xxx GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



Galle has investigated very thoroughly the path of an in- 

 teresting meteor, of which numerous valuable observations 

 were available ; his development of the formulae for the com- 

 putations is especially thorough. 



The Fixed Stars. In reference to the fixed stars we note the 

 series of determination of stellar parallaxes by Dr. Briinnow, 

 and the investigation by Nyren into the nutation of the earth's 

 axis, from which, as a side issue, it results that great doubt 

 must still attach to all absolute determinations of the distances 

 of the stars. 



Mr. W. A. Rogers calculates that the movements of the star 

 Eta Draconis are so irregular as to indicate the probable ex- 

 istence of a disturbing companion. 



Otto Struve announces that continued observations of the 

 companion of Procyon, discovered by him a year ago (but as 

 yet seen by no one else, and whose existence is even doubted 

 by some), show that it is the disturbing body predicted by 

 Bessel and Auwers. 



Professor Main, of Oxford, has nearly brought to comple- 

 tion the great posthumous work of Sir John Herschel, namely, 

 the catalogue of double stars. A similar, but far greater 

 work, including ten thousand double stars, has been com- 

 pleted by Mr. Burnbam, of Chicago, who has during the year 

 discovered over one hundred new double stars. 



In regard to the scintillation of the stars, Montigny con- 

 cludes that the frequency of variations in colors depends on 

 the constitution of their lio-ht : he also confirms the statement 

 of Dufour that the red stars scintillate less than the white. 



Baxendell announces the detection of a new variable red 

 star; while D'Arrest contributes still further to our knowl- 

 edge of this subject by investigating the peculiarities of the 

 spectra of the variable stars in general. 



As regards the question of the arrangement and general 

 constitution of the universe, several important papers have 

 been published. D'Arrest announces that he is at work ex- 

 amining the spectra of all the stars belonging to the Milky 

 Way, and that he has come upon some stars whose light is 

 of a very remarkable character. Dr. B. A. Gould, as one of 

 the results of his survey of the Southern heavens, shows that, 

 besides the Milky Way or belt of faint stars, there also exists 

 a zone of bright stars, inclined about 25 to the former; this 



