ASTRONOMY FOR 1889, 1890. 171 



issued by Professor Pickering, numerous requests were received fcr aid 

 from this fund, and various sums were awarded by Professor Pickering- 

 so {IS to aid as wide a range of astronomical subjects as possible, and to 

 aid investigators in all parts of the world. 



Among new works of general interest to astronomers may be men- 

 tioned Miss Gierke's "The System of the Stars;" a new edition of 

 Chambers' Astronomy in three volumes. The first two volumes of an 

 able " Traite de mecanique celeste," the first containing the general 

 theory of perturbations, and the second on the figures of rotation of 

 celestial bodies ; these are to be followed by a third volume on the lunar 

 theory, theory of Jupiter's satellites, Hansen's method for the calcu- 

 lation of perturbations, and other methods of recent date. Another 

 work which has been found useful as a text- book is Dziobek's I)ie 

 mathematiscJie)i Theories der Plancto^i-Bewegnu gen. 



Dr. Scheiner has published a treatise on spectrum analysis which is 

 intended to form the first volume of complete work on astrophysics. 



The first volume of the national edition of the works of Galileo has 

 appeared under the patronage of the King of Italy. 



Dr. Dreyer has published a biography of Tycho Brahe upon which 

 he has been at work for several years past. 



A very interesting paper on Bowditch, who translated Laplace's 

 "Mecanique Celeste," has been contributed by Prof. Joseph Lovering 

 to the Proceedings of the American Academy of Sciences. 



An index to the literature of spectroscopy, compiled by Mr. Alfred 

 Tuckerman, has been published in the Smithsonian Miscellaneous Col- 

 lections. It contains a bibliography of the history of the subjects ; of 

 books; of apparatus ; of spectrum analysis in general ; of qualitative 

 analysis ; of quantitative analysis ; of absorption spectra ; of alkalies 

 and alkaloids ; of astronomical spectroscopy ; of carbon compounds, and 

 of the spectra of metals ; there is also a list of 799 authors. The num- 

 ber of titles is 3,829. 



Another useful contribution to astronomical bibliography is the cata- 

 logue of the Crawford Library at the Royal Observatory at Edinburgh, 

 presented to the observatory by the Earl of Crawford, and formerly 

 constituting the library of the Dun Echt Observatory. The catalogue 

 was compiled by the present astronomer royal for Scotland, Mr. Cope- 

 land, and contains a number of rare works. 



Keference should also be made to a new edition of M. Lancaster's use- 

 ful little Lisfe generale des observatoires, appearing in 1890 with many 

 additions and corrections. 



ASTRONOMICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR 1889. 



A brief bibliography of astronomy for the year 1890 having been con- 

 tributed to the Sidereal Messenger for 1891, it seems unnecessary to 

 cover more than the year 1889 in the present review. The titles given 

 below include the most important books and journal articles of 1889, that 



