Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-30
having seen It with the new refractor Of
that observatory.

having seen 1t with the new refractor OF
that observatory.
Nova Perset.
This star. which suddenly appeared last
February in the constellation of Perseus
at the point indicated on our chart ana
which soon after it's discovery surpassed
Capelia In brightness, IL now a slightly
variable star of about the seventh masni-
tude. Like other new stars Il has become
= heouia, as IL indicated by Its spectral
INES. Prof. @. w. Ritchey OF the Yerkes
observatory photographed the region about
THIS star on September % with a two-foot
renecting telescope, and with an exposure
OF ABOUT -FOUR hours obtained a negative
showing Enthusiastically what appeared to be
a spiral nebula surrounding the nova. The
opJect, which had diameter equal 10 about
I-Ioo the apparent diameter of the moon
was exceedingly faint. Prof. Barnard, who
subsequently tried to obtain view of IL
usually through the forty-inch telescope
was not quite certain that he could see IL
On November Prof. Ritchey obtained
win win an exposure OF seven hours a still
inner photograph Of this exceedingly faint
hepula, from which, reported by Prof
Hale. he finds that the nebula is probably
expanding in all directions. this certainly
peing true OF the southern half This OBJ
servation is confirmed by a report from
Prof. Campbell. director Of the Lick obser-
vatory. that from a photograph taken with
the Crossley reflector Prof Perrfne finds
nebula surrounding the Nova moved south
east one minute OF arc in six weeks
AlgoI.
Minima Of Algol at hours convenient for
observing will occur December 10 at IL
pm and December ID at pm. The period
OF this long-known variable according to
the most recent determination, by Dr. s. c.
Cha ndler, is days 20 hours As minutes $50
seconds The star descends In about four
hours from the second to the fourth magni-
tude. and In the next four hours It RECEIVERS
the chart given here Algol is situated at
about three-f1fths OF the distance from the
center Of Cassiopeia to the Pleiades.
The Planets.
The five planets of Uranus, Mars Saturn,
Jupiter and Venus, situated eastward from
the sun in the order here given, are all
evening stars, but all are below the hori-
zon by $50 pm. Uranus is too close to the
sun to be visible. The remaining four form
an exceedingly interesting group, visible in
the early evening low in the southwest
Venus. the most brilliant of the four is
some ten or twelve degrees east of Jupiter:
Saturn Is close beside Jupiter-about one
degree to the northwest-whfie Mars pre-
ceoes this pair at distance Of about ten
degrees All of these planets are travelling
eastward with reference to the stars at
olHerent rates of speed. Mars will over
maui Saturn-will be I'm conjunction with
that planet-on the 18th, and Jupiter on the
18th OF this month. Venus was in conjunc-
ton with Jupiter November Is and with
Saturn November 10. She is withdra wing
from them at the rate Of about one degree
daily and at the close Of the month will be
over two hours, or 30 degrees, eastward of
them. while Mars will then be about as far
to the east as he is now to the west of Ju-
piter. The interval between Saturn and
Jupiter VIII increase during the month.
Mercury has been a morning star In the
southeast, since November e. and should be
visible as such during the first half of this
month.
December %, at 7:3o am, eastern time.
the sun enters Capricorn and winter be-
gins.