Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. ALMANACS AND MAPS. The common almanac is the astronomical year book of the elementary student. In order to watch the heavens intelligently, and plan for simple observations, it is essential to have at hand a calendar of astronomical phenomena which gives the times when the sun and moon rise, south, and set; when conjunctions of heavenly bodies occur ; when different planets are favorably situated; and other data of a similar character. As many points connected with times and periods require reference to a longer interval than a year, one or more of the common almanacs should be kept on file. Exercises For The Common Almanac. 21. Names, symbols, and aspects, 1. Learn the names and characters of the principal planets. 2. Learn the names and symbols of the signs of the zodiac, and the symbols of conjunction, opposition, and quadrature. 3. Head the calendar pages for September and October, giving the names of all the astronomical symbols. 4. Find whether eastern and western elongations of Mercury for the current year come nearer inferior or superior conjunction. 5. Taking almanacs for two consecutive years, find whether the eastern and western elongations of Venus occur nearer inferior or superior conjunction. 6. In one synodic period of Mercury and in one of Venus, find in what order elongations and conjunctions occur. For an account of some methods employed in making a common almanac, see an article by Professor R. W. McFarland in Popular Astronomy, No. 23. 22. San, moon, planets, and meteors. 1. If the sun's declinations are given, find between what limits they vary during September and between what dates the sign changes. 2. From the sun's declination, find its altitude when on the meridian of a given place. 3. Find what ...