Jan. 12, 1888] 



NATURE 



259 



tinent of India by a network of triangles is now an accomplished 

 fact, Mr. More, District Surveyor, having in November last 

 finished his series of observations with the large theodolite. 

 Nothing now remains but to reduce the observations, a work 

 which it is anticipated will take about six months. Mr. More 

 had enormous difficulties to overcome in his survey. The north 

 of the island is so much covered with forests that he was com- 

 pelled to erect lofty stages for his theodolite, at a height of from 

 40 to 70 feet above the ground ; and the observed signals were 

 in many cases 140 feet from the earth. All these stages had to 

 be made on the spot, the appliances at hand being of the poorest 

 description, and it was with the greatest difficulty that the struc- 

 tures thus made were kept at the necessary rigidity. The climate 

 is so uncertain that the surveyors often watched for days without 

 seeing a flash fjom the heliostat, and at other times every 

 member of the working parties was prostrated by fever. As the 

 observers approached the coast, stone towers were put up instead 

 of timber stages, and these towers will serve not only as per- 

 manent survey stations, but as landmarks for those navigating 

 the neighbouring waters. In all, eleven stone towers were 

 erected, and verj' many wooden stages. Ceylon, by the com- 

 pletion of this trigonoxetrical survey, is mw free from the 

 reproach which it has lain under since the Indian surveyors 

 finished their portion of the work. There is now a complete 

 chain of triangles from Asiatic Russia to the south of Ceylon. 

 The Ohsn-vcr adds that it is curious to note that exactly one 

 hundred years ago (1787) a complete triangular connection was 

 formed between Great Britain and Franc: across the Channel 

 under the superintendence of General Roy, R.E. 



The aldition^ to the Zoological Society's Gardens during the 

 past week include a B'lrrowing Owl {Spiotybo ctinkiilana) from 

 South America, presented by the Rev. Basil Wilberforce ; a 

 Vulpine Phalanger {Phalangista vulpina ?) born in the 

 (^ hardens. 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 O'Gyalla. Spectroscopic Catalogue. — The systematic 

 survey with the spectroscope, undertaken for the northern 

 heavens several years ago, by Piof. Vogel and Dr. Duner, tlie 

 former examining the region from Decl i" S. to Decl. 40° N., 

 and the latter that from Decl. 40"" N. up to the Pole, has been 

 now carried some considerable distance into the southern hemi- 

 sphere by Dr. N. de Konkoly and his assistant. Dr. Koves- 

 ligethy ; and the second part of the eighth volume of the O'Gyalla 

 observations, which has recently appeared, contains a spectro- 

 scopic catalogue of the stars down to mag. 7-5, lying between 

 Decl. 15° S. and the equator. The work was commenced in 

 August 18S3, and was completed in August 1886, 2797 spectra 

 having been observed on ninety nights. A number of these 

 were observed on more than one night, so that the resulting 

 catalogue contains only 2022 stars. Vogel's arrangement of 

 types was followed, so that the present catalogue is on the same 

 lines as those of Vogel and Duner. The annexed table gives 

 the number of stars ranged under each type. 



I.rt. I \.h. 

 990 I 4 



I ^?| I.' 

 12 I I 



Continuous. 

 41 



\\\n.\ \\.b.\n\.a 

 I 865 I 2 I 87 



M inochromatic. I ? 



3 i 14 



\\\.b. 

 3 



The three monochromatic 

 minute planetary nebulcc. 



spectra indicate the presence of 

 There was only one star spectrum 

 suspected of showing a bright line, a star of mag. 65 about 

 50' « of C Orionis. This latter star, together with j3, 5, and e of 

 the same constellation, Dr. Konkoly finds to be variable as to 

 its spectrum. It is to be hoped that the details of the observa- 

 tions upon which so important a statement is based will be 

 published. And it is alsD to be desired that the work which 

 has been carried so far may now be taken up by some southern 

 observer, and the remaining portion of the heavens surveyed. 

 It is to such works as the present, and the similar labours of 



Vogel and Duner, that we must look for evidence of such 

 physical changes amongst the stars as Dr. Konkoly would seem 

 to predicate of the principal stars of Orion. 



