A \TURE 



i . 12. 1 9 1 8 



OUR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 The Harvest Moon.— The Septembei full moon 

 occurs th i oth at i.) p.m. G.M.I . t>u1 . 



although this neai 1 1 n - .hiiumim.iI equinox, the 



daily retardation of the time ol rising about Full moon 

 is noi thi smallest possible on account oi the uu- 

 position ol the moon's node. 'I he fol- 

 lowing are the Greenwich mean times of rising, 



;, and selling from Septeml Sep- 



tember 28 : — 



Rises Souths Sets 



Sept. 13, 1.58 V|,i. ,;, 5.35 Sept. 13, 9'M 



14, 2.46 14, 6.48 14. 10.56 



15, 3.25 15, 7.4.' 16, 0. 6 



16, 3.58 in. 8.36 [7, 1.23 



17, ( 6 17, 9.29 18, --.44 

 is 4.5] [{J, [o 1.1. 4. 8 

 in. 5. 14 mi, iin 20, 5.34 



Tin: New Star in Aquila. — A preliminary account 

 of some valuable photographs of the spectrum of 

 Nova Aquilre obtained during June at the Dominion 

 Observatory, Ottawa, has been given by Dr. W. E. 

 Harper (Journ. Roy. Ast. Soc. Canada, vol. xii., 

 p. 268). The photographs of June 9 are of special 

 importance as showing thai the absorption bands 

 which preceded tin appearance of bright lines were 

 already strongly displaced to the violet sides of their 

 normal positions, the displacements corresponding with 

 1250 km. per sec. if interpreted in terms of motion. 

 Emission bands on tin- red sides of these absorption 

 bands were first recorded, a-- elsewhere, on June 10. 

 On June 10, 13, 14, and 15 the absorption bands 

 accompanying tin- I. light bands of hydrogen were 

 double, the displacements of the two components 

 representing velocities of 1350 and 2200 km. on 

 June 10, and 1700 and 2300 km. on June 15. From 

 June 17 to June 23 only the less refrangible com- 

 - of the absorption bands were present, and 

 the velocit} indicated was 1750 km. pet sei 



1 1 and K lines appeared on all the plates, and 

 thesi maintained the same positions throughout, theii 

 displai in. -.enting a velocity of 22 km. pel 



sec. tow h -.ilar system. 



From a circular issued by the Government \stio- 

 nomer, it a| hat the new star was independenth 



detected in New /..-aland bv Mr. \. G. Crust at 

 G.M.T. Tune 8d. 2ih. 40m., and bv Mr. G. V. Hudson 

 at G.M.t. June Nd. 23I1. 15m. 



The nova is --till visit I. to the naked eye, tin magni- 

 tude being about 5, with small oscillations. The 

 nebula 1 I.. I... ■ spectrum are strongly 



marked. 



Wolf's COMET. Mi. i observed this 



comet on Septembei - with th "-in. at Greenwich. 

 At midnight it preceded the star BD4-22°3oiS 1>\ 

 im. 33-67S., and was 25-6* south of it. The magni- 

 tude was estimated as 12-8, .and the diameter was 36*. 

 Harold Thomson observed it on August 31 with 

 his o-in. reflector at Newcastle. He estimated the 

 magnitude as 12, and stated that there was a central 

 condensation of light, but no stellar nucleus. The 

 rees closely with Kamensky's ephemeris. 

 NO. 2550. VOL. I02] 



NEW SCIENTTFK I- [CTORS l\ 

 INDUSTRY. 



ONE ..I th. impressions >.l tin British S 

 Product! Exhibition that remain in the n 

 is the silent revolution that many departments ..t 

 industry bave undergone sinci thi .mh began by 



1 >ses which could only result from scientifi 



search. Amorfg tin- processes which have thus been 

 affected, mention may be made of the nreldin 

 aluminium, copper, and other non-fen. .u- metals b) 

 n.w-.ii el\ line branches in which German workers 

 were pre-eminent before the war. Mr. C. R. Darling 

 has shown that continuous research in this direction 

 ha- resulted in great improvenfente being effected. 

 "Thermit" processes, formed) under German 

 trol, have now passed into British hands, and most 

 of the compositions used are now made in this 

 country, patient investigation having overcome die 

 difficulties involved. A great advance has been n 

 in the art of electric-arc welding, which is now used 

 in the production of " rivetless " ships. This process 

 was in its infancy at the outbreak of war, and at 

 that time was more highly developed in Germany 

 than in other countries. The excellent progress made 

 has been due to the enterprise of the firms which 

 have specialised in this work, and systemati. 

 searches are in hand with the view of finding methods 

 for producing the most satisfactory welds at tin 

 minimum of cost. Arc-welding is capable "I applica- 

 tion to non-ferrous metals, and is destined to pla\ 

 an increasingly important part in the future. 



The production of high-class steel by the el. 

 furnace has been developed extensively during the past 

 four years. In 1913 the number of electric steel fur- 

 naces in Europe and America was 114; to-day then 

 are probably as many in England alone. Mr. Darling 

 Suggested that in the event of a large super-]" 

 station for the production of cheap electricity being 

 erected near London, it is quite possible that tin 

 metropolis may become an important steel-refining 

 centre. The spraying of metals on to cold surfaces 

 by the Schoop process has so far not met with 

 extended application, but it has been suggested that 

 concrete ships might be coated with metal in this 

 manner, so as to prevent the destructive action of 

 sea-water. In the production of materials bj the 

 electric furnace, Mr. Darling reminded us that Britain 

 has always been backward, and remains so. Cheap 

 electrical power is needed for the success of this 

 branch of industry, and up to the present these ml.. 

 st. .mis have been produced at the hydro-electric in- 

 stallations ai Niagara, in Norway, and elsewhere. 

 Calcium carbide is now made in considerable quanti- 

 ties at Manchester, but the cost is far greater than 

 in the case of Norway, owing to the difference in tin- 

 cost of power. On the other hand, it is now possible 

 to obtain electric power as cheaply on tin Tyne as at 

 Niagara, and there appears to be no good reason 

 win carborundum and alundum, now universally used 

 as abrasives, should not be made in this country. 

 The same applies to artificial graphite and otln-i 

 ducts now extensively manufactured at Niagara. 



In the future, furnace products are bound to increase 

 in importance; in particular, refractories urgently 

 needed F01 electric steel smelting may be expected to 

 I..- Forthcoming, and it is a matter for regrel that 

 this branch of high-temperature work has been 

 l.ei.d in Britain. Facilities for research on electric- 

 furnace products on a reasonably large scale ate non- 

 existent, and it is urgently important that this defect 

 should !>. remedied at once. An exception to the 

 general neglect of electric-furnace products mentioned 

 li\ M. Darling is provided bv vitreous silica, a 

 material discovered in this country and now 



