PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. Ixiii. 



1914, was well observed at Greenwich and elsewhere. At 

 the Lick Observatory in July last a small object was 

 photographed in the neighbourhood of Jupiter, which appears 

 to be a new satellite of that planet with a retrograde motion, 

 and some further mathematical evidence has been produced 

 in favour of the existence of a planet outside Neptune. I 

 am not aware, however, that any definite position has been 

 as yet calculated, as in the case of the discovery of Neptune, 

 so that it might be carefully searched for with the very strong 

 telescopes which now exist, to the number of which it is hoped 

 that the Canadian 6-feet reflector will before long be added, 

 the casting and grinding of the reflecting disc having been 

 successful so far as it has progressed. The 100-inch reflector 

 for the Mt. Wilson observatory is also in course of preparation. 

 The year seems to have been unusually productive of records 

 of fine meteors, though nothing perhaps worth special mention, 

 with the exception of one seen in South Africa on January 

 9th last, at 1.20 a.m. This meteor is said to have vividly 

 illuminated the heavens for several seconds, and to have burst 

 with a loud report after an interval variously estimated at 

 from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. It may have fallen to earth, 

 but has not been found. Of those meteorites which reached 

 the earth by far the most interesting fell on October 13th 

 at Appley Bridge, near Wigan, at 8.45 p.m. A sudden and 

 vivid illumination was caused by a ball of fire moving slowly 

 from S.S.E. to N.N.W. and bursting into flashes several 

 times on its way. A few seconds afterwards came a 

 tremendous explosion, followed by rumblings. The 

 meteorite penetrated 18in. into the ground, weighed 331bs., 

 and looked like a piece of burnt iron, being reddish in colour. 

 On being found by a labourer, it was taken possession of 

 by the police (a new and useful duty ! ) and handed over to 

 the Godlee Observatory. The rate of motion was 8 miles 

 a second and the origin possibly the radiant in Pisces. The 

 only English meteorite which has exceeded this in weight 

 was one which fell at Wold Cottage in Yorkshire in 1795. 

 Meteorites fell on April 6th, 1914, at 4 places in India in the 



