CORRIGENDA IN VARIOUS STAR CATALOGUES. 



By C. H. E. Peters. 

 head notember 12, 1885. 



The frequent use of star catalogues for various purposes (planetary and cometary comparisons, 

 zone observations, charts, &c.) lias led to the occasional detection of errors in them, which are 

 here collected. Their publication may bu useful and save much trouble sometimes to other ob- 

 servers, especially to those who, like the writer, have not at their disposition a meridian circle for 

 verifying a position needed, but must rely upon tlie correctness of the positions i)nblished. 



I have excluded here the lists for the Harvard zones, which have been published elsewhere 

 (Annals of the Astronomical Observatory of Harvard College, Vol. XIII, pages 188-208), those 

 for the Washington zones, which were communicated in MS. to Professor Holden, now engaged 

 upon cataloguing the zones, and those for Lament's publications, which at the present are under- 

 going a revision and reordination by the astronomers of the Munich observatory. 



To discard the errors from catalogue positions has not only a practical utility, but is a 

 step towards a more and more truthful representation of the skies. Therefore we see an Argelan- 

 der, perhaps the best informed in our as:e of the starry heavens, revising step for step the "Histoire 

 celeste," correcting Baily's catalogue of the same, then examining with equal endurance Bessel's 

 zones, &c. Following the example of this master critic, I have, for the lists here presented, not 

 been content with the simple fact of an error, but mostly turned to the original observations, 

 when accessible, in oi'der to discover the source of error. 



These contributions, from the way in which they originated, as stated, make of course no claim 

 of completeness. Most of the errors indicated, however, will be found hitherto unknown. The 

 corrections proposed are, I believe, wholly reliable; where not quite certain, ^.proh., or the sign of 

 a query, has been adjoined. 



I. — Corrigenda in Oeltzen's Catalogue of Argelander^s Southern Zones. 



No. 



70 

 135 



774 



790 

 869 



972 



1589 



1773 

 1872 

 2007 



2571 

 2761 

 2769 



2858 



Col. 



a 

 a 

 S 



S 

 a 



a 

 6 

 6 



For 38'.99 read 48'.99 (or perhaps 49'.99j. 



10».20 read 0».20. 



25' read 23' (error of Cat., Z. 336.13 

 rifjbtj. 



18' read 19'. 



36«.74 "read 56».48 (-error iu Z. 266.16 

 in the reduction to middle wire). 



19° read 18'^ (error in Cat., Z. 331 64 

 right). 



23«.38 read 13».38 (Z. 313.30 wire 3 

 right, while wire 2 too large by 10", 

 wiiich error was retained in re- 

 ducing to the middle wire.) 



36™ read 37™ (misprint in Z. 322.10). 



23054' read 24-4'. 



33°33'50".5 read 23043'54".l (-error 

 of print of 10° iu Cat., and besides 

 error of 10' in circle reading in Z. 

 313.67). 



36' read 34'. 



55' read 54'. 



43'38".l read 53'40".4 (error of 10' in 

 Micr. Z. 325 95). 



12«.28 read 15".86 (-wire 4 iu Z. 350.7 

 was right). 



For 36' read 37'. 



3'48".2read4'B".2. 



80' read 20' (misprint;. 



54' read 53'. 



20".31 read 30".31. 



23'13".0 read 33'15".3 (-error in Z. 



274.45). 

 59' read 50' (prob. misprint ; Z. cor- 

 rect). 

 19' read 16' (-Z. 323 105 is correct). 

 28'.50 read 39i>.03 (one wire interval, 

 as suspected already by Argelander 

 hiuisell). 

 Perhaps too great by 19».7 (or the inter- 

 val belween wires 3 and 4). The cor- 

 recticiu would bring agreement with 

 Lamout 65. 

 For 11' read 12' (prob.). 

 37' read 38'. 



45".86 read !J5^86, by correcting an 

 error couiiiiitted iu reduciug Z. 

 2-2.26 to middle wire. Wash. Mur. 

 Z. 216 gives still 10" more. 

 27' read 26'. 

 4°" read 5™ (misprint). 



87 



