4IO 



NA TURE 



[February 4, 1909 



thev serve as a convenient record of scientific activity in 

 Nova Scotia. The earliest volume contains an interesting 

 paper, by Dr. A. H. MacKay, on phenological observa- 

 tions in Nova Scotia and Canada during 1904, from which 

 it appears that more than 300 accurate and full schedules 

 of observations were sent in from as many public schools 

 in Nova Scotia, and were referred in groups to a pheno- 

 logical staff for examination, selection, and compilation. 

 This utilisation of the energy of young students of science 

 throughout the province is a hopeful sign for the future 

 of scientific research in that part of the Empire. The same 

 number contains a full account of the edible wild plants 

 of Nova Scotia by Mr. Walter H. Prest, and several 

 papers on the geology of different areas in the province. 

 During the session 1905-6, the flora of McNab's Island, 

 Halifax Harbour, was described by Dr. John H. Barbour, 

 and a catalogue of the birds of Prince Edward Island 

 prepared by Mr. John MacSwain.- The fungi of Nova 

 Scotia are being studied by Dr. A. H. MacKay, and a 

 first supplementary list appears in the first part of vol. 

 xii., which also contains notes on the mineral fuels of 

 Canada, by Dr. R. \V. Ells. Mr. H. Jermain M. Creigh- 

 ton, of Dalhousic University, contributes numerous papers 

 TO these Transactions, among which we notice that on the 

 influr-ncn of radium on the decomposition of hydriodic 

 acid. 



From the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Wash- 

 ington, D.C., we have received a useful pamphlet giving 

 the titles, descriptions, authors' names, &c., of the publi- 

 cations of the institution. The editions of each work are 

 generally restricted to 1000 copies, and bound in cloth, 

 and the prices quoted in the present list refer to the cloth- 

 bound works. The different works treat of a wide range 

 of subjects, among which astronomy, biology, and physics 

 arc well represented. All communications respecting these 

 works should be addressed to the institution as above. 



OVR ASTRONOMICAL COLUMN. 

 Astronomical Occurrences in February : — 

 Feb. 6. 22h. 12m. Jupiter in conjunction with Moon 

 (Jupiter 3° 53' S.). 

 12. Saturn. Major axis of Ring = 38''l8, minor axis = 



4"'49- 

 „ loh. 54m. Minimum of Algol (fl Persei). 

 15. 7h. 43m. Minimum of Algol {$ Persei). 

 ,, 8h. 43m. Mars in conjunction wilh Moon (Mars 



0° r N.). 



,, Apparent diimeter of Mirs = 5"'4, Jupiter = 4l"'0, 

 Saturn = 15 "-2. 



19. 9h. 49m. to I3h. 9ai. Transit of Jupiter's Satellite 

 III. (Ganymede). 



22. 7h. 29m. Saturn in conjunction wilh Moon (Saturn 

 2° 52' N.) 



24. I4h. 42m. to iSh. 36m. Transit of Jupiter's Satel- 

 lite IV. (Ca'listo). 



26. I3h. 5m. to i6h. 26m. Transit of Jupiter's Satellite 



III. (Ganymede). 



27. 6h. 47m. to 7h. 31m. Occultation of 105 Tauri 



(mag. 5-8). 

 ,, I2h. 42m. to I3h. 31m. Occultation of r; Tauri 

 (mag. 5-2). 



Jupiter's Eighth Moon. — .^ telegram from Greenwich, 

 published in No. 4299 of the Astronomische Nachrichten 

 (p. 47, January 22), announces that Jupiter's eighth satellite 

 ■was photographed there on January 16. From two photo- 

 graphs it was found that the daily motion was — i6s., +1', 

 and that the magnitude of the satellite was 17-0. The 

 position determined from these photographs is in close 

 accordance with the Cowell-Crommelin elements. 



The Problem of Several Bodies. — In an address 

 ■delivered before Seclion A — Astronomy and Mathematics — 



XO. 2049, VOL. 79] 



of the American .Association for the Advancement of 

 .Science, Baltimore, 1908, the chairman of the section. 

