Moon's Passage over the first Meridian. The Moon will south, or pass the first meridian of this country at the following times during the present month, which will afford our young observers opportunities of seeing her in that position, should the atmosphere be favourable. These times will, of course, require a slight correction, should the place be on any other meridian than the first; but this may readily be found by proportion from the quantities given in the Nautical Almanac, as for the equation of time, and other phenomena. Time of High Water at London. The Moon being the chief agent in regulating the Tides, we shall here insert the times of High Water at London, for both morning and afternoon of every fifth day. Though local circumstances, as winds, &c. may sometimes occasion slight variations, the times specified below are generally very near the truth:Afternoon. ............ 13 m. after 31 Morning. January 1st, at 45 m. after 6th, 0 11th, 53 ... ... 16th, 54 21st, ... 59 26th, 35 31st, 14 0 7 047037 If the time of high water be required for any of the intermediate days, it must be determined by proportion, as in the preceding cases for other subjects. It may also sometimes be desirable to ascertain the time of high tide at other noted parts; for which purpose we subjoin the following statement, viz. To the Time, as given for London, add ...... Mount's Bay, Edystone, and Falmouth......................... .......... h. m. 0 30 45 55 ................. Dartmouth, Harborough, Hull, and Sidmouth Bridgewater, Texel, and Cherburgh........... .................. .................. New York, New London, George Town, Savannah. For the following places, subtract, viz. For Leigh, Maes, and Gouries' Gut ........... Gravesend, Rochester, and Rammekins..... ......... Needles, Cowes, Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) 4 0 4 15 4 40 St. Helens, Havre-de-Grace, and Dunnose.................. The most remarkable high tides in the course of the present year will be about the 24th of February, the 24th of April, the 3d of October, and the 2d of November. Should these be increased by particular winds, they may be productive of much inconvenience on some parts of the coast. PHENOMENA PLANETARUM. The beautiful planet VENUS will be a morning star till March 10th; then an evening star till December 24th; and afterwards a morning star again to the end of the year. JUPITER will be a morning star till the 28th of February; an evening star from that time to the 18th of September; and then a morning star for the remainder of the year. Phases of Venus. The phases of Venus are subject to regular changes, like those of the Moon, and like them also are susceptible of calculation. We have already explained the method of doing this (see page 17, T. T. for 1819); and shall at present leave these calculations as exercises for our astronomical tyros to perform at their leisure; and only insert the results for each month. January 1st, {Illuminated part = 11-543 Venus has for some time appeared, and even still appears like a full moon; but her distance from the earth so far diminishes her brilliancy, that she is by no means the brightest when she presents the greatest illuminated disk. This, indeed, takes place when less than half her disk is enlightened; and, for the method of solving this problem, see p. 51 of T. T. for 1819. Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites. In our volume for 1818, p. 169, we have given some useful information respecting this class of astronomical phenomena, to which we shall, in this place, merely refer our readers, and insert such here as will be visible this month at the Royal Observatory. They are recorded in mean time corresponding to that place. Immersions. First Satellite 3d day, at 49 m. 50 s. after 4 in the morning 7 ............11 in the evening 4th............ 10th ............ 18.... 43 8 ... 11 27 ... 6 in the morning 1 3 9 at night 4 in the morning ............11 at night ............ 2 in the morning 35 14............ 4 Form of Saturn's Ring. This phenomenon varies but slowly; we shall therefore, only insert the proportions of its axes for every third month; and refer to p. 52 of T. T. for 1819, for the method of ascertaining this ratio for any required time. Transverse axis = 1.000 January 1st, {Conjugate axis = 0.498 Conjunction of the Moon with the Planets and Stars'. January 4th, within Scorpio, at ........ 7th, ...... Venus, midnight 0 m. after 6 morning B in Capricorn, Jupiter will be stationary on the 1st of this month, and Mercury on the 11th. Georgium Sidus will be in conjunction at 5 in the evening of the 10th. Mercury will attain his greatest elongation on the 22d; and Venus will be in conjunction with Georgium Sidus at 3 in the afternoon of the same day. Mars will also be in quadrature at 15 m. after 6 in the evening of the 23d. We shall conclude the Occurrences of the present month with the following sweet and pensive lines; and may our young readers feel, as they peruse them, the importance of sometimes retiring from the glare of the world, and communing with themselves. MIDNIGHT. 'Twas midnight, and I stole away From ev'ry haunt where life was gay, Where blooming wreaths, and festive boards, Were in a wild profusion spread, And ev'ry bliss that earth affords To tempt me was around me shed. I flew, unheeded and alone, To seek a spot my heart could own, These conjunctions are restricted to stars of the first four magnitudes. Where I could view the stars arise, And as o'er Ocean's bosom shine And meekly bend before my MAKER'S shrine.' RICHARD RYAN. The Naturalist's Diary For JANUARY 1826. For never-resting Time leads Summer on But flowers distilled, though they with Winter meet, SHAKSPEARE. THE green leaves are now withered and decayed, and the bare branches are hung with icicles, and bent down under the weight of accumulated snows. 'Hideous Winter' stalks abroad, and spreads desolation around him; the flowers and the birds of |