July 20, 191 1] 



NATURE 



91 



central upon the plates. The photographs show, however, 

 the inner corona and some details and extensions mainly 

 on the north-eastern and south-western edges, reaching out 

 in places to a distance of more than half the sun', apparent 

 diameter. The size of the photographic image of the sun's 

 disc upon the plates is nearly one and one-fifth inch. No 

 member of the shore party, or of the party aboard the 

 Annapolis, reported having seen these coronal extensions, or 

 any stars, which fact is probably due to the comparative 

 brightness during totality, writing being easily legible. The 

 times of the four contacts were observed by the shore party, 

 as well as aboard; the observed duration of totality was 

 2m. is. 



The magnetic observations cannot be discussed until those 

 made at other stations within and without the eclipse track 

 are available for comparison. 



The Light of Algol's Companion. — In a previous paper 

 Mr. Joel Stebbins arrived at the conclusion, from his 

 selenium photometer observations, that the companion of 

 Algol is brighter on one side than the other, the difference 

 bring caused by reflection and by the heating effect of the 

 primary on the one side, chiefly the latter. His argument 

 for the untenability of the reflection theory having been 

 questioned, he returns to the subject in No. 5, vol. xxxiii. 

 of the Astrophysical Journal, and shows by a different 

 method that only a small portion of the extra light can be 

 din' to reflection. Our knowledge of the radiations emitted 

 by the satellite is insufficient to determine the question 

 definitely, but it is evident that radiation, f and not reflection, 

 is the chief cause of the extra brightness of the one side. 



Observations of Mira. — The maximum of Mira which 

 took place in July, 1910, was observed at the Catania and 

 Utrecht observatories, and the results appear in No. 4506 

 of the Astronomische Nachrichten. 



Dr. Bemporad finds that the maximum, mag. Vi. took 

 place on July 21, iqio, and the neighbouring minima on 

 March 25, iqio, and February 17, 1911, respectively ; for 

 the maximum, this was fourteen days earlier than predicted 

 by Guthnick's ephemeris. The mean period would appear 

 to be aboul 318 days, and the range of magnitude nearly 7. 



Prof. Nijland's observations give a maximum, of mag. ;,'.'. 

 on July 20, 1910, and a tabulated comparison of observed 

 dates, with predicted dates for the last seven maxima, shows 

 a period ranging from 342 to 310 days. 



Micrometer Measures of Jupiter. — .Dr. Lau continues 

 his series of papers on Jupiter in No. 4509 of the Astronom- 

 ische Nachrichten, where he records the micrometer mea- 

 sures, mad.' during the opposition of 1910, of many different 

 features. A number of minor changes from the previous 

 oppositions were noted, the matt-white egg-shaped mass 

 which was so marked a feature of the 1905 opoosition being 

 totally invisible. The geometrical network joining bands 

 iii. and iv. was frequently seen and its points measured. 

 Sketches of the Red Spot region show that while on 

 April to, 1910, the spot was of the usual pointed-egg shape, 

 on May -1 ils western extremity had become rectangular, 

 and on Mav 10 dark masses of matter at the middle of both 

 sides gave it an egg-boiler form. 



Photographs of the Aurora Borealis. — Prof. Carl 

 Stormer, of Christiania, sends us abstracts from the 

 Comptes rendus, in which he describes his method of taking 

 simultaneous photographs of the aurora for the purpose 

 of determining its altitude, and gives the results so far 

 obtained. The photographs accompanying the papei oi 

 Ma} 1 arc very striking, and were taken in northern 

 Norway during February and March, iqin, while from 

 the diagrammatic summary of the results it is seen 

 that the greatest proportion of aurora? measured were at 

 altitudes ranging from 100-150 kms. 



The Ephemeris for Hali.ey's Comet. — Preliminary mea- 

 sures of plates showing Halley's comet, taken with the 

 Crossley reflector during the period March 27 to Mav 27, 

 are published by Dr. H. D. Curtis in No. 4506 of the 

 Astronomische Nachrichten. A comparison with Dr. 

 Ebell's ephemerides shows that the necessarv corrections to 

 the latter are of the order of only +12S. and — o'2' to — o"g'. 



