64 



NATURE 



{May 1 6, 1889 



•dard only near the Pole ; and that a thorough comparison of it 

 with the chronographic method through a wide range of 

 magnitude and declination is desirable ; that modern meridian 

 instruments are subject to irregular small changes of position 

 which are not direct functions of temperature ; and that, there- 

 fore, it is well not to trust the instrumental zero points for more 

 than two hours without re-determining the most essential. 



Prof Safford is at work on a paper, now well advanced, on 

 the proper motions of the stars within io° of the Pole, and he 

 hopes shortly to complete the comparison of the chronographic 

 and eye-and-ear methods which the present discussion had 

 ■shown him to be needed. 



Two Remarkable Solar Eruptions. — Father Jules Fenyi, 

 of the Kalocsa Observatory, records, in a note to the Paris 

 Academy of Sciences, his observation of two remarkable solar 

 ■eruptions which he observed on September 5 and September 6, 

 i888. Both eruptions would have been remarkable had they 

 occurred at a time of maximum activity ; but, coming as they 

 did nearly at dead minimum, they stand out as most unusual. 

 The first prominence was seen to rise from a height of 25", as 

 seen at 6h. 6m. (Kalocsa M.T. ), to 151" "4 at6h. 19m., its speed 

 of movement attaining at one time 171 kilometres per second. 

 A number of brilliant metallic lines were seen, some so bright 

 that, with a wide slit, they showed as a small prominence, 

 reaching 19" in height on 1474 K and 15' on the D lines. The 

 second eruption was seen eighteen hours later, on September 6, 

 at ilh. 45m., and was even more violent. In 6 J minutes it 

 •mounted from 37" to 158", with a speed at one time of 296"8 

 kilometres per second. It was of dazzling brilliance whilst it 

 lasted, but passed away in about 14 minutes. The two eruptions 

 were nearly but not quite in the same heliographic latitude. 

 The first was on the east limb in S. lat. 18° ; the other was 

 distant some 4^°, and, as the base of each was about 3° in 

 length, they could not have overlapped, and if connected in 

 origin, must have sprung from a deep-seated source. 



Comet 1889 <!> (Barnard. March 31). — This object is now 

 too near the sun for observation, but accepting the elements of its 

 orbit as hitherto determined, it will not travel far from its pre- 

 sent position for some time to come. Dr. Krueger gives its 

 position for Berlin midnight (Astr. Nnch., No. 2893) for the end 

 of May and beginning of July as under, but with reserve from 

 the uncertainty of the elements : — 



1889. R.A. Decl. 



h. in. s. o / 



May 28 ... 5 6 52 ... 14 I3'i N. 

 July 3 ••• 5 9 8 ... 12 19 oN. 



Log .i. 



Bright- 

 ness. 

 05099 ... 071 

 04944 ... 076 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 

 WEEK 1889 MA V 19-25. 



/■pOR the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 

 ^ ■*■ Greenwich mean midnight, counting the hours on to 24, 

 cs here employed. ) 



At Greenwich on May 19 



Sun rises, 4h. 4m. ; souths, lih. 56m. 15 8s. ; daily increase 

 of southing, 2'8s. ; sets, igh 4Sm. : right asc. on meridian, 

 3h. 45*6m. ; decl. 19° 52' N. Sidereal Time at Sunset, 

 iih. 39m. 

 Moon (at Last Quarter on May 21, 2 2h.) rises, 23h. 50m.* ; 

 souths, 3h. 50m. : sets, 7h. 53m. : right asc. on meridian, 

 igh. 37 ■9m. ; decl. 22° 25' S. 



Right asc and declination 

 Planet. Rises. Souths. Sets. on meridian. 



h. m. h. m. h. m. h. m. . / 

 Mercury.. 4 57 ... 13 29 . 22 i 

 Venus ... 3 o ... 10 12 . 17 24 

 Mars ... 4 25 .. 12 30 ... 20 35 

 Jupiter ... 22 48*... 2 44 ... 6 40 

 Saturn ... 9 42 ... 17 19 ... o 56' 

 Uranus... 15 48 ... 21 18 ... 2 48' 

 Neptune.. 4 24 .. 12 ii ... 19 58 



* Indicates that the rising is that of the preceding evening and the setting 

 that of the following morning. 



May. 

 20 

 23 

 24 



h. 



12 



3 



19 



Venus stationary. 



Neptune in conjunction with the Sun. 

 Mercury at greatest elongation from the Sun, 

 T.'C east. 



GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. 



In the new number of Petermanri! s Mitleilungt'n, Dr. Rink 

 describes the recent Danish researches in Greenland, especially 

 those carried out in East Greenland under the leadership of 

 Captain Holm. The aim of the expedition was mainly anti- 

 quarian and ethnological ; at the same time the report of iis 

 work contains valuable observations on the geology, geography, 

 and especially the glacial conditions of the region visited. In 

 the first volume of the Report, the first chapter, by Prof Steen- 

 strup, is devoted to a discussion of the situation of Osterbygd. 

 The second chapter contains the report of Captain Holm and 

 Lieutenant Garde on the results of the expedition of 1883-85. 

 The principal results may be thus summarized : — Graah's ma|) 

 of the east coast of Greenland has been corrected and com- 

 pleted ; a map has been prepared of a part not previously sur- 

 veyed, and now named Christian IX. Land ; and, after sketches 

 and information from the natives, the oudine of the coast has 

 been continued from 66° to 68^° N. la^ It was found that 

 the country called after Christian IX. was inhabited by a branch 

 of the Eskimo which, before the arrival of the expedition, had 

 not been in contact with Europeans. Detailed observations have 

 been made on their mode of life, their customs, language, 

 legends, &c., and a large collection made of articles of ethno- 

 logical interest. During the various journeys of the expedition, 

 and especially in their winter quarters, systematic researches 

 were made in the physical geography of the country. Geological 

 and botanical observations were made and specimens collected 

 along the east coast. It was found that the east coast of Green- 

 land is not so inaccessible as has hitherto been supposed. The 

 expedition explored the east coast as far to the north as it was 

 at all likely Osterbygd could have been located, without dis- 

 covering the least trace of buildings which were not of 

 P^skimo origin, and without finding anything in the physiognomy, 

 the customs, mode of life, or legends of the natives that couUl 

 furnish the slightest ground for inferring former relations witi 

 Europeans. From this it is concluded that Osterbygd could not 

 have been situated on the east coa-t of Greenland. The third 

 chapter deals with the geography of Danish East Greenland, 

 i.e. as far as 66° N. This part of the east coast is divided into 

 five natural zones — (i) the most southerly part as far as Anarket ; 

 (2) from Anarket to Ikermiut ; (3) from Ikermiut to Igdlol- 

 narsuk ; (4) from Igdiolnarsuk to Inigsalik ; (5) the section 

 which extends to the east of the last-named place. Zones i, 3, 

 and 5 have strong resemblance.-; with each other, as also zones 2 

 and 4. The three first-mentioned zones are cut by deep fjords, 

 crowned with lofty serrated mountains, never covered by the 

 o.ntinental ice. Some places are characterized by a vegetation 

 comparatively rich. Beneath the mountains there are, in 

 general, numerous glaciers, which often descend to the fjords, 

 and towards the interior is found a mountainous region filled with 

 large local glaciers. Zones 2 and 4 have a different aspect. The 

 country is very barien, and the continental ice descends almo^t 

 directly to the sea, or to the edge of the fjords, only a few moun- 

 tains or rounded groups of mountains emerging from the ice. 

 Another characteristic , of the east coast is the parallelism of 



