CORRESPONDENCE ON ASTRONOMICAL ANNOUNCEMENTS. 59 



Letter from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, October 15, 1879, to the 

 Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



Sir : In the telegrams announcing the discovery of comets and minor 

 planets, for which we have to thank you, the Astronomer Royal has 

 frequently found a difficulty as to the date of discovery and the date 

 to which the position given refers. The former is of less importance, but 

 the uncertainty as to the latter has frequently caused much delay in 

 picking up a quick moving body such as a comet. 



The Astronomer Eoyal would therefore suggest that the day of the 

 month, and Washington mean time, to which the position given refers, 

 should be in every case inserted just before the R. A. and Dec. (the 

 magnitude being put at the end of the telegram to avoid confusion). 



Thus the telegram just received would run (supposing the position of 

 the planet to be given for Oct. 13, l^*" Washington mean time) : " Planet 

 Peters Clinton thirteenth fourteen hours one nought north one twenty 

 motion five south eleventh." 



The Astronomer Royal trusts that you will not find any difficulty in 

 making this small addition, which will greatly increase the value of the 

 announcem ents. 



I am, sir, &c., 



W. H. M. Christie. 



Letter from the Smithsonian Institution to I>r. C. H. F, Peters {Clinton, 

 JV. y.), November 4, 1879. 



Dear Sir: The Astronomer Royal of England asks that hereafter, 

 jn astronomical announcements, the hour of discovery in Washington 

 time be given. 



The Naval Observatory here requests that local time of discovery be 

 stated, and that seconds of right ascension be always given. 



What would you advise us to instruct observatories in these particu- 

 lars? 



Very truly, yours, 



S. F. Baird. 



Letter from the Litchfield Observatory of Hamilton College ( Clinton, N 

 Y.), November 8, 1879, to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



Dear Sir: In reply to yours of 4th inst., regarding the demands of 

 observatories for certain changes in the dispatches of planet discoveries, 

 I take the liberty to make the following remarks. These remarks are, in 

 substance, the same I wrote a short time ago to Prof. Tietjen, of the 

 Berlin Observatory, who proposed as a desideratum similar alterations. 



First, as to that the hour of discovery be stated, by which 1 suppose 

 the time for the position communicated is meant, the answer is that such 

 is done and has been done always in our dispatches. It is included in 

 the way prescribed (but overlooked or forgotten) in the programme that 

 was issued at the time by the Smithsonian Institution (Smith. MisceK 