The Differential Quality of the Moon's Reflected 

 Light. — No. 4510 of the Astronomische Nachrichten is 

 accompanied by a splendid two-colour photographic repro- 



NO. 2177, VOL. 87] 



duction of the full moon, showing the different quality of 

 the light reflected by different regions of the lunar surface. 

 The reproduction is from negatives obtained by Dr. Miethe 

 and Herr Seegert, whose work and results have already 

 been described in these columns. 



Sutton Double Star Observations. — Dr. Doberck con- 

 tinues his record of double star observations made at 

 Sutton in No. 4507 of the Astronomische Nachrichten. 

 These particular observations were made during 1910-11, 

 and deal with more than too doubles, including a 

 Geminorium and a Leonis. 



The Canyon Diablo, or Coon Butte, Meteorites. — 

 An interesting paper by Mr. C. R. Keyes, dealing with the 

 multeity of meteorites in the Painted Desert, Arizona, 

 appears in No. 9, vol. xix., of the Transactions of the 

 Academy of Science of St. Louis. After discussing the 

 volcanic nature and the general geology of the surround- 

 ing land, the author arrives at the conclusion that Coon 

 Butte, a conspicuous mound, was not formed by any 

 abnormal meteoric fall, as has been frequently suggested, 

 but is probably of volcanic origin. That such immense 

 numbers ot meteoric stones ("heavy stones" or "green 

 stones ") have been secured in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood he explains by the extraordinary dryness of the atmo- 

 sphere preventing weathering, and the assiduity with which 

 the objects have been sought; in fact, he suggests that 

 .m\ d'-sert district enjoying similar climatic conditions 

 would probably prove as fruitful in these objects as has the 

 Painted Desert. 



UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT IN WALES. 



Opening of New Buildings by the King and Queen. 



THE visit of the King and Queen to North Wales in 

 connection with the historical ceremony of investiture 

 of the Prince of Wales at Carnarvon has been happily asso- 

 ciated with two events of international as well as national 

 interest : the opening of the new buildings of the University 

 College of North Wales at Bangor by the King, and the 

 laying of two foundation stones of the National Library of 

 Wales at Aberystwyth by King George and Quei n Mary. 



The development of the university movement in Wales 

 will probablv stand out as a unique feature in contem- 

 porary history, owing to the large extent to which its 

 success depends on popular enthusiasm and support. It 

 owes its inauguration to the foundation, in 1872, of the 

 institution in Aberystwyth, which still bears the name, 

 " University College of Wales." When the establishment of 

 colleges for North and South Wales was decided on as a 

 result of the deliberations of the Government Committee 

 appointed in 1880, the appeal for funds met with an enthu- 

 siastic response, not only from the wealthier, but also from 

 the poorest classes of the community, the miners and 

 quarrymen at Bethesda contributing their shillings, and 

 even the children in the board schools contributing their 

 pence. The question of permanent buildings was, how- 

 ever, deferred until the movement had time to mature, 

 with the result that the work of the University College at 

 Bangor has up till this vear been carried on entirely in 

 the buildings of the old Penrhyn Arms Hotel, while until 

 recentlv the college at Cardiff was wholly located in what 

 had previously been an infirmary. 



It was only four years ago that King Edward laid the 

 Foundation stone of the buildings which were opened by 

 his son last Friday, and in the interval there has been 

 raised in Upper Bangor a fine college, the architectural 

 features of which will compare favourably with those of 

 the more ancient foundations of Oxford and Cambridge. 

 As will be seen from the illustrations, the college stands on 

 a hill overlooking the old town of Bangor, in a park the 

 slopes of which are in the spring covered with bluebells. 

 1 1 is quadrangular in form, the class-rooms being on the 

 first and second floors facing the park, while the other 

 sides of the quadrangle are occupied by administrative 

 buildings, examination rooms, and studies, and the 

 Prichard Jones hall. On the left of the tower are seen the 

 museum and library, which, when the scheme is com- 

 pleted, will form the side of a great outer quadrangle, the 

 remaining sides being allocated to the science departments. 

 The work of these is, however, for the present, being con- 



