24 



NATURE 



[March 2, 19 11 



" The object probably had its radiant south of Orion, 

 and its course lay from about the English Channel, south 

 of Devon, to the coast of Holland. The whole of the 

 path traversed must have been about 520 miles, but the 

 heights cannot be exactly determined from the materials. 

 Another good description of the apparent flight would be 

 ivery valuable. The night was clear, and many persons in 

 the south-eastern counties must have had a fine view of 

 the phenomenon." 



The Photographic Spectrum of Nova Lacert^. — In 

 No. 4473 of the Astronomische Nachrichten Dr. Max Wolf 

 reproduces and describes the photograph of the spectrum 

 ot Nova Lacertae which he took with the Zeiss two-prism 

 spectrograph (exposure 90m.) on January 13. At first 

 glance the spectrum consists of seven broad bright bands, 

 of which six are accounted for by the hydrogen lines 

 H)3-H»j ; the seventh has a wave-length of about 463 nn. 

 The nova spectrum declines abruptly in intensity at about 

 \ 360, not extending nearly so far into the ultra-violet as 

 do the spectra of the Orion stars. The order of bright- 

 ness of the broad bands is H7, H5, 463, He, H)3, H^, Hjj. 

 Dr. Wolf gives the wave-length measures of the different 

 parts of each band, and also finds other faint bands having 

 their centres at the wave-lengths 451-3, 447-4> 443-4! and 

 .405-8 ; three other broad, faint bands have their maxima 

 at AA. 4273, 425-6, and 422-9. 



Recent Observation of H alley's Comet. — To The 

 Observatory (No. 432) Prof. Barnard sends the following 

 observation of Halley's comet on January 8, at 

 2ih. 30m. 56s. G.M.T. : — R.A. = iih. 47m. 16-65S., 

 apparent dec. 18° 24' 44-3" S. The comet was 32-8" 

 ■diameter, round, and slightly condensed, but had no 

 •nucleus. With the 40-inch refractor, its magnitude was 

 estimated to be 13 or 14. Prof. Barnard hopes to be able 

 to follow the comet for the greater part of the present 

 year, and this will provide an enormous arc, over which 

 the comet has been observed during the present return ; 

 the determination of its path during this revolution will 

 thus be considerably simplified. In April next the comet 

 Avill be as far from the sun as is Jupiter. 



Search-ephemerides for Westphal's Comet (1852 IV.). 

 — In No. 4475 of the Astronotnische Nachrichten Herr A. 

 Hnatek publishes three search-ephemerides for Westphal's 

 comet, which may be found during the coming spring or 

 summer. The three ephemerides are based on the assump- 

 tions that the period of the comet may be sixty, sixty-one, 

 ■or sixty-two years respectively, and each covers the period 

 April 10 to September 7. The rediscovery is doubtful, 

 "however, for the calculated magnitudes lie between 10-3 

 (August 28, 1911) and 13-4. 



Observations of the Zodiacal Light and the Gegen- 

 schein. — Herr Banachiewicz describes- a brilliant appari- 

 tion of the zodiacal light, seen at Kasan on January 26-27, 

 in No. 4474 of the Astronomische Nachrichten. The light 

 extended to Saturn, and the middle of its pyramidal form 

 passed over the stars 5, «, and f Piscium. As compared 

 with the Milky Way, the light appeared of a slightly 

 reddish hue, and, so far as the two phenomena can be 

 compared for brightness, was about equally bright. 



Observations of the counterglow, or gegenschein, were 

 •made by Mr. Innes, Mr. and Mrs. Wood, and Mr. 

 Worssell at the Transvaal Observatory during September 

 and October, 1910, and are published, with sketches, in 

 No. 5 of the Circular. Mr. Innes reports that on Sep- 

 tember 24, 25, and 26 the counterglow was, and had been, 

 remarkably distinct, lying along the ecliptic as a lens- 

 shaped mass about 10° broad and about 90° long ; in spite 

 of the sky-illumination from electric lights and veld fires, 

 ■visitors were able to see the phenomenon immediately their 

 attention was directed to it. Mr. Worssell gives its 

 approximate limits on October 4 at 9h. 40m. (G.M.T.) as 

 N- ■+ 17-5°> S. —4-5°, preceding, oh. 5m. and following 

 ih. 20m., thus making the position of the centre 

 R.A. oh. 32m., dec. +5g°. 



