REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON OBSERVATORIES 1 29 



1895, I endeavored still further to extend the fundamental ob- 

 servations, and accordingly brought about the establishment of 

 a branch observatory at Odessa (north latitude 46 ) whose task 

 it is to extend the limits of our fundamental observations to 

 — 30 of declination. In accordance with the experience at Pul- 

 kova during the course of sixty years, the transit and vertical 

 circle were selected as the instruments best suited for making 

 these observations. After thorough reflection I decided in favor 

 of dimensions of these instruments smaller than those of the 

 Pulkova instruments. Since stars fainter than seventh magni- 

 tude would not be observed, the aperture of both instruments 

 was fixed at 4 inches and the focal length at 4^ feet. With dimen- 

 sions so small the obse rvations can be made far more conveniently, 

 and with the vertical circle twice as rapidly as with the Pulkova 

 instrument. The observations for a fundamental catalogue of the 

 same extent as that of the Catalogue of the Pulkova ' ' Hauptsterne ' ' 

 were begun on the third of February, 1901, and, so far as the num- 

 ber of observations is concerned, upon the same program as that of 

 Pulkova. The work was completed exactly a year after beginning, 

 while such a series of observations at Pulkova has never been com- 

 pleted hitherto within less than seven years. Of course, this rapidity 

 of work was made possible not alone on account of the more conve- 

 nient instrument, but also on account of the decidedly better climatic 

 conditions. The observations are already reduced, and it proves 

 that their accuracy comes up to that attained at Pulkova. Both 

 at Pulkova and at Odessa Repsold's self registering micrometer is 

 adopted. This autumn the observation of the Pulkova "Haupt- 

 sterne" is to be taken up for the fourth time, and for the epoch 

 1905. On this occasion the number of stars has been increased to 

 500. Simultaneously about 200 more southerly stars will be observed 

 at Odessa, so that the resulting catalogue will contain about 700 stars 

 independently determined between the North Pole and — 30 of 

 declination. 



It will probably be clear, after this circumstantial description of 

 our fundamental observations, that nowhere can the news of the 

 purpose to institute fundamental observations of about 700 funda- 

 mental stars in the southern hemisphere awaken a higher interest 

 than here in Pulkova. Indeed we are permitted to hope, in accord- 

 ance with your grand project, that at no distant time the long 

 desired and absolutely necessary fundamental observations will be 

 extended over the entire sky, to aid in the further development of 



