ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA AND PROGRESS. 



planet was discovered on the morning of Nov. 

 29, 1883, by Dr. Palisa, of Vienna. 



Distribution of the Asteroids in Spaee. Flam- 

 marion's " L'Astronomie " for June, 1883, con- 

 tains an article of much interest on the dis- 

 tribution of the asteroids between Mars and 

 Jupiter. The author, Gen. Parmentier, notices 

 well-defined gaps in those parts of the zone 

 where the periods would be commensurable 

 with that of Jupiter. His discussion of the 

 periods and distances is thus confirmatory of 

 Prof. Kirkwood's theory, published in 1866. 



Several asteroids lately discovered are still 

 without names ; the following have been con- 

 ferred during the current year: 



No. 224. Oceana. 

 u 225. Henrietta. 

 " 226. Weriniria. 

 " 227. Philosophic 

 " 229. Adelinda. 



No. 230. Athemantis. 

 " 281. Vindobona. 

 " 282. Russia. 

 " 234. Barbara. 



Jupiter. The great red spot on Jupiter, 

 which had been observed for several years, 

 gradually disappeared in 1883. Prof. Ricco, 

 of the Royal Observatory, Palermo, says that, 

 in September, the part of the surface recently 

 occupied by it bad become brilliantly white. 

 He infers from his own observations that the 

 neighborhood of the red spot had acquired the 

 same rate of motion as the spot itself. This 

 place is designated by a permanent depression 

 in the great belt in which the red spot was 

 situated. 



Prof. G. W. Hough, Director of the Dear- 

 born Observatory, Chicago, has for several 

 years made Jupiter a special object of atten- 

 tion. In his last annual report, May 9, 1883, 

 he says: " While the spot has remained nearly 

 stationary in latitude, the south edge of the 

 great Equatorial Belt has gradually drifted 

 south during the present opposition, until it is 

 nearly coincident with the middle of the spot. 

 But what is remarkable, the two do not blend 

 together, but are entirely distinct and separate. 

 A depression has formed in the edge of the 

 belt, corresponding in shape to the oval out- 

 line of the spot, the distance between the two 

 objects being about one second of arc. That 

 portion of the belt following the spot first 

 began to drift, forming a bend near the posi- 

 tion occupied by a curious offshoot, seen at 

 various times in 1880 and 1881. The non- 

 blending of the two objects would seem to in- 

 dicate that they are composed of matter hav- 

 ing repellent properties, similar to two clouds 

 charged with the same kind of electricity." 



It is suggested by Prof. Hough that the 

 red spot visible from 1878 to 1883 may have 

 been a return of the great spot observed by 

 Hook and Cassini from 1664 to 1666. It was 

 some distance south of the equator, and its 

 diameter was over 8,000 miles. It reappeared 

 and vanished eight times within forty-four 

 years from the date of its first discovery. If 

 the objects are the same, " we would naturally 

 infer that it was a portion of the solid body 

 of the planet; being sometimes rendered in- 

 visible by a covering of clouds." 



"The Observatory" for April contains a 

 communication by N. E. Green, on the relative 

 heights of markings on Jupiter. The white 

 spots, it is maintained, are at a higher level in 

 the atmosphere of the planet than the dark 

 ones. This theory is derived from a critical 

 examination of several hundred drawings of 

 the planet, taken within the past twenty years. 

 The reasons assigned by Mr. Green for the 

 adoption of his views are as follow : 



" 1. The general form of the light marks, 

 these being round, oval, or compact patches, 

 very unlike openings or rifts in a superficial 

 cloudy envelope. 2. That the. oval forms so 

 frequently seen on the equatorial side of the 

 dark southern belt, indent equally both the 

 dark belt and the general surface of the planet. 

 3. That the continuity of a long, dark streak 

 is occasionally broken by a patch of light broad- 

 er than the streak, the patch of light hiding, 

 therefore, not only the streak but a portion of 

 the general surface of the planet to the north 

 and south of it. The first reason, that of the 

 general form of the light markings, may seem 

 to be weak, but, taken in connection with their 

 relative position, is by no means inconclusive. 

 In March, 1874. lines of small round patches 

 of light, smaller than the satellites, were fre- 

 quently seen, looking like strings of pearls ; 

 these occurred generally on the dark southern 

 belt, but were occasionally seen in northern 

 and high southern latitudes. Now, if the 

 darker portions are uppermost, these surfaces 

 must have been pierced like the sides of a 

 man-of-war, in order that the light underlying 

 portion might be seen through the openings. 

 Again, in January, 1873, large oval masses of 

 light were so constant on the equatorial side 

 of the southern belt, that the belt itself looked 

 like a long, dark bridge with many arches ; 

 but let it be observed that these light forms 

 not only indented the dark belt on one side, 

 but equally indented the general tone of the 

 planet on the other ; and if we consider the 

 dark belt as being at a higher level, and the 

 light marks as portions of a continuous light 

 surface seen through its openings, we must 

 admit that some other envelope is also pierced 

 with similar openings, and that the two open- 

 ings coincide, in order that the oval form may 

 be complete a supposition which is not rec- 

 ommended by its probability. But the last 

 argument, that of the imposition of a mass of 

 light on a long, dark streak, is the most con- 

 clusive ; this has occurred several times since 

 the last opposition, the most marked instances 

 being on Feb. 18, at 8 h - 55 m - G. M. T., and 

 Feb. 24, at 8 h - 4o m - On the first date a broad 

 and some what square patch of light interrupted 

 the continuity of the darkest portion of the 

 southern belt, and, being broader than the belt, 

 extended in the direction of the equator over 

 the general tone of the planet. On Feb. 24th, 

 gh. ^gm., ft S q Uare p a tch of light was nearly on 

 the center of the disk ; this lay on a long, blu- 

 ish streak. The patch of light was consider- 



