advanced eastward through two signs, Capricornus and Aquarius. On March 10 she will pass from Pisces to Aries. On April 4 she will be in that most beautiful group the Pleiades, or seven stars, or seven sisters, and only 1° 35' south of the lucida of the group-Alcyone. She moves on past and north of the Hyades, through Taurus, and when at her brightest (May 29) she will be two-thirds through Gemini and only 4° south of the brilliant star Pollux, the companion of Castor, when she will appear in G. From May 29 the rate of her movement past the stars decreases rapidly, until on June 13, when she becomes stationary for a time, and then retrogrades or moves westward past the stars back to near the western margin of Gemini, and then, on July 27, becomes stationary again. On September 5 she enters Cancer. On October 6 she will be only about three-fourths of 1° south of the brilliant star Regulus, in the end of the handle of the sickle in Leo. On November 1 she crosses the equinoctial colure and enters the constellation Virgo. On November 20 she will be only 3° to the north of the brilliant star Spica. She will enter Libra November 15 and Scorpio December 20. During the closing days of the year she will be a close companion to the red star Antares. She will then have completed the circuit of the zodiac, lacking about one and one-half signs. (See table of Planets for time of rising and setting.)

Mars does not reach his greatest brilliancy this year. He will not again re near enough to be conspicuous until the latter part of 1909, when he will be a little nearer than in 1907, after which he becomes dimmer and dimmer at each succeeding opposition for fifteen years. He is an evening star until August 22, and after that a morning star. (See the following table for his place in the zodiac each month and the planetary table for his rising and setting.)

Jupiter will be brightest January 29. This is the time when all superior planets are brightest. Then they are directly opposite the Sun ("Opposition"), rising at sunset, setting at sunrise and passing the Meridian at midnight. Jupiter retrogrades or moves backward (westward) until March 29, then advances the remainder of the year, being in Cancer until September 10, and after that in Leo. On September 5 he will be very close to the brilliant Regulus, being only one-third of 1° north of that star. (See table of planets for rising and setting.)

Jupiter will be an evening star until August 17, then a morning star to December 5, and then again an evening star the remainder of the year.

Saturn will be brightest September 30 as an evening star. He begins the year as an evening star, and so continues until March 20; then a morning star until July 1; then an evening star the remainder of the year. He is in an uninteresting quarter of the heavens among the stars of Aquarius and Pisces.

Uranus will be brightest July 7, being only barely visible to the naked eye when brightest.

Neptune will be brightest January 5, and even then invisible except with the aid of a good telescope.

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

Jan. 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.

MERIDIAN PASSAGE, RISING AND SETTING OF THE PLANETS.
Washington mean time. (All p. m. figures are in black type.)

Months.

SATURN.

Rises.

States....

Northern

-Sets.-

H MH MH MH MH MH MH MH MH MH MH MH M

There will be three eclipses this year, all of the Sun, as follows: I. Total, January 3, visible only as a small partial eclipse near sunset in the southern and southwestern part of the United States. Invisible north of Omaha and east of a line from Omaha through Chattanooga to St. Augustine; west of this line and to one from Omaha through Salina, Kan., to Eagle Pass, Texas, the Sun will set more or less eclipsed on its southern limb, and west of this line to one from Omaha to Phoenix, Ariz., the eclipse will end just before sunset. The path of the total phase extends from San José, Costa Rica, across the Pacific through Gilbert Island and the Marshall Group. II. Annular, June 28, visible as a partial eclipse, on the southern limb, throughout the United States, except in Florida. The path of the annular or ring phase crosses the Peninsula of Florida from Cape Canaveral to Tampa Bay, and crosses Mexico at the City of Mexico.

Figure A shows the size and appearance of this eclipse as it will appear at New Orleans, Southern Mississippi, Central Alabama, Georgia and Charleston, S. C. Figure B, as at Chicago, Massachusetts, New York, Northern Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Southern Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Utah and Southern California. Figure C, as in a belt ninety miles wide from Titusville to Tampa, Fla., and in the vicinity of the City of Mexico.

B

O

See the following table for the mean time of the different phases:

Name.

of miles.

III. Annular, December 23, invisible in North America.

THE MEMBERS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM.

From sun,
millions

*DISTANCE FROM THE EARTH IN LIGHT YEARS OF CERTAIN FIXED

34,800

17.1

85

0.20

*Explanation.-The term "Light Year" is the time required for light to travel from these bodies to the earth. Their actual distance, in miles, being too great for use or comprehension, the distance, in miles, may be found by multiplying the velocity of light (183,000 miles per second) by the number of seconds in a year, and that product by the light years. Thus: Alpha Centauri 3.6X183,000×365X24X 60X60 miles distant.

THE HORIZON AT SEA LEVEL.

Distances of objects visible at varying elevations from one foot to one thousand feet.

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 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 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 and 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 4.. ......9 04 p. m. Fomalhaut in "meridian" column. 22 48

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 12° 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 lati-| tude, such difference is to be counted northward (otherwise southward) from zenith. SITUATION OF THE PLANETS FOR THE SUNDAYS, ALSO THE MOON'S POSITIONS FOR THE YEAR.

Mch. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Venus..

Mars...

Jupiter.

Saturn.

Uranus.

1 X 69

*

*

*

situated on the

The place indicated is that constellation in which the planet is first, second, third, fourth and fifth Sundays of each month in the order named. Moon. Jan. Feb. Mch. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct.

Nov. Dec.