ASTRONOMY FOR 1889, 1890. 159 



Australia, and in Tasmania, and in New Zealand, it was visible as a par- 

 tial eclipse. No observation of special interest was reported. 



Mr. J. M. Schaeberle has published in the Monthly Notices a theory 

 of the solar corona, in which he concludes that the corona is due to 

 the light emitted and reflected by the filaments of matter thrown out 

 by the sun, the corresponding forces being variable and with a period 

 about the same as the sun-spot period. The rays of double curvature 

 are explained by the rotation of the sun, and the apparent changes in 

 the general form of the corona by the position of the observer with 

 reference to the plane of the sun's equator. 



The Smithsonian Institution published in 1889 a series of re produc- 

 tions of a number of photographs of the eclipse of January 1, 1889, sent 

 from various stations on the Pacific coast. The photographs are for 

 convenience of comj)arison reduced to a uniform scale of about 1 inch 

 diameter. Explanatory notes and remarks suggested by a study of the 

 photographs are added by Prof. David P. Todd. 



Mr, H. H. Turner in the Philosophical Transactions (vol. 180, p. 385- 

 393) <liscusses the observations of the eclipse of August 29, 1886, made 

 at the island of Grenada. 



SOLAR PARALLAX AND THE TRANSITS OF VENUS. 



Transits of Venus in 1761 and 1769. — A thorough, and probably the 

 final, re-reduction of the observations of the transits of Venus in 

 1761 and 1769 has been made by Professor Newcoinb in volume 2, part 

 5, of the astronomical papers of the American Ephemeris, a primary ob- 

 ject being the determination of the position of the node of Venus. The 

 value obtained for the solar parallax is 8". 79 with a probable error of 

 + 0".034. 



Professor Harkness of the U. S. Naval Observatory has devoted sev- 

 eral years of work to an elaborate discussion of the solar parallax and 

 its related coastauts. His principal results are elsewhere referred to, 

 the definitive value for the solar parallax being 8". 80905 ± 0".00567. 



The French photographs of the transit of Venus give for the solar 

 parallax the value 8".80 ± 0".06. 



OBSERVATORIES. 



Information in regard to the work going on at astronomical observa- 

 tories has been derived from the reports contained in the Vierteljahrs- 

 schri/t, in the Monthly Notices, and in Loewy's Ohservatoires astro- 

 nomiques de Provence, and also from the separate rei)orts published 

 by a few observatories. The compiler is indebted in some instances to 

 directors of observatories who have communicated to him directly data 

 in relation to the institutions under their charge. When it has seemed 

 necessary to make a distinction, the year has been added to the note. 



Allegheny: Lamjley. — Work upon radiant energy has Iteen con- 

 tinued, and the time service has been maintained as in previous years. 



