186 Professor C. Piazzi Smyth's Meteorological 



The Astronomisches Nachrichten Journal. — This invahiable as- 

 tronomical journal, the existence of which was endangered by the 

 recent lamented demise of its able editor Professor Schuniacker, has 

 now fortunately been taken up by Professor Hansen and Dr Petersen, 

 a combination which must ensure success in every scientific point of 

 view ; but as it is not known whether the Government aid will be 

 continued, all well-wishers to the progress of astronomy should con- 

 tribute their assistance, and it seems that the numbers which com- 

 pose a volume can be sent free by post to England for lis. 6d., and 

 a list of subscribers' names has been commenced at the Astronomical 

 Society in London. A collection is, moreover, being made out of 

 the old stock in hand, which may enable many possessors of incom- 

 plete series of this valuable journal to supply the missing numbers. 



The Planet Neptune. — Part of vol. ii. of the Smithsonian con- 

 tributions to knowledge has just arrived from America, containing 

 some valuable researches relative to the planet Neptune, by Mr 

 Sears C. Walker. The first section contains an abstract of events 

 connected with the discovery of Neptune, the progress made in its 

 theory, and the completion of the theory of Uranus. The second, 

 a detailed account of the discovery of the two ancient places of Nep- 

 tune observed by Lalande in May 1795. The third, computations 

 relative to the authenticity of Lalande's observations. And the 

 fourth, subsequent researches on the orbits of Neptune, in the course 

 of which, with the most praiseworthy labour and skill, all the obser- 

 vations of any weight which are known to have been made of the 

 planet down to January 1848, whether at public or private observa- 

 tions, and in all parts of the world, have been collected together, 

 and compared with an ephemeris derived from Mr Walker's ele- 

 ments. Thus forming one of the grandest contributions which has 

 been made to exact astronomy for some time past. 



Parallax of a^ and ^ Centauri. — This star, which was so ably 

 taken up by Professor Henderson, and proved to be closer to us than 

 any other of which we have trustworthy observations, has been fur- 

 ther followed up by Mr Maclear, Astronomer Royal at the Cape 

 of Good Hope, and he has now sent home the results of observations 

 in the years 1842, 3, and 4, and again in 1848 ; and for the final 

 conclusion from the whole, Mr Maclear deduces the parallax to be 

 0"-9187 =t= 0"*034. Professor Henderson's results having been 

 0"'9128, the accordance is greater than the most sanguine wish 

 could have anticipated ; and, as far as mural circle observations of 

 absolute declination can go, nothing more satisfactory can be wished 

 for ; Mr Maclear is, however, now, very properly, attacking the 

 parallax in Right Ascension, by means of differential observations 

 with the equatorial. 



Orbit of a ^ and ^ Centauri. — " a Centauri," writes Mr Jacob, 

 H.E.I. C, Astronomer, Madras, April 12, '* is coming round and 

 has reached 252°, but the distance does not decrease so fast as it 



