ASTRONOMY. 415 



has been completed, and the results are nearly ready for printing ; it 

 will contain 4,051 numbers. Two hundred and fifty groups of sun-spots 

 have been observed. The observations of Secchi on the amounts of heat 

 given out by differeDt parts of the Sun's limb from equator to pole, have 

 been repeated by Dr. Spoerer, who, however, finds no such difference 

 as was reported by Secchi. Photographs of the Sun have been made 

 on 195 days. The photometric observations (Zollner's photometer) will 

 shortly be published in three parts : Part I will contain a description 

 of the instrument and an investigation of the extinction of light ; Part 

 II will contain the observations of planets, and Part III the observa 

 tions of variable stars. The comet Wells was photometrically observed 

 on 21 nights ; the result of these observations showed the comet to shine 

 partly by its own light. Variable stars have also been repeatedly ob- 

 served. 



Prague : Professor Safarik gives an account of his observations of 

 the Moon, Venus, Mars, and comets, and of 077 observations of vari- 

 able stars, besides miscellaneous observations which cannot be sum- 

 marized here. 



Stockholm : Dr. Gylclen has devoted his time to the continuation of 

 his theoretical work on the motions of the major planets ; the numeri- 

 cal computations require much time, and it is probable that the Reichs- 

 tag will furnish computers to aid in the work. The observations on 

 stellar parallax are not fully reduced, but appear to lead to the conclu- 

 sion that the mean parallax of the first magnitude stars is rather less 

 than 0".l. Victoria and Sappho were observed in conjunction with Dr. 

 Gill. 



ZPpsala : Victoria and Sappho were observed with the refractor for 

 the solar parallax. The observatory is undergoing repairs. 



Zurich : The results of the observations of sun spots are given in ~$o. 

 59 of the Mittheilungen, and the contents of that publication are sum- 

 marized. Besides this the miscellaneous observations of the observa- 

 tory are given. 



The Greenicich Observatory. — Among the leading points referred to in 

 the report of the astronomer royal, W. H. M. Christie, F. E. S., to the 

 Board of Visitors of the Boyal Observatory, Greenwich, read at the an- 

 nual visitation on June 2, 1883, are the following : 



Besides the regular subjects of observation with the transit circle, the 

 sun f moon, planets, and fundamental stars, a new working list of 2,000 

 stars, comprising all those down to the sixth magnitude inclusive, and 

 not observed since I860, has been prepared, and was brought into use 

 at the beginning of March. The entire number of transits observed with 

 this instrument during the year was 4,488 ; determinations of collima- 

 tion error, 354 ; determinations of level error, 323 ; number of circle ob- 

 servations, 4,485; determinations of nadir point, 298; reflection obser- 

 vations of stars, 484. 



