XX GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



between Young's result and that given by direct observation is sup- 

 posed by him to have a possible physical interpretation, viz., that 

 the solar atmosphere really sweeps forward over the underlying 

 surface. The results obtained by Christie at Greenwich are not 

 yet printed, although they have been presented to the Royal As- 

 tronomical Society. 



The simple arrangement proposed by Hastings some years ago 

 for a comparison of the two limbs of the sun has not, we believe, 

 been applied to this research, for which it seems to be peculiarly 

 fitted. 



Langley has continued his observations of solar phenomena, par- 

 ticularly with reference to the heat of various portions of the sun, of 

 sun-spots, etc., and of the efiect of sun-spots on terrestrial tempera- 

 ture. In a recent experiment, the light of the sun was compared 

 with that of the molten iron of a Bessemer converter, and the con- 

 clusion reached that the temperature of the sun is really far above 

 any temperature observable on the earth, being probably expressed 

 by millions of degrees. 



SOLAR ECLIPSES. 



Vol. XLII. of the Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society con- 

 tains Tennant's report on the total eclipse of 1871, December 11, 

 and Stone's on that of 1874, April 16. Stone's is particularly no- 

 ticeable, as he has clearly proved the outer corona to be a solar ap- 

 pendage. In this connection Young's discovery of the duplicity of 

 1474 K is noteworthy, as well as the admirable device by which the 

 discovery was made. 



Vol. XLI. of the Memoirs of tlie Royal Astronomical Society contains 

 a discussion, by Ranyard, of the phenomena of recent solar eclipses, 

 which is intended to be exhaustive. 



A very interesting daguerreotype of the solar eclipse of 1851, taken 

 at Konigsberg, is shown at the Loan Collection at South Kensing- 

 ton. It is, we believe, the first photographic image of the corona, 

 and has been little known until its exhibition at London. 



The transit of Venus reductions are not yet completed on the part 

 of any country. Attempts to observe the velocity of light experi- 

 mentally (and hence the distance of the sun) are to be made by 

 Newcomb, of Washington, in concert with Barker, of Philadelphia, 

 and by Forbes, of Edinburgh. 



Lindsay and Gill will shortly publish their value of the solar par- 

 allax from observations of Juno. The method has been perfectly 

 successful. 



THE MOON. 

 In the Lunar Theory, Airy continues his researches at Green- 

 wich, as does likewise Newcomb at Washington. Stockwell is oc- 



