io4 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



and location of each star in the sphere 

 has been determined "with great care, so 

 that the sphere is an accurate miniature 

 representation of the heavens. The 

 stars of the first, second, third, fourth 

 and a selected number of those of the 

 fifth magnitude visible from the lati- 

 tude of Chicago are represented in the 

 sphere, and the total number is 692. 

 The shifting positions of the planets 

 Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus among 

 the constellations have been provided 

 for by a number of openings made to 

 represent the different positions of each 

 of these planets at different times of 

 the year. The openings not in use are 

 very readily covered. The sun is rep- 

 resented by a small electric light which 

 may be moved from place to place along 

 the ecliptic and thus be kept in its ap- 

 propriate place among the stars. The 

 moon will be represented by a series of 

 small discs cut to represent its various 

 phases and coated with a luminous salt. 

 These discs may be moved from point 

 to point along the orbit of the moon 

 and thus represent that body in its ap- 

 propriate position in the heavens. 



Each star in the sphere has been 

 numbered and star tables have been pre- 

 pared so that it is simple for one to 

 identify a particular star observed in 

 the sphere or to locate a given star or 

 constellation. Many of the mathemat- 

 ical conceptions necessary for the study 

 of descriptive astronomy which often 

 discourage the beginner are made with 

 this sphere perfectly simple. Any one, 

 including the younger school children, 

 can with its aid become familiar with 

 the chief constellations, their apparent 

 movement, the brighter stars and the 

 real and apparent movements of the 

 sun, moon and planets. 



SCIENTIFIC ITEMS 



We regret to record the death of Sir 

 Kobert Stawell Ball, Lowndean pro- 

 fessor of astronomy at Cambridge Uni- 

 versity; of Sir John Batty Tuke, M.D., 

 lecturer on insanity at Edinburgh; of 

 Dr. Henry Potonie, geologist of the 

 Prussian Geological Survey, and of Dr. 

 Edwin Klebs, the well-known German 

 pathologist. 



Dr. Aubrey Strahan has been ap- 

 pointed director of the British Geolog- 

 ical Survey and Museum in succession 

 to Dr. J. J. H. Teall, who will retire on 

 January 5. — Provost Edgar F. Smith, 

 of the University of Pennsylvania, has 

 been elected a member of the board of 

 trustees of the Carnegie Foundation for 

 the Advancement of Teaching to suc- 

 ceed Dr. Ira Remsen, recently president 

 of the Johns Hopkins University. 



At the meeting of the National As- 

 sociation of State Universities, which 

 was held recently in Washington, D. C, 

 a committee was appointed to draw up 

 plans and policies to be submitted to 

 congress for its approval. A bill will 

 be presented asking for $500,000 as the 

 first step in the organization. 



Shortly after the issue of this num- 

 ber of the Monthly the scientific soci- 

 eties will hold their annual convocation 



; week meetings. The American Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science 



| meets in Atlanta, beginning on Mon- 

 day, December 29. With it meet the 

 national scientific societies devoted to 

 astronomy, physics, entomology and 

 botany. The societies concerned with 

 zoology, physiology and anatomy meet 

 in Philadelphia, the geologists in Prince- 

 ton, the anthropologists in New York, 

 the psychologists and philosophers in 

 New Haven, the economists and sociolo- 

 gists in Minneapolis. 



