242 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1909. 
Among Professor Newcomb’s other investigations may be men- 
tioned determinations of the orbits of the satellites of Uranus and 
Neptune from observations made with the 26-inch refractor of the 
Naval Observatory, and his paper on Hyperion, explaining the 
remarkable retrograde motion of the line of apsides of that satellite. 
His Spherical Astronomy and The Stars are both in their way 
pioneers and will ultimately be ranked among the classics of astro- 
nomical literature. The Stars, while essentially a statistical research 
on the structure of the universe, is written in a simple and lucid style 
that gives it an interest to others besides astronomers. Asa result of 
his remarkable power of discussing scientific subjects in a manner 
capable of comprehension by the intelligent general reader, his pop- 
ular works on astronomy are models of their kind and have the ad- 
vantage that, being written by a master of his subject, they have an 
intrinsic and enduring value not possessed by most other works of 
that class. His ability as a popular writer is also seen in his Reminis- 
_cences, whch is one of the most attractive autobiographies ever 
written. 
Recognition of the fact that Professor Newcomb was the leading 
astronomer of his time was shown by his election to honorary or 
corresponding membership in all the great scientific societies of the 
world and by the numerous medals, academic titles, and other dis- 
tinguished honors that were showered upon him. 