ASTROKOMrCAL PRIZES OF THE PARIS ACADEMY OF 



Sciences. — The Lalande Prize of the Academy has been 

 decreed to M. Duner for his micrometric measures of double 

 stars, and for his researches on spectra of the third type. M. 

 Perigaud, of the Observatory of Paris, receives the Valz Prize 

 for his important astronomical labours. Amongst those 

 specially mentioned are his determinations of the division 

 errors of four of the circles, and of the absolute flexure of 

 the two princioal meridian instruments of the Paris Observatory. 

 The Janssen Prize for important progress in physical astronomy 

 — in the recent sense of the term — awarded this year for the 

 first time, was most appropriately assigned to the late Prof. 

 Kirchhoff. Amongst the general prizes of the Academy should 

 be noted the Arago Medal decreed to M. Bischoffsheim for his 

 great and generous aid to science, and especially for his magni- 

 ficent foundation of the Nice Observatory. This prize also is 

 now given for the first time. The La Caze Physical Prize is 

 given to MM. Paul and Prosper Henry, chiefly for their great 

 achievements in astronomical photography. 



The subject for the Damoiseau Prize for 1888 is proposed in 

 the following question : To perfect the theory of inequalities of 

 long period caused by the planets in the movement of the moon ; 

 to see if they exist sensibly beyond those already known. 



New Observatory in Vienna. — The observatory of Herr 

 M. von Kufifner, the erection of which was commenced in the 

 summer of 1884, has been practically completed. The building 

 is cruciform in shape, and is 82 feet from east to west, and 61 

 from north to south. The meridian instrument is by Repsold, 

 and has an aperture of 4*9 inches, and a focal length of 5 feet ; 

 the eyepiece and object-gla^s are interchangeable ; the circle is 

 21 "6 inches in diameter, and is divided to 2' and read by four 

 microscopes. The principal equatorial is by the same maker, 

 and has an aperture of 106 inches, and focal length of 12 feet 

 6 inches, with a finder of 2 "6 inches aperture, and 26 inches 

 focal length. The co-ordinates of the observatory are pro- 

 visionally given as long. = ih. 5m. ii'is. east of Greenwich, 

 and lat. = 48' 12' 47" "2 N. 



ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA FOR THE 

 WEEK \U% JANUARY 15-21. 



/"pO^ the reckoning of time the civil day, commencing at 

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

 is here employed.) 



At Greenwich on January 15 



Sunrises, 8I1. 2m. ; souths, I2h, 9m. 31.'3^- ; sets, r6h. 17m. : 



right asc. on meridian, I9h. 47'im. ; decl. 21° 10' S. 



Sidereal Time at Sunset, 23H. S5m. 

 Moon (at First Quarter on January 21, 5h.) rises, 9h. l8m. ; 



souths, I4h. im. ; sets, l8fi. 51m,: right a^c. on meridian, 



2lh. 39 'Sm. ; decl. 15° 14' S. 



Right asc. and declination 



Planet. Rises. Souths. Sets. on meridian. 



h. m. h. m. h. tn, h. m. , , 



Mercury.. 8 9 ... 12 2 .. 15 55 ... 19 39-4 ... 23 26 S. 



Venus ... 4 52 ... 9 7 .. 13 2J ... 16 44-5 ... 20 o S. 



Mars ... 00... 5 36 ... II 12 ... 13 12-8 ... 5 17 S. 



Japiter ... 3 56 ... 8 16 ... 12 36 ... 1.5 52-5 ... 19 19 S. 



Saturn ... 16 58*... o 49 ... 8 40 ... 8 24 9 ... 19 47 N. 



Uranus... 23 56*... 5 28 ... II o ... 13 4-5 ... 6 9 S. 



Nepttme.. 12 23 ... 20 3 ... 3 43*... 3 42-1 ... 17 55 N. 



* Indicates that the risiii? is that of the preceding evening and the setting 

 that of the following morning. 



Jan 

 i8 



h. 

 20 



Mercury in superior conjunction with the 

 Sun. 



Meteor- Skow:rs. 



R.A. Decl. 



Near irj Orionis T2 ... 5 N. ... January 15-20. 



From Canes Venalici. 180 ... 35 N. ... Swift ; streaks. 



Near fl Aurigoe 295 ... 53 N. ... "January 14-17. 



