Progress of Astronomy during the Year 1879. 483 
to neglect reading the “Theoria Motus” and Olbers’ celebrated 
“ Abhandlung,” still there are so many other papers with which 
it is necessary to become acquainted before attempting to com- 
pute the definitive orbit of a planet or a comet, and so many 
little dodges to learn, that a book like Oppolzer’s really supplies 
a great want. The book enters into the most minute details, and 
gives examples fully worked out to an extent which neither 
Watson’s excellent “ Theoretical Astronomy,” nor the shorter, 
though in some parts more comprehensive, “ ‘Theoretische 
Astronomie” by Klinkerfues, have attained. 
The medal of the Royal Astronomical Society was awarded to 
Professor Asaph Hall for his discovery of the Satellites ot Mars, 
and his computation of their orbits. Lord Lindsay, in a very 
able address, gave an account of Prof. Hall’s scientific Jabours. 
The Lalande prize of the Paris Academy was given to M. 
Stanislas Meunier for his researches on the constitution of 
meteorites (alluded to above). The Valz prize was adjudged to 
Dr. Julius Schmidt for his great map of the Moon. 
Mr. Stone having been appointed to the Radcliffe Observatory, 
Oxford, Mr. Gill succeeded him as Her Majesty’s Astronomer at 
the Cape. Mr. Gill purchased Lord Lindsay’s heliometer, with 
which he had already done such excellent work himself, and had 
it mounted on a new stand by Mr. Grubb. He intends to apply 
this instrument to investigations on the parallax of some stars 
having large proper motions, and to researches on southern star- 
clusters. 
Mr. J. W. Redhouse writes to Nature (xxi. p. 33), that the 
“ false dawn” in Arabic and Turkish means the zodiacal light, as 
lately found by Capt. Wharton, R.N., at Buyukdere. It is men- 
tioned in the Koran. 
Scien. Proc., R.D.S. Vou. 1i., Pr. vi. KY 
