an observatory equipment." April 12th ...... Theta Virginis ...... 4.6 8 57 P. M. 11 o P. M. "Neptune is invisible except in large telescopes." Yet April 16th ...... 19 Scorpii ...... 4.9 10 11 P. M. 4 52 A. M. 6 5 A. M. despite this it is an object of about the eighth magni April 17th ...... • ....., .... 22 Scorpii ...... 4.8 tude, and at times even between the seventh ana finally neutralized with calcium carbonate. The so- eighth, and visible in a small two or three inch in ASTEROIDS FOR APRIL. lution of glucose thus prepared can either be concen strument. Below wiII be found the ephemeris for Ceres, Juno, trated for the purpose of obtaining sugar, or sub Now 1911 is a very favorable time to look for Nep and Vesta -the only asteroids an amateur may ex jected to fermentation for the production of alcoho.J. tune, because it is in close proximity to Delta pect to locate during April. It wiII be best for the Almost. the theoretical quantity of glucose is obtained, Geminorum. Neptune was practically stationary from average amateur to center his attention on Juno and while fermentation produces 83 per cent of the theo October 1st to December 1st. During all this period Vesta because of their favorable location and prox retical amount of alcohol. Its entire motion was only about one minute of time imity to easily detected stars. Ceres is of good mag-