594 



NA TURE 



[Februakv 23, 1905 



Perhaps one advantage of the north-west over the 

 east coast is that the former will be very much the 

 cooler, but in eclipse matters sky conditions precede 

 temperature considerations. 



With regard to such matters as suitable sites for 

 instruments, their safety, guards for camps, build- 

 ing materials, &c., the Spanish Government can be 

 depended upon to render every assistance to those 

 who apply through the proper channels, and the 

 valuable aid they gave to parties during the eclipse 

 of igoo is still in the memory of many observers. 



Those who wish to know something about the 

 routes to Spain, the methods of travel and approxi- 

 mate cost, will find some interesting and useful in- 

 formation in an article recently writen by Mr. G. F. 

 Chambers, and published in the Journal of the British 

 -Astronomical Asociation (vol. xv., No. 2, p. 93). 

 -Another source of information specially useful to 

 those visiting Spain is a publication just received from 

 the -Astronomical Observatorv of Madrid, entitled 



sky covered by 10, then 2 or 3 would represent the 

 condition of cloudiness at Philippeville. 



-As regards temperature, the diurnal variation has 

 an amplitude of g° C. or 10° C, the mean tempera- 

 ture being 24° C. (75° F.). By night the tempera- 

 ture would thus be about 18° C. or ig° C. (64" F. 

 or 66° F.), and at two hours after noon the maximum 

 day temperature would reach 29° C. or 30'^ C. 

 (84° F. or 86° F.). For stations situated some tens 

 of miles inland there is a very rapid increase of day 

 temperature. 



The prevailing winds in -August vary from N.E. 

 to N.W'., i.e. are sea winds; they are not strong, 

 and are not much augmented by the sea breeze. 



In Egypt the prospect of fine weather in -August 

 is also very great, so that observers who go to that 

 region need not be very anxious, at any rate about 

 clouds. 



It is impossible at present to give a full or even 

 final statement regarding the distribution of parties 



-The path of the tot.ilily 



■ihern .\fric.i. For three stations the duration of totality and the altitude of the sun during the eclipse 

 are marked on the map. 



" Memoria sobre el Eclipse Total de Sol del dia 30 

 de .Agosto de 1905." This has been prepared by the 

 director, Senor Francisco Iniguez, and contains details 

 about climate and many useful maps, in addition to 

 data about the eclipse itself. 



The weather conditions for the stations situated 

 in .Algeria, Tunis, and Tripoli seem to be very favour- 

 able, and should be made the most of. For Algeria, 

 and more especially for the neighbourhood of 

 Philippeville, we have some useful facts which have 

 been communicated through M. Mascart by M. A. 

 Angot, of the Bureau Central Meteorologique, Paris. 

 Dealing first with cloud and rain, we learn that 

 during the months of July and .August Philippeville 

 is the clearest and driest of all the coast stations in 

 Algeria, the mean rainfall for these months amount- 

 ing to 4 and 10 millimetres respectively out of a 

 total of 807 millimetres for the whole year. The 

 average number of rainy days for each month totals 

 two or three. Storms are rare, but increase towards 

 the interior. If we represent clear sky by o and 



NO. 1843, VOL. 71] 



along the line of totality, but the following pre- 

 liminary, but incomplete, list may be of interest, and 

 indicates not only the regions that will be occupied 

 by most of the British expeditions, but the chief 

 tvpes of observations that are proposed during the 

 brief interval of totality. For the greater part of 

 this information I am indebted to Major E. H. Hills, 

 C.M.G., secretary of the Joint Permanent Eclipse 

 Committee of the Royal Society and Royal .Astro- 

 nomical Society : — 



Lahraaor. 



Lick Observers 



(Canadian parlies probably! 



Spain. 



Mr. lohn Evershed. Near Burgos. 



f Search for intra-mercurial 

 -! planets. Large scale 

 \ corona photographs. 



f Prismatic reflector photo- 

 . - graphy of chromosphere 



