KEPOKTS OF ASTRONOMICAL OBSEKVATulvMKS. {14\} 



Authoiity lor latitude and lon-itude, United States Coa.st Survey. 

 Bircctof : E. E. Baijnahd. 



rxSTliUMEN'J'S: 



(c) Equatorial instrument: a simple equatorial; aperture of ohjeet- 

 ive, 5 iucUes ; magnifying- i)owers of eye-pieces, o'2 to .^20. (c') A small 

 2i iuclies altazimuth telescope with good rack-work; all the eyepieces 

 of large telescope lit it. 



(i) Miscellaneous : In use also a small instrument. The base of this 

 instrument is divided to degrees and read by vernier to 3' of arc. An 

 upright pillar carries a semi-circle of altitude ; this is divided to degrees 

 and read to 3' of arc by a vernier. Attached to the semi-circle of alti- 

 tude is an hour-circle divided to 4"^ of time and read to single minutes 

 by vernier. Upon the hour-circle rests a semi-circle of dechnation 

 divided to degrees and read to 3' of arc by vernier. On the base are two 

 levels, the instrument being leveled by three adjusting screws, which 

 also serve as feet. The declination semi-circle carries a very small tel- 

 escope about .4 inch diameter of objective. The telesco})e has a diago- 

 nal eye-piece with metal rellector and single lenses and vertical and 

 horizontal hairs. The instruifient was made by W. & S. Jones, London. 

 It is used for identifying stars in comet observations by setting the alti- 

 tude semi-circle for the latitude, thereby converting the instrument into 

 au equatorial. 



Observations during the past year : 



(c) {c') Observations of the planets and comets. 

 Work proposed for the coming year: 



Continuation of the work of last year. 



PRINCIP.VL publications OP THE OBSERVATORY DURING THE 

 YEAR : 



The only publications have been : Letters to the English Mechanic 

 (London), Science (of Xew York), &c. 

 Additional information : 



Observations have been from June, 1880, to January, 1881. These 

 observations have consisted cliietly in watching the changes on Jupiter ; 

 getting- positions of comets, and making drawings of Saturn. From 

 July 11 to January 7 about fifty transits of the great red si)ot on Jupiter 

 recorded and some seventy-five sketches and drawings made of the con- 

 figuration of his surface. Transits of a number of spots, &c., on ,1 upiter 

 also observed. One black transit of Satellite III and four dark (brown- 

 ish) transirs of Satellite 1 also noted. 



A very good set of drawings made of the remarkable black spots 

 which broke out just north of Jupiter's great e(piatorial band, in the 

 iatter part of October (1880). These drawings show the remarkable 

 transformations of these spots until their finally encircling the planet 

 with a beautiful scolloped belt. _ 



The comets of which positions have been obtained are Swiits (the 

 first position of this comet on October 21), and Pechiile's. 



