140 RECORD OF SCIENCE FOR 1886. 



nection with this latter investigation a new field of exploration has 

 been ojieued in spectral regions, where tbe planet's own radiations to- 

 wards space, of very great wave-lengths — exceeding one one hundredth 

 of a millimeter — are now for the first time found. 



Professor Langley, in giving a portion of his time to the Smithsonian 

 Institution, has not resigned the active directorship of the observatory, 

 and all communications relative to the scientific or business affairs of that 

 institution should be addressed to him at Allegheny as usual. Mr. F. 

 W. Very continues at the observatory as senior assistant. Mr. Keeler 

 is now at the Lick Observatory, and has been succeeded at Allegheny 

 by Mr. James Page, jr. 



Amherst (1885). — This observatory, named in honor of the Hon. Abbot 

 Lawrence, was built in 1847, and has been employed chiefly for purposes 

 of instruction. Professor Todd was appointed director in July, 1881, 

 and his report covers the years 1881-1885, inclusive. The instruments 

 of the observatory are : A 7^ inch Clark equatorial, a 3-inch Gambey 

 transit circle, and a 6|-inch Pistor & Martins transit instrument, with 

 mean-time and sidereal clocks, chronograph, and subsidiary apparatus. 

 The equatorial is provided with two small cameras for celestial photog- 

 raphy. Observations are made of sun-spots, of the phenomena of Jupi- 

 ter's satellites, occultations of stars by the moon, etc. The provision- 

 ally adopted position of the observatory is : Latitude, +4li0 22' 17". 1; 

 longitude, 4'* 50'" 4^67 west of Greenwich. 



Ann Arbor (1886). — The observatory is known as the Detroit Observa- 

 tory , having been founded through the liberality of citizens of Detroit. 

 Valuable additions and improvements have been made hy means of 

 further contributions from the same source and from the city of Ann 

 Arbor, and also by appropriations made by the board of regents of the 

 University of Michigan, to which the observatory is attached. The 

 building consists of a main part, with a movable dome, and two wings. 

 The east wing contains the large meridian circle by Pistor & Martins 

 and a sidereal clock by Tiede, of Berlin. The west wing contains the 

 library of the observatory, a chronograph with Bond's new isodyuamic 

 escapement, and the smaller instruments. This wing connects with the 

 residence of the director. In the dome is mounted a large refracting 

 telescope, with an object-glass 13 inches in diameter, constructed by 

 the late Henry Fitz, of New York. 



Much attention is given to instruction in astronomy, and through the 

 liberality of the legislature a small observatory for the purpose of in- 

 struction has been erected on the observatory grounds near the main 

 building. It contains an equatorial telescope of 6 inches aperture and 

 a transit instrument of 3 inches aperture, with zenith telescope attach- 

 ment. A building near by contains computing rooms and rooms for 

 observers, and a workshop where necessary repairs and attachments 

 for the instruments can be made. A set of self-registering meteorologi- 



