THE OBSERVER’S HANDBOOK 1959 Fifty-first Year of Publication THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA Price 75 cents 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 fourteen centres across Canada, or may join the National Society. Centres of the Society are established in Halifax, Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Windsor, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, and Toronto. Addresses of the Centres' secretaries may be obtained from the National Headquarters. Publications of the Society are free to members, and include the Jo urnal (6 issues per year) and the O bserver's H andbook (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. Visiting Hours at some Canadian Observatories Dominion Observatory, Ottawa, Ont.: Monday to Friday, daytime, rotunda only. Saturday evenings, April through October. The 15-inch telescope is used for visitors and one of the five divisions of the Observatory is open. David Dunlap Observatory, Richmond Hill, Ont.: Wednesday afternoons. Saturday evenings, April through October (by reservation). The 74-inch telescope is used for visitors; small telescopes are operated by members of the Toronto Centre. Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Victoria, B.C.: Mondays to Fridays, daytime, no programme. Saturday evenings, April through November. The 72-inch telescope is used for visitors. THE OBSERVER’S HANDBOOK 1959 E d it o r R u t h J . N o r t h c o t t Fifty-first Year of Publication THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2 5 2 C o l l e g e S t r e e t , T o r o n t o 2 B , O n t a r io CONTENTS PAGE Acknowledgements ................................................................................3 Anniversaries and F e s tiv a ls ........................................................... 3 Symbols and Abbreviations.................................................................. 4 The Constellations . 5 Miscellaneous Astronomical D a t a ........................................................6 Ephemeris of the S u n ...................................................................... 7 Principal Elements of the Solar System ................................................8 Satellites of the Solar S y ste m ................................................................9 Solar and Sidereal T i m e ..................................................................... 10 Map of Standard Time Z o n e s ..............................................................11 Julian Day C alendar ............................................................................. 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 oonset..................................................................... 20 The Planets for 1959 .............................................................. 26 The Sky and Astronomical Phenomena Month by Month . 32 Phenomena of Jupiter’s S a tellites ......................................................56 The Physical Observation of the M oon .......................................... 57 Ephemeris for the Physical Observation of the Sun . 58 Eclipses, 1959 ............................................................................... 59 Planetary Appulses and O ccultations ..............................................59 Lunar Occultations, 1959 60 Meteors, Fireballs and M eteorites......................................................61 The Brightest Stars, their magnitudes, types, proper motions, distances and radial velocities and navigation stars . 62 Table of Precession for 50 Y e a r s ......................................................73 The Nearest S tars .....................................................................................74 Variable S t a r s ......................................................................... 76 Representative Double S t a r s ..............................................................78 Clusters and Nebulae: Star C lusters .....................................................................................79 Galactic N eb u lae .............................................................................80 External G alaxies ..............................................................................81 Four Circular Star M a p s ..................................................................... 82 Calendar . Cover p. iii PRINTED IN CANADA BY THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The OBSERVER’S HANDBOOK for 1959 is the 51st issue. Three additions have been made: daily values of the sun’s selenographic colongitude, planetary appulses and occultations, and a table of the nearest stars. Cordial thanks are offered to those who assisted with the preparation of this volume, Gustav Bakos, Barbara Gaizauskas, William Greig, Kulli Milles, David Sher, Isabel K. Williamson and Dorothy Yane. Special thanks are due to Gordon E. Taylor and the British Astronomical Association for data on planetary appul­ ses and occultations, to R. M. Petrie and Jean K. McDonald of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory for the compilation of the table on the nearest stars 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. Our deep indebtedness to the British Nautical Almanac and American Ephemeris is thankfully acknowledged. R u th J. N orthcott ANNIVERSARIES AND FESTIVALS, 1959 New Year’s D ay.......... Thu. Jan. 1 Empire Day (Victoria Epiphany..................... Tue. Jan. 6 D ay)......................... May 18 Septuagesima Sunday. .Jan. 25 Trinity Sunday............ May 24 Accession of Queen Corpus Christi............. Thu. May 28 Elizabeth (1952)__ .Fri. Feb. 6 St. John Baptist (Mid­ Quinquagesima (Shrove summer D ay). Wed. June 24 Sunday).................... Feb. 8 Dominion Day............ .Wed. July 1 Ash Wednesday.......... Feb. 11 Birthday of Queen Mother St. D avid...................... .Sun. Mar. 1 Elizabeth (1900) . Tue. Aug. 4 St. Patrick.................... .Tue. Mar. 17 Labour Day................. Mon. Sept. 7 Palm Sunday............... Mar. 22 St. Michael Good Friday................ Mar. 27 (Michaelmas Day).. .Tue. Sept. 29 Easter Sunday............. Mar. 29 Hebrew New Year Birthday of Queen (Rosh Hashanah) .Sat. Oct. 3 Elizabeth (1926)....... Tue. Apr. 21 Thanksgiving Day......... Mon. Oct. 12 St. George...................... Thu. Apr. 23 All Saints’ D ay........ .Sun. Nov. 1 Rogation Sunday.......... 3 Remembrance Day .Wed. Nov. 11 Ascension D ay.............. Thu. May 7 First Sunday in Advent Nov. 29 Pentecost (Whit Sunday). May 17 St. Andrew................... Mon. Nov. 30 Christmas Day............... Fri. Dec. 25 SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS SUN, MOON AND PLANETS ASPECTS AND ABBREVIATIONS SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC THE GREEK ALPHABET Alpha Iota Rho Beta Kappa Sigma Gamma Lambda Tau Delta Mu Upsilon Epsilon Nu Phi Zeta Xi Chi Eta Omicron Psi Theta Pi Omega 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. 2434576.5110 and period 2.86731 days as published in the 1954 International Supplement, Kracow Observatory. CELESTIAL DISTANCES THE CONSTELLATIONS L a t in a n d E n g l is h N a m e s w it h A bbreviations Andromeda, Leo, Lion........................ .Leo Leon (Chained Maiden) .. .And Andr Leo Minor, Lesser Lion. .LMi LMin Antlia, Air P um p......... .Ant Antl Lepus, Hare................... Leps Apus, Bird of Paradise. .Aps Apus Libra, Scales.................. Lib Libr Aquarius, Water-bearer. Aqr Aqar Lupus, Wolf................... .Lup Lupi Aquila, Eagle................. Aql Aqil Lynx, L ynx.................... Lync Ara, Altar...................... .Ara Arae Lyra, Lyre...................... .Lyr Lyra Aries, Ram..................... .Ari Arie Mensa, Table (Mountain)Men Mens Auriga, (Charioteer). .Aur Auri Microscopium, Bootes, (Herdsman) . .Boo Boot Microscope................. Mic Micr Caelum, Chisel.............. Cae Cael Monoceros, Unicorn. Mon Mono Camelopardalis, Giraffe. .Cam Caml Musca, F ly.................... .Mus Musc Cancer, Crab.. ............ Cnc Canc Norma, Square.............. Nor Norm Canes Venatici, Octans, Octant............... .Oct Octn Hunting Dogs............ CVn CVen Ophiuchus, Canis Major, Greater Dog. CMa CMaj Serpent-bearer............ .Oph Ophi Canis Minor, Lesser Dog.CMi CMin Orion, (Hunter)............ Ori Orio Capricornus,