HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



in 



ASTRONOMY AND METEOROLOGY. 

 By John Browning, F.R.A.S. 



THE first meeting of the Royal Astronomical 

 Society for the new session was held on March 

 the 9th. A number of papers had been received on 

 observations of the total lunar eclipse of the 28th of 

 January. 



In a paper sent by Dr. "Dyer on the observations 

 made at the Armagh Observatory, he stated that 

 he recorded seven disappearances and two reappear- 

 ances of stars, and called attention to the fact that 

 about the middle of the eclipse, when viewed 

 with the naked eye, the moon looked like a bright 

 disc with a dark triangular shadow on it. Mr. 

 Rambone, of Dunsink, sent a paper of observations, 

 in which he recorded seventeen disappearances and 

 eighteen reappearances, upon the red colour visible 

 on the moon's disc. 



In the discussion which followed the reading of 

 these papers, Captain Noble said that he observed 

 that the body of the moon was almost chocolate-red, 

 whilst the limb seemed to be of a silvery green. 

 (The writer would suggest, that this appearance of a 

 bright green tint on the limb was doubtless only a 

 complementary colour produced by the red in the 

 eye of the observer.) This suggestion was made by 

 the Astronomer Royal in summing up the discussion. 



In May there will be no occultations of any star as 

 large as a fourth magnitude. 



Mercury will be an evening star in the last two 

 weeks of the month, and will be situated in the 

 north-west after sunset. 



Venus will be a morning star in Aries, but will 

 enter Taurus in the middle of the month. 



Jupiter will rise in the evening in Scorpio. 



Meteorology. — In May the Isotherms assume 

 roughly the form of the letter S placed on its back 

 across England. At Haverfordwest the mean 

 average temperature is 53 . The isotherm of this 

 temperature first falls to Swansea, then rises to 

 Leicester and again falls through Rutland and 

 between Ipswich and Chelmsford to Canterbury. 



The Isotherm of 52 passes through Blackburn, 

 rises to York, and then falls to Hull and Norwich. 



The Isotherm of 51 passes through Kirkcudbright, 

 rises to Jedburgh, and then falls to Norwich. 



At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the lowest 

 reading of the barometer for the week ending 17th of 

 March was 28*60 in. on Sunday afternoon, and the 

 highest 29 -88 in. at the end of the week. The mean 

 temperature of the air was 37 "2 deg., and 3*8 deg. 

 below the average. The direction of the wind was 

 variable. Rain fell on every day of the week, to the 

 aggregate amount of 0-95 in. The duration of regis- 

 tered bright sunshine in the week was io*S hours, 

 against io'i hours at Glynde Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending 24th of March the highest 

 reading of the barometer was 30*07 in. on Wednesday 



Rising, Southing, and Setting of the Principal Planets 

 at inte>~vals of Seven Days in May. 



evening, and the lowest 29*06 in. at the end of the 

 week. The mean temperature of the air was 

 34*7 deg., and 7.0 deg. below the average. The 

 general direction of the wind was N.N.E. Rain fell 

 on five days of the week, to the aggregate amount of 

 0*66 in. The duration of registered bright sunshine 

 in the week was 1 1*3 hours, against 3*1 hours at 

 Glynde Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending 31st March, the lowest 

 reading of the barometer was 28*57 in. on Wednesday 

 afternoon, and the highest 29*80 in. at the end of the 

 week. The mean temperature of the air was 40*0 

 deg., and 3*4 deg. below the average. The direction 

 of the wind was variable. Rain fell on six days of 

 the week, to the aggregate amount of o*S7 of an inch. 

 The duration of registered bright sunshine in the 

 week was 11*2 hours, against 13*4 hours at Glynde 

 Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending 7th April, the lowest reading 

 of the barometer was 29*58in. on Monday afternoon, 

 and the highest 30*09111. on Friday morning. The 

 mean temperature of the air was 37'l deg., and 9*1 deg. 

 below the average. The general direction of the wind 

 was north-east. Rain fell on two days of the week, to 

 the aggregate amount of 0*08 of an inch. The duration 

 of registered bright sunshine in the week was 29*0 

 hours, against 29*7 hours at Glynde Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending 14th April, the highest 

 reading of the barometer was 29 "93 in. on Tuesday 

 evening ; and the lowest 29 '59 in. on Friday morning. 

 The mean temperature of the air was 42*2 deg., 

 and 4*9 deg. below the average. The direction of 

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