 Prof. E. O. Lovett, gave a valuable resumi of the recent 

 progress made in the solution of the problem of several 

 bodies. An abstract of this address now appears in Science 

 (No. 733, p. 81, N.S., vol. xxix.). 



Commencing with \\'hittaker's formulation of the classic 

 problem of three bodies, Prof. Lovett proceeds to 

 enumerate, very briefly but very clearly, the results of 

 various attempts to obtain particular solutions and their 

 generalisations. The paper is too comprehensive even to 

 summarise here, but some idea of the thorough treatment 

 the subject receives may be gathered from the fact that 

 it refers to no fewer than ninety-three workers who 

 have contribulcd to the solution of the problem, and in 

 each case gives suflicient information to enable the reader 

 to see which particular part of the subject each worker 

 attacked. 



An Eccentric Variable Star. — In No. 4299 of the 

 Astronomische Nachrichten (p. 47, January 22) Miss Mary 

 W. Whitney directs attention to the unusual variations 

 lately exhibited by the variable SS Cygni. Since October 

 3, igo8, the star has varied almost continuously, although 

 irregularly, and at minimum has not fallen to its usual 

 limit; the lowest minimum recorded was about mag. loS, 

 the highest mag. 10-5. The maxima, too, have differed 

 from those usually looked for, the brightest being mag. 

 8-q. The light curves, though irregular, have been rather 

 of the anomalous than of the usual type. 



The Minor Planet Patroclus (617). — A bi-daily 

 ephemcris for the minor planet Patroclus, of the Jupiter 

 group, is continued by Herr \'. Heinrich in No. 4299 of 

 the Astronomisclic Xachrichtcn (p. 45). This pphemeris 

 extends from January 4 (opposition took place pn 

 January 6) to March 19, and the probable magnitude is 

 given as 12-9. 



An observation made by Prof. Wolf on January q gives 

 a correction of — om. 39s., +3'-3, to the cphemeris posi- 

 tion, and shows that the photographic magnitude is less 

 than 13-0. 



Determination of the .\pex and N'ertkx from thf. 

 Stars in the Porter Catalogue. — From an analysis of 

 the proper motions of the 1340 stars given in the Porter 

 catalogue, Herr S. Beljawsky has obtained values for the 

 positions of the apex and vertex respectively, which he 

 publishes in No. 4291 of the Astronomische Nachrichten. 

 The analysis was made by dividing the catalogue stars 

 into thirty regions, and the final values obtained are : — 

 apex, .■\='28i°, D=-f36°; vertex, A = 266°, D=— 24°. 



Colours of Stars in Galactic and Non-galactic 

 Regions. — Continuing his investigations of the relation- 

 ships existing between star colours, spectral class, magni- 

 tude, &c., Mr. Franks made an analysis of the colours 

 and magniludes of 3630 stars, given in the Revised 

 Harvard Photometry, between the north pole .md declina- 

 tion 25° .S. 



As a result of this analysis he finds that the distribution 

 of white and of coloured stars is not symmetrical ; there 

 is a striking preponderance of white stars in the galactic, 

 as compared with the non-galactic, regions. 



Mr. Franks interprets this result as showing an un- 

 doubted physical connection between the colours of stars 

 and the galaxy, and suggests that the latter is probably 

 the newest and most vigorous part of the stellar universe 

 (Monthly Notices, R..\.S., vol. |xix.. No. 2, p. 106, 

 December, 190S). 



Popular Astronomy. — Evidence of Ihe increased interest 

 taken in astronomy by the general public is to be found 

 in the fact that several daily papers now devote space to 

 astronomical news. 



From this point of view it is interesting to note that 

 the Daily Telegraph of January 27 contained a map of the 

 February sky, wilh notes on the objects which may be 

 observed ; this article is the first of a monthly series. We 

 also remark that the Yorkshire Wcehh Post is publishing 

 a series of articles by Mr. J. H. Elgie, who in a recent 

 issue directed attention to the possibility of a connection 

 between solar activity and earthquake phenomena. 



