The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-30

it's greatest distance east of the sun until December it can hardly be de- tected during this month.
 Venus Is drawing rapidly outward from the sun into the morning sky, and on November 26 1t will reach its greatest distance west on which date it will rise more than three hours be- fore sunrise It now shines out no less brilliantly in the morning than a few weeks ago it was seen to shine in the evening sky. In the telescope it will be seen to change from crescent shape to a half circle during this month.
 Mars and Saturn are high up from the ground in the southeast, in excellent position for observation. The strik- ingly bright red planet Is moving west ward through Taurus, and the more dis tant Saturn Is moving far more slowly westward near the eastern border of Aries. The former planet attains It's nearest distance to us on November IT at q. m., at which time 1t is but 47,000,000 of miles away It will not. however, arrive at the point of the celestial sphere exactly opposite the sun, and so be due south at midnight until November 24. Throughout this month both Mars and Saturn will be in the most favorable position for ob- servation of the entire year.
 Jupiter, which has been drawing so near the sun that it has not been visi ble for several weeks, will finally pass behind that body and enter the morn ing sky on November IS. It cannot, therefore, be observed during this month.
 Uranus is very low in the southwest at the position shown in Figure l. Neptune is in the constellation Gemini nearly in line with the two Twin stars, but beyond the borders of our chart and too low down to be easily found in the telescope before midnight
 The Comets
 There are no less than three rather bright comets which has recently not far from the earth. The first of these is the bright comet Brooks, which was so conspicuous in the northwest during the first week of October. but which has now passed far below the equator and will hence never be seen by us again. It is still visible to those so situated on the earth that they can view the southern sky.
 The second comet, unlike either of the two others. remains in the even ing sky throughout October and the first part of November, but, unfortu- nately, it will always be faint, and can only be seen in moderately large tel escope. When first found, on the even ing of September 23, it was about mid way between the Pointers of the Great Dipper and Polaris; it was then bu. little brighter than a star of the eighth magnitude During October 1t moved southward and eastward almost paral- Tel to the Great Dipper, but always about 10 degrees above it, reaching, by November l, a point 12 degrees due east of Arcturus. Throughout all of this time it was quite high in the north west in the early evening, but it was very faint. During November it will move almost exactly south through Bootes, Serpens and Libra, thus draw ing near to the part of the sky in which the third comet is to be found Toward the end of the month it passes the sun and enters the morning sky The third comet was by far the brightest and most interesting of all, but unfortunately 1t remained always so very near the. sun that it could only be seen with difficulty This was first seen in the northeastern sky about two hours before sunrise, very little
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