HA RD IVICKE'S SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



65 



Rising, Southing, and Setting of the Principal Planets 

 at intervals of Seven Days in March. 



18S6 (which seemed at the time to mark the end of 

 minimum period), there was a sudden outbreak. 



Since that date, however, there had been two 

 tranquil periods, one extending from September 22nd 

 to December 8th of 1S86, and another from January 

 to April, 1887. In December, 1887, the spot area 

 had been larger than in any month since May, 18S6. 



Mr. E. J. Stone read a paper on observations of 

 the moon's place, made at the Radcliffe Observatory 

 in 1887. In this paper Mr. Stone showed that the 

 difference between the moon's observed and tabular 

 place now amounted to fifteen seconds and eight- 

 tenths. This difference is apparently due to a change 

 in the length of our day. 



Mr. Bryant suggested that the opposition of the 

 small planet Sappho would afford an opportunity for 

 determining the solar parallax, by comparing photo- 

 graphs of the planet and the neighbouring stars taken 

 at different parts of the earth, or morning and evening 

 photographs of the stars taken at an equatorial ob- 

 servatory. The Astronomer Royal read a paper on 

 the spectroscopic observations of stars in the line of 

 sight. From a series of measurements of the position 

 of the F line in Sirius, he inferred that there was an 

 orbital motion of the star around some dark body in 

 its neighbourhood. 



On March the 4th, Mars will be stationary at 

 2 hours after. 



March 20th, the sun enters Aries, and Spring 

 commences at 4 hours morn. 



In this month there will be no occultation of 

 interest. 



In March Mercury is a morning star. 



Venus is a morning star. 



Mars is in Virgo and rises late in the evening. 



Jupiter is nearly stationary in Scorpio near 

 Antares. 



Saturn may be seen near the meridian from 8 hours 

 to 9 hours in the evening. 



Meteorology. — At the Royal Observatory, Green- 

 wich, the lowest reading of the barometer for the 

 week ending 14th January, was 30*26 in. at the 

 beginning of the week, and the highest 30*53 in. on 

 Tuesday morning. The mean temperature of the air 

 was 38*1 deg., and O'l deg. above the average. The 

 general direction of the wind was south-west and east. 

 Rain fell on Thursday to the amount of 0*02 of an 

 inch. The duration of registered bright sunshine in 

 the week was O'O hour, against 0*5 of an hour at 

 Glynde Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending 21st January, the highest 

 reading of the barometer was 30-48 in., on Wednesday 

 evening, and the lowest, 29*68 in., at the end of the 

 week. The mean temperature of the air was 34*7 

 deg., and 4*1 deg. below the average. The general 

 direction of the wind was easterly, until Thursday 

 afternoon, after which it was south-westerly. Rain 

 fell on Saturday, to the amount of o*2i of an inch. 

 The duration of registered bright sunshine in the 

 week was 2 "5 hours, against 12*3 hours at Glynde 

 Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending 28th January, the highest 

 reading of the barometer was 30*28 in. at noon on 

 Tuesday, and the lowest 29*66 in. on Thursday 

 morning. The mean temperature of the air was 

 407 deg., and 0*9 deg. above the average. The 

 general direction of the wind was north-westerly. 

 Rain fell on two days of the week, to the aggregate 

 amount of o*io of an inch. The duration of registered 

 bright sunshine in the week was 3*0 hours, against 

 17*6 hours at^Glynde Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending 4th February, the lowest 

 reading of the barometer was 29*08 in. on Tuesday 

 afternoon, and the highest 30*15 in. at the end of the 

 week. The mean temperature of the air was 33*7 

 deg., and 6*8 deg. below the average. The direction 

 of the wind was variable. Rain or melted snow was 

 measured on three days of the week, to the aggregate 

 amount of 0*17 of an inch. The duration of registered 

 bright sunshine in the week was in hours, against 

 12*6 hours at Glynde Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending February nth, the highest 

 reading of the barometer was 30*15 in. at the begin- 

 ning, and the lowest 29*26 in. at the end of the week. 

 The mean temperature of the air was 43*6 deg., and 

 3 *8 deg. above the average. The general direction of 

 the wind was westerly. Rain fell on four days of the 

 week, to the aggregate amount of 0*26 of an inch. 

 The duration of registered bright sunshine in the week 

 was 1*8 hours, against 5*5 hours at Glynde Place, 

 Lewes. The continued deficiency of rain is becoming 

 most serious. 



