Ixxiv. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



decrease in light and warmth was very marked, though only 

 about three-quarters of the sun was covered. In Devonshire it 

 was noticed that even fish observed the eclipse and apparently 

 thought night was approaching, as they suddenly became 

 ravenous. 



The sun's parallax has been determined by two new methods 

 namely, the measurement of spectrographic lines, and observa- 

 tions of the asteroid Eros, the results being very near the 

 generally accepted value of 8*8 seconds. It has been found that 

 the shape of the sun varies to such an extent, that though the 

 equatorial diameter is greatest at sunspot maximum, at sunspot 

 minimum the reverse is the case, and the polar diameter 

 is then longer than the equatorial one, the extreme difference 

 between the two diameters amounting to half a second of 

 arc. 



There is little practical use for sundials at the present day, but 

 one has just been invented which will tell the correct mean 

 time. The shadow of a bead falls on the interior of a cylinder 

 marked with suitable curves, and the gnomon of the old and 

 inaccurate dials is dispensed with. 



The discovery of Themis, a tenth satellite of Saturn, is 

 announced. It is, however, too small to be seen with our 

 present telescopes, but has been revealed by photography. It 

 has a probable diameter of about 38 miles; an eccentric and 

 much inclined orbit; and a period of 20*85 days. Some of the 

 canals on Mars have been photographed, thus proving their 

 reality, and it has also been found that one of the minor planets, 

 Urda, shows considerable light variations. 



The uncommon spectacle of a fine aurora was witnessed in 

 many places in the South of England on November i5th last, 

 which, had it not been for a nearly full moon, would have been 

 an even more brilliant sight. The aurora was seen also in Nova 

 Scotia, and at Vardo, in the extreme north of Norway. It 

 was the most splendid seen for years. The greatest magnetic 

 disturbance of the year occurred at Greenwich on that date. A 

 second new star has appeared, but not to the naked eye, in 



