APPENDIX TO THE SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



COREESPOXDENCE ON ASTRONOMICAL ANNOUNCEMENTS. 



In presenting^ a portion of the correspondence of the Institution with 

 leading astronomers, relative to methods suggested for rendering the 

 telegraphic announcement of astronomical discoveries as free from am- 

 biguity as possible, it seems proper to preface these extracts with a 

 brief notice of the form previously adopted by European observatories 

 in communicating such information between themselves. The Smith- 

 sonian system of transatlantic or cable telegraphy, introduced in 1873, 

 may be regarded as essentially an extension of this earlier and more 

 local practice. In acknowledgment of the active zeal and assistance of 

 Dr. C. H. F. Peters, of the Clinton Observatory, in establishing the 

 Smithsonian enterprise, much deference has been paid to his judgment 

 in all doubtful questions. 



Letter from Prof. F. KarlinsM, director of the observatory in Cracow^ 



November 23, 1865. 



(Published in the Astronomisehe Nachrichten, Vol. 65, cols. 31, 32.) 



It will perhaps not be superfluous if some form should be given in the 

 Astronomisehe Nachrichten, in which we can unite in the telegraphic 

 announcement of astronomical observations, in order that the informa- 

 tion may be condensed and still be perfectly and generally intelligible. 

 Our signs ° ' ", as well as h. m. s., can, of course, not be telegraphed, 

 but to write them out in full makes the dispatch too long. The con- 

 version of the times of observation as expressed in hours, minutes, sec- 

 onds, into decimal parts of the day, as well as the expression of right 

 ascension and declination in degrees and decimals, can easily lead to 

 errors, and further necessitates areconversiorrafter the reception of the 

 dispatch. To me it seems that it would be simplest if we agree to give 

 not only the mean local time of observation but also the right ascension 

 and declination by means of 7 or 8 places of figures, of which the first 

 two indicate the number of the hours or degrees of declination, the next 

 two the number of minutes, the next two the number of seconds, and 

 the remaining figure the number of tenths of a second. 



The words "right ascension" and "declination" may be entirely 

 omitted and replaced by " northerly," " southerly." 



Thus, for example : 



"Altona Sternwarte 85 November 22 Krakau 0604597 scheinbar 

 00430620 nordlich 0247240 Karlinski" would be translated as follows : 



57 



