230 



HA R D WICKE ' S S CIE JVC E- GO SSI P. 



ASTRONOMY AND METEOROLOGY. 



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



"HTHE "Observatory" states, that the provision 

 of the funds required for the construction of 

 two telescopes, to enable the Royal Observatories at 

 Greenwich and the Cape of Good Hope to take part 

 in the international scheme for charting the heavens 

 by photography, has been sanctioned by the Treasury. 



Earl Crawford and Balcarres has presented the 

 whole of the equipment of his observatory at Dun 

 Echt to the Government, on condition that they 

 retain the administration of the Edinburgh Observa- 

 tory, and do not make this over to the university, as 

 it is said they intended. 



A new comet (e. 1888) was discovered on the 3rd 

 of September at the Lick Observatory, California, by 

 Mr. Barnard, who describes it as a "circular, 

 diameter 1', magnitude 11 or fainter." 



Professor Schiaparelli has published the first series 

 of his observations of double stars containing 

 measures of 465 binary systems, which he has ob- 

 tained with the eight inch Merz refractor of the 

 Royal Brera Observatory at Milan during eleven 

 years. The number of the observations, which are 

 •chiefly of double stars, the components of which are 

 within five seconds of each other, amounts to nearly 

 four thousand. 



On October 1st there will be an occultation of 

 Saturn. 



The disappearance takes place at 3 hrs. 59 min. 

 aft. ; at the time of reappearing the moon is below 

 the horizon. 



There will be no occultation in October of any star 

 larger than the 4th magnitude. 



Mercury will not be in a good position for observa- 

 tion in October. 



Venus will be an evening star throughout the 

 month, and will be in Virgo until the 7th, when she 

 •enters Libra. 



Mars will be an evening star, but will be situated 

 unfavourably for observation. 



Jupiter will be an evening star, and will be in 

 ■conjunction with the Moon on the 9th at 1 hr. morn. 



Saturn will be in Leo and will rise about mid- 

 night. 



Meteorology. — At the Royal Observatory, Green- 

 wich, the lowest reading of the barometer for the week 

 •ending 18th August, was 29*67 in. on Monday 

 morning, and the highest 30*16 in. at the end of the 

 week. The mean temperature of the air was 56 *4 

 deg., and 5*8 deg. below the average. The direction 

 of the wind was variable. No rain fell during the 

 week. The duration of registered bright sunshine 

 in the week was 27*8 hours, against 36*4 hours at 

 Glynde Tlace, Lewes. 



For the week ending 25th Angust, the highest 

 reading of the barometer was 30*10 in. at the begin- 

 ning of the week, and the lowest was 29*43 in. on 



Rising, Southing, and Setting of the Principal Planets 

 at inlerz'als of Seven Days in October. 



Friday evening. The mean temperature of the air 

 was 6o*o deg., and 1*3 deg. below the average. The 

 general direction of the wind was S.W. Rain fell on 

 five days of the week, to the aggregate amount of 

 o*8i in. The duration of registered bright sunshine 

 in the week was 29*2 hours, against 37*6 hours at 

 Glynde Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending 1st September, the lowest 

 reading of the barometer was 29*32 in. on Tuesday 

 evening, and the highest was 30*15 on Saturday 

 morning. The mean temperature of the air was 

 56*6 deg., and 4 deg. below the average. The general 

 direction of the wind was south-westerly. Rain fell 

 on three days of the week, to the aggregate amount 

 of 1*22 in. The duration of registered bright sun- 

 shine in the week was 32*2 hours, against 38*7 at 

 Glynde Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending 8th September, the lowest 

 reading of the barometer was 29*75 m * on Monday 

 afternoon, and the highest was 30*22 in. at the end of 

 the week. The mean temperature of the air was 

 57*1 deg., and 2*4 deg. below the average. The 

 general direction of the wind was south-westerly. 

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

 amount of 0*16 in. The duration of registered bright 

 sunshine in the week was 20*8 hours, against 27*2 

 hours at Glynde Place, Lewes. 



For the week ending 15th September the lowest 

 reading of the barometer was 29*94 in. on Monday 

 morning, and the highest was 30*32 in. on Thursday 

 morning. The mean temperature of the air was 

 54*5 deg., and 3*4 deg. below the average. The direc- 

 tion of the wind was variable. Rain fell on two days of 



