Year: 1875

To EnrToR THE HERALp:-


Early rising is an excellent thing 1t tends to make
wise Those who rise next Tuesday morning be-
fore two o'clock to the occultaton Of the brilliant
star, Spca Virgins, will learn that the morning OF tho
23d of November, astronomical time is not Tuesday
but Wednesday The star will be long distance east
OF the moon on Tuesday morning Should they take
fresh courage and rise Wednesday morning. several
hours before day, they will learn something elsethat
occultation of star is phenomenon Of the same
class eclipse of the SUM- arising from the passage
OF the between the heavenly body and eyes,
and depends altogether upon where our eyes happen
to be whether 1t passes between not When tho
moon Is between a star and England 1t Is noi
between tho star and the United States; that the
fact that occultaton Is to be visible in England
evidence that II viii be visible in the United States.
This lesson will be impressed upon the mind by observ
ing that when the rises at ah 41m., the will
be than the moons diameter to the of il.
The occultaton will be long before the moon
rises.


The moon passes nearly through the path in
each successive revolution occulting the
But these occultatons at all hours OF the day;
and il usually the that either the moon below
the horizon, the is above it, The moons nodes
retrograde degree every nineteen days and this
produces slight change in its path, that after few
revolutions the to occult these stars, and
passes another series of stars For instance tho
moons path commenced to pass spica on August
6, probably visible in Alaska On September Spica
was again occulted probably visible in Russia At the
next two revolutions, it too near the sun to
be visible anywhere On November "a the occultation
will visible in the United States, In the fore
noon OF December 21 Spca will again come in the
moons path as seen from the Southern portion OF the
United States but as 1t will be in the daytime Spica
only be with good telescope and in this ati-
tude the will probably appear 10 pass south ofth
star. AT each successive revolution tho moons track
will pass still further TO the SOUTH the occutation be-
ing visible further and further south, until July 26,
when will be visible for the last time in the northern
hemisphere for several months longer the occutatons
being still visible the Southern Hemisphere Yet
during this year and half in which spca is regularly
occulted month by the moon there is not sin
gle occasion in which the occutaton has been will
be visible here; and after year, Spca will not be
occulted all for several years until the moons path
shall have so far changed to command a series
OF occultations. 81


interesting phenomenon is the passage Of the
moon across the Pleiades In this respect shall be
moro fortunate The moon has several times already
passed that group but not as to be visible
hero. On the morning OF December IL the moon will
occult the limo of outlying stars, passing southwark
from Acyone; but, the VIII be nearly full, t
will not be easily observed. In January the occulta-
tion will occur by day and probably before the
rises But February 8, when the moon Will be in
favorable position there will be cccultation OF the
principal Of the Pleades visible throughout tho
United States, and well deserving the attention not
only OF astronomers but Of others


During the summer OF the coming year shall also
be twice favored with another phenomenon, still
interesting the occultaton of the planet Saturn by tho
moon HENRY n. PARKHURST.