ASTRONOMY FOR 1889, 1890. 

 List of minor planets discovered in 1889 and 1890. 



151 



An asteroid discovered by Charlois, Noveuiber 14, 1890, and supposed 

 by him to be 298 (discovered September 9), proved to be not identical 

 with the latter. Consequently it takes the number 302. 



SOLAR SYSTEM. 



Prof. Lewis Boss has made a new determination of the amount and 

 direction of the solar motion based upon a list of 253 stellar proper 

 motions derived from the Albany zone observations. Professor lioss 

 considers, as the most i)robable result from these data, that the apex of 

 the sun's way is in right ascension 18'' 40"' ; declination +40°, or not far 

 from the star Vega. 



Hcrr Oscar Stumpe, of Borm. has made a new determination of tiie 

 direction of the solar motion from the proper motions of 1,054 stars, 

 which he divides into fourgroui)s, according to the magnitudes of their 

 })roper motions in a great circle. He thus obtains four different values 

 of the apex of the sun's way, all agreeing in locating that point in the 

 constellation Lyra, or in the adjacent part of Cygnus. 



Prof. J. E. Eastman, in an address as jiresident of the Philosphical 

 Society of Washington, has given an analysis of the investigations to 

 determine the apex of the sun's motion and its velocity of translation. 

 He shows that, contrary to the ordinarily accepted belief, faint stars are 

 nearer us than bright stars; a result also shown by the list of stellar 

 parallaxes recently published by Oudemaus. 



