ASTRONOMY. 



405 



and on December 11 Flora in perigee is at a distance of 0.97, with de- 

 clination + 18°. Galle's method of determining the solar parallax, so 

 strongly advocated and ably applied by Mr. Gill, is not likely to fail for 

 want of opportunities of applying it. As regards the magnitude near 

 opposition we have in the case of Phocea 9.0 ; Clio, 10.2 ; Isis, 8.8 ; Poly- 

 hymnia, 9.7; Virginia, 9.9; aud Flora, 8.2. 



Dui ing the year 1883 four of these planets descend below 14 m , from 

 coming into opposition not far from aphelion. — (Nature.) 



Neic minor planets. — The following minor planets were discovered in 

 the year 1883 : 



No. 



232 

 233 

 234 

 235 



Name. 



Russia. . 



Barbara 

 Carolina 



Discovered. 



January 31.. 



May 11 



August 12 . . . 

 November 28 



Discoverer. 



Palisa. 

 Borelly. 

 Peters. 

 Palisa. 



JUPITER. 



Mass of Jupiter. — Dr. Keiupf has reduced a number of observations of 

 difference of B. A. between Jupiter and the satellites III aud IV, which 

 were made by Dr. Vogel in 1868-1870. He has also re-reduced Airy's 

 similar measures of IV (1832-36). 



The mass of the planet by various methods is thus summarized: 



I. — From .sate lUtc-observations. 



Heliometer observations: 



Bessel (Schur) 1,048.629 ± 0.134 



Schur 1,047.232 0.246 



Trausit observations: 



Airy (Kempf) 1,047.641 0.488 



Vogel (Kempf) 1,047.767 0.310 



II. — From perturbations. 



Hansen— Egeria 1,051.12 0.81 



Becker— Amphitrite 1,047.37 1.31 



Moller— Faye's comet 1,047.78S 1.185 



Krueger— Themis 1,047.538 0.192 



v. Asten— Encke's comet (1865-71). 1,047.611 0.171 



Dubiago— Diana 1,045.25 0.46 



The great red spot -upon Jupiter's disk. — Prof. A. Riccb, of the observ- 

 atory at Palermo, in a communication to the Memorie della Societa degli 

 Spettroscopisti Italiani, gives interesting details of his observations on 

 the features of Jupiter's disk during the last opposition. The red spot 



