ASTRONOMY. 



427 



observations between the declinations +50° and +55° is nearly com- 

 pleted, and the observation of a catalogue of circnmpolar stars has made 

 good progress. Many shorter series of observations have also been 

 made. The reductions are far advanced, and material for several vol- 

 umes is nearly ready for the i)ress. 



An abstract of Mr. Chandler's investigation of the latitude of the 

 Havard Observatory in given below : 



During- the past winter anumberof starssituated between +50aud— 5° 

 of declination were observed with the almucantar (see Bulletin Astrono- 

 mique i, p. 37), for the purpose of a new determination of the latitude of 

 the observatory. The observations of this winter, confirmed by a new 

 discussion of former determinations, indicate that the latitude of the 

 dome of the Havard College Observatory, as given in the American 

 Epliemeris (42"^ 22' 48"'3), or in the Connaissance des Temps (48"-l), is 

 much too large. The more correct value, according to Mr. Chandler, 

 is 42° 22' 47"'C. 



For the latitude in question, there are on hand Professor Peirce's 

 determination, based upon a long series of observations by the Messrs. 

 Bond (1844-'45, prime vertical transits); Dr. Gould's determination 

 (1855, zenith telescope) ; a series of observations by Professor Eogers 

 (1804, prime vertical transits) not yet published ; and, finally, two series 

 obtained by Mr. Chandler in 1883, with a small almucantar and with 

 a portable transit instrument. We give here the collected results of 

 these different determinations, which are quite sensibly modified by 

 reduction to the system of Dr. Auwer's fuudamental catalogue. The 

 results of 1844, which depend upon five stars only, are much more ac- 

 cordant with the other results if the observations of /? Persei be omitted 

 in the reduction, /9 Persei giving a latitude l"-5 less than the general 

 mean. Mr. Chandler thinks that this star's j^roper motion in declina- 

 tion as adopted by Dr. Auwers (4-0" '01) should be corrected by 

 (_0"-03). 



Bull. Afitron., August, 1885. 



Helsingfors. — Dr. Anders Donner was appointed director to succeed 

 Professor Krueger in 1883. The meridian instrument has been used to 

 reobserve some 500 stars of the Helsingfors zone, 4-55° to +05o, Vic- 

 toria and Sappho, the Moon and moon culminating stars, &q,. 