The Murnpeowie Meteorite. — The annual report of the 

 South Australian School of Mines for 1909 contains a very 

 "interesting description of the iron meteorite discovered in 

 August of that year. The discovery was made by some 

 "boundary-fence repairers working near Murnpeowie, Lat. 



NO. 2157, VOL. 86] 



^- 29° 35' L. and Long. 139° 54'. Mr. L. Laybouraet 

 Smith, the curator of the museum, says the country at '■ 

 this place is flat and devoid of stones. The object is a 

 siderite weighing 25201b., its greatest height 35 inchf-b. 

 The chemical composition has not been determined. Mr. 

 Smith is making inquiries with a view to finding the dati- 

 of the fall. " Australian bushmen are very observant, and 

 this isolated ' rock ' would not have been overlooked in a 

 position less than half a mile from where the fencers were 

 working. The holes also would till with sand in a few 

 years. It is probable, therefore, that the Murnpeowi-,- 

 meteorite 's a recent arrival." 



INTERNATIONAL HYGIENE EXHIBITION. 

 DRESDEN, 191 1. 



|70R some months past very conflicting statements as to 

 ■^ the attitude of the Government towards the Int'-r- 

 national Hygiene Exhibition to be held in Dresden hav<: 

 been made, but we are now assured that the President of 

 the Board of Trade has given it his blessing, and that 

 some of those who have hitnerto held aloof, owing to so;iuj 

 misunderstanding, have expressed their approval of iIk; 

 movement. It is to be hoped, therefore, that Great Britain 

 will be properly represented in what promises to be on.,- 

 of the most important scientific exhibitions and congreb^■ » 

 of modern times. This e.xhibition is not merely for th-.- 

 advertising of trade products, nor is it intended thai it 

 should compete in any way with such trade exhibition* 

 as, for example, that to be held at Turin. Rather is it 

 to be a collection of apparatus and appliances, so arranged 

 and classified that experts or others interested in matters 

 pertaining to hygiene may study, compare, and contrast 

 the most modern and best hygienic contrivances. 



Our German cousins, with their genius for organisation 

 and attention to detail, have spared neither trouble nor 

 e.xpense in laying solid foundations, and it now rests with 

 other countries to assist in the building of an adequate 

 suj>erstructure. Great Britain can ill aftord to be behind 

 in a race in which, hitherto, her lead has been pre- 

 eminent ; and although she must do voluntarily, through 

 individuals and private organisations, what by other 

 countries is done by the State, it is to be hoped that now 

 all misunderstanding has been cleared away a united effort 

 will be made, not only to raise the rest of the necessary 

 funds, but to send sufficiently imposing exhibits. 



Some idea of the thoroughness of the work that is being 

 done may be gathered from the fact that a " News 

 Bureau," from which is issued what may be called a small 

 newspaper — Hygieia, has been formed in connection with 

 the exhibition. Of this leaflet, Nos. 16, 18, and 19, all of 

 them published in January of this year, may here be re- 

 ferred to. The first deals with the "department of " statis- 

 tics," and not only affords an indication as to the objects of 

 the promoters of the exhibition, but serves as a guide to 

 would-be exhibitors as to what is most likely to be of use 

 and interest to the " public " whom this exhibition is 

 expected to attract. We are told that the collection of 

 statistics brought together by the German Government has 

 cost something like 350,000/., that games and their in- 

 fluence on health will be illustrated, and that the various 

 implements employed in carrying on these games will be 

 fully set forth. The hygiene of civilised life will naturally 

 receive most attention, but the method of life of savage 

 tribes will also be demonstrated — dwellings, food, mode of 

 life, and the like, of bushmen, Australian aborigines, 

 primitive Indians, North American Indians, all being 

 illustrated. One of the leaflets is devoted almost entirely 

 to milk, under such headings as hygiene of milk ; exhibits 

 of apparatus and methods for the bacteriological investiga- 

 tion of milk ; models, drawings, and photographs to show 

 the dangers arising from dirty milk ; the proper treatment 

 of milk practicable even in small dairies ; methods of 

 sterilisation and milk inspection ; and the hygiene of butter 

 and cheese. Hygienic cowhouses and fittings, and the best 

 methods of keeping cattle in dairies, and so on. 



Another leaflet. No. 19, deals with subjects very different 

 in character — the action of light and special forms of light, 

 such as the ultra-violet rays, the action of radium, and 

 radio-active substances ; and then darts off suddenly into 

 an entirelv new region, where exhibits and statistics con- 



