58 CORRESPONDENCE ON ASTRONOMICAL ANNOUNCEMENTS. 



" November 22(1, (5*" 4™ 59.7* Cracow mean time. Miuor planet Ko. 85^ 

 Apparent right ascension 0'' 43°' G.20^ Apparent declination +2° 47/ 

 24.0"." 



And this would be entirely expressed in twelve words. Thus, there 

 would remain still eight words for other items, such as the daily motion, 

 brightness, &c., if the whole dispatch is to be kei)t within twenty words. 



However, I leave the perfecting of this form entirely to your views, 

 without desiring to push any project of my own. 



Notification by the Imperial Academy of Vie7ina, December 6, 18G9. 

 (Published in the Astronomische Nachrichten, No. 1785, col. 142.) 



The telegrams by which the Imperial Academy announces the dis- 

 covery of a new comet to the various observatories will hereafter be 

 written in an abbreviated form and in general according to the i)roposi- 

 tion of Professor Karlinski. 



The dispatch will contain: first, the word comet then the name of the 

 discoverer ; next the date will be given and then the local mean time of 

 the position in four consecutive figures, of which the first two indicate 

 the hour and the last two the minute, so that the missing tens for the hour 

 as well as for the minutes will be indicated by zeros. Then the place 

 of the discovery will be given, followed by the right ascension in arc, ex- 

 pressed by means of five figures, of which three indicate the degrees 

 and the next tv^o the minutes, while the missing tens and hundreds 

 will be, as before, shown by the zeros. 



Then follows an interval, and, after it, the polar distance represented in 

 five figures, of which three indicate the degrees and the last two the 

 minutes, and in which again all the missing figures have their places 

 tilled by zeros. The motion, to be finally given, is always understood 

 to be daily motion in minutes of arc, first the motion in right ascension 

 and next that in declination, each to be preceded by the sign or word 

 plus or minus. 



The conclusion of the dispatch is to be formed of some words that 

 refer to the external appearance of the celestial body. If, still, an addi- 

 tional figure follows them, this will describe the diameter of the comet 

 in minutes of arc. 



The dispatch will be signed " Akadeuiie." For example, the following 

 telegram from the Academy : 



Comet Tempel three November nought nine nought nine nought 

 nought Marseilles three four one nought five. Nought seven five four 

 four bewegung plus six minus twenty four helle kern five Akademie" 

 would be translated as follows : 



" Comet discovered by Tempel. On the 3d November, at 9'' 0"' Mar- 

 seilles meantime, the position is right ascension 341° 5' and north polar 

 distance 75° 44'. The daily motion is -fC in right ascension and —24' 

 in polar distance. Bright nucleus. Diameter of the comet, 5'. 



(Signed) Imperial Academy of Vienna." 



