250 



EECEEATIVE SCIENCE. 



METEOROLOGY OF FEBRUARY. 



FROM OBSKBVATIONS AT HIGHFIELD HOUSE OBSKRVATOEY. 



Year. 



1842 

 IH43 

 1814 



1840 

 1846 

 1847 

 1848 

 1849 

 1850 

 1851 

 1852 

 1853 

 1854 

 1855 

 1856 

 1857 

 1858 

 1859 



Greatest 



Heat. 

 Degrees. 



50-0 .. 



48-0 .. 



48-5 .. 



47-5 .. 



58-0 .. 

 , 54-0 .. 



56-5 .. 



57-5 .. 

 , 570 .. 

 , 61-0 .. 

 , 55-5 ., 



42-5 .. 

 , 66-0 .. 

 , S9-7 .. 

 , 67-8 .. 

 , 57-5 .. 

 , 61-0 .. 



57-2 .. 



Greatest 

 Cold. 



Degrees. 



. 26-U . 



. 15-7 , 



. 17-0 



, 20 



. 280 , 



, 20-0 



. 23-2 



. 230 , 



. 26-0 



. 23-5 



. 22-5 



. 18-8 , 



. 24-8 



. 61 



. 21-9 



. 19-5 



. 20-5 



. 27-4 



Amount of 



Bain. 



Inches. 



.*.' 2-3 



.. 2-2 



.. 0-7 



.. 0-8 



.. 1-4 



.. 3-6 



.. 0-9 



.. 1-3 



.. 0-5 



.. 1-8 



.. 11 



.. 0-8 



.. 1-5 



.. 1-9 



.. 0-7 



.. 0-3 



.. 1-2 



The greatest heat in shade reached 6]'0' in 1851, 

 and only 39-7° in 1855, giving a range of 21-3'' in greatest 

 heat for Febrnary during the past eighteen years. 



The greatest cold was as low as 6"1'' (i,r 25'9^ of 

 frost) in 1855, and never below 28-0'' in 1846, giving a 

 range of 21-9° for February during the past eighteen 

 years. The coldest years were 1843, 1844, 1845, 1847, 

 1863, 1855, and 1857 ; and the warmest, 1842, 1846, 

 1850, and 1859. In 1855 the temperature fell 9-6'' 

 lower than in any other year. 



Only 3 inch of rain fell in February, 1858, and as 

 much as 3-6 inches in 1848, giving a range of 3-3 inches 

 for February, during the past seventeen years. The 

 mean fall of rain for February is I 4 inches. In seven 

 years the fall was less than one inch, and in three years 

 it exceeded two inches. E. J. Lowe. 



ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS 

 FOR FEBRUARY, 1860. 



The sun is in Aquarius until the 19th, when he passes 

 into Pisces. He rises in London on the 1st at 7h. 42m., 

 on the 10th at 7h. 27m., on the 20th at 7h. 8m., and on 

 the 29th at 6h. 49m. He sets in London on the 1st at 

 4h. 46m., on the 10th at 5h. 3m., on the 20th at 

 ."•h. 21m., and on the 29th at 5h. 37m. 



The sun reaches the meridian on the 1st at 12h. 

 I3m. 49s. ; on the 15th at 12h. 14m. 25s., and on the 

 29th at 12h. 12m. 42s. 



The equation of time on the 1st, 13m. 49s. ; on 

 the 15th, 14m. 25s. ; and on the 29th, 12m. 42s. ; 

 the clock being these amounts before the sun, i. e., the 

 equation of time addative. 



At Edinburgh and Glasgow the sun rises on the 1st 

 17 minutes later, and on the 15th 12 minutes later 

 than in London, and sets on the 1st 17 minutes earlier, 

 and on the 15th 12 minutes earlier. At Dublin and 



Liverpool he rises 7 minutes later, and sets 7 minutes 

 earlier than in London, and on the I5th, 5 minutes ; 

 whilst at Exeter and Portsmouth he rises on the 1st, 

 3 minutes earlier, and sets 3 minutes later than in 

 London, and on the 15th 2 minutes. 



Day breaks on the 3rd at 5h. 42m., on the 28th 

 at 4h. 57m. Twilight ends on the 13th at 6h. 49m. 



The moon is full on the 7th at 2h. 35m. a.m. 



New moon on the 21st at 7h. 39m. p.m. 



The moon is nearest to the earth on the 7th, and 

 most distant on the 21st. Near Jupiter on the 5th. 



There will be a lunar eclipse on the 7th, and nt 

 the time of greatest phase (2h. 29m. a.m.) four-fifths 

 of the moon's diameter will be obscured, t. e., 0'809 

 (moon's diameter =1 ■000). It begins at Ih. 2m. a.m.. 



Eclipse of the Moon, at Greenwich, Feb. 7th, 2h. 29m. a.m. 



and ends at 3h. 56m. a.m. First contact with the 

 shadow 79° from the northernmost point of moon's 

 limb towards the east, and last contact 32° towards 

 the west. (For direct image.) 



Mercury is in Capricornus, passing into Aquarius 

 at the end of the month ; he is unfavourably situated 

 for observation. 



Venus is in Aquarius at the beginning, and in 

 Pisces at the end of the month. She is still unfavour- 

 ably situated for observation. She sets on the 10th at 

 8h. 4m. p.m., and on the 20th at 8h. 35m. p.m. 



Mars is very badly situated for observation. He is 

 in Scorpio at the beginning, and in Ophiuchus at the 

 end of the month, rising on the 10th at 2h. 48m. a.m. 



Jupiter is a fine telescopic object; he is in Gemini, 

 rising on the 10th at 6h. 6m., and on the 20th at 5h. 

 24m. p.m., being on the meridian on the 10th at 9h. 

 51m. p.m., and on the 20th at 9h. 9m. p.m. 



Saturn is also favourably situated for observation, 

 especially on the 11th. He is in Leo, rising on the 

 10th at 4h. 68m. p.m. 



Uranus is in a favourable situation for observation, 

 a little above the Hyades in Taurus. 



