March 3, 1892] 



NA TURE 



429 



the Professorship of Botany ; Prof. Dewar an Elector to the 

 Professorship of Chemistry ; Prof Liveing an Elector to the 

 Jacksonian Professorship ; Prof. G. H. Darwin an Elector to 

 the Cavendish Professorship of Physics ; Prof. Sir G. G. Stokes 

 an Elector to the Professorship of Mineralogy ; Dr. J. Hopkin- 

 son an Elector to the Professorship of Mechanism and Applied 

 Mechanics ; Prof. Ray Lankester an Elector to the Professor- 

 ship of Zoology ; Mr. W. H. Hudleston to the Woodwardian 

 Professorship of Geolofjy ; and Dr. Gaskell an Elector to the 

 Professorship of Physiology. 



At the Congregation on February 25, graces for the establish- 

 ment of two lectureships in Agricultural Science, one of which 

 should be held by a Diiector of Agricultural Studies, were 

 rejected by 103 votes to 91 A grace for the appointment of a 

 Syndicate to consider the question of degrees in science was 

 rejected by 154 voles to 105. The latter was opposed by a 

 number of the teachers in natural science, as tending to place 

 their students in a position of isolation, and perhaps of inferiority, 

 as compared with others. 



The Rev. W. M. Campion, D.D., Fourth Wrangler in 

 the Mathematical Tripos of 1849, and formerly an Examiner 

 for the Mathematical and Moral Sciences Tripos, was on 

 February 23 unanimously elected President of Queen's College, 

 in succession to the late Dr. G. Phillips. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 London. 



Royal Society, February 25. — "Note on the New Star in 

 Auriga " By J. Norman I.ockyer, F.R.S. 



Since my note of February ii, observations of the new star 

 have only been possible at Kensington on seven evenings — 

 namely, February 11, 12, 13, 16, 22, 23, and 24. The 13th 

 and 22nd were the only two very fine nights. 



The star now appears to be fading. In the photograph of 

 the region taken on February 3, the Nova appeared to be 

 brighter than x Aurigae (magnitude 5'0), but in that taken on 

 February 23 it is not brighter than the companion to this star, 

 which is fainter than sixth magnitude. No marked diminution 

 in brightness was noticed before February 22. 



The colour has not appreciably changed since the star was 

 first observed. 



Photographs of the spectrum were attempted on all the dates 

 named. Those of February il, 12, 16, and 23, however, were 

 insufficiently exposed, but they show that the dark lines were 

 still more refrangible than the accompanying bright ones, and 

 that the same lines were present as in the previous photographs. 

 A plate was exposed for 2 hours 35 minutes on February 

 24, but no impression was obtained. The photograph taken 

 on Febraary 13 is identical with those referred to in the notes 

 which I have already communicated to the Society. In the 

 three photographs of February 22, there appears to be a slight 

 diminution in the intensity of the H and K lines, but otherwise 

 there is no decided change. 



There is no evidence of revolution during the twenty days of 

 observation. In all the photographs the dark lines are more 

 refrangible than the bright ones, and the relative velocity de- 

 duced from those of February 3, 7, 13, and 22 appears to be 

 about 600 miles per second. As this only represents the velocity 

 in the line of sight, we are still ignorant of the real velocities of 

 the two bodies. The constant relative velocity indicated by 

 the displacement of the bright and dark lines may be regarded 

 as confirming the supposition that two meteor-swarms or comets 

 have collided, the velocities being so great, and the masses so 

 small, that neither was captured by the other. 



The relative velocity of 600 miles per second seems at first 

 sight to be abnormally great, but if we regard each of the com- 

 ponent swarms as moving at the rate of 300 miles per second, the 

 velocities are quite comparable with those of other bodies in 

 space. The star 1830 Groombridge, for example, moves at the 

 rate of 200 miles per second across the line of sight, and its real 

 velocity may be much greater. 



Eye observations have been made on every available occasion. 

 The chief variation from those previously reported is the general 

 fading of the continuous spectrum, and the consequent unmasking 

 of the linrs between b and D. Micrometric measures of four 

 new lines in this region were made by Mr. Fowler on February 

 23 and 24. These, with the other lines observed at Kensington in 

 the region F to C, are shown in the table which follows. The 

 corresponding lines observed in the spectra of new stars which 

 have previously appeared, and those in the spectra of some of 

 the bright-line stars, are added for comparison. 



It will be seen that all the lines of Nova Aurigae have pre- 

 viously been recorded in other Nova;, or in the bright-line 

 stars. 



The complete spectrum, including the photographic region, 

 is shown in a diagram (which was exhibited). This, and the light 

 curve of the spectrum from F to C, were drawn by Mr, Fowler 

 and Mr. W. J. Lockyer on February 22, and confirmed by 

 Mr. Fowler on February 23. The 3-foot reflector and McClean 

 spectroscope were employed in each case. 



The changes which are taking place in the Nova are exactly 

 what would be expected according to iny hypothesis that new 

 stars are produced by the collisions of meteor-swarms. The 



NO. II 66, VOL. 45] 



rapid fading of the star demonstrates that small bodies and not 

 large ones are engaged, and this is further confiruied by the 

 observed diminution in the brightness of the continuous spec- 

 trum relatively to the bright lines. If two condensed t>odies 

 were in collision, it is evident that the lines would fade first. 



Chemical Society, February 4. — Prof. A. Crum Brown, 

 F. R.S., President, in the chair.— The following papers were 

 read : — Pedeiic motion in relation to colloidal solutions, by W. 

 Ramsay. The pedetic or Brownian motion of small particles^ 

 depends (i) on the size of the particles, (2) on their density, 

 and (3) on the nature of the medium in which they are sus- 



