130 
observed rate was between +0.01 and +0.03 of a second; 
when reduced to aconstant barometer reading it varied 
between —o.002 to +0.007 of a second. If all of Mr. 
Riefler’s clocks will keep up such a record ’as that quoted, 
then it is to be hoped that a number of them will remain 
in this country. I have advisedly omitted to describe the 
mechanical ideas contained, as it would be totally un- 
satisfactory unless accompanied by a drawing of the escape- 
ment, which is not at my command. 
Dr. Vogel, of Potsdam, has a highly interesting paper 
in the Abhandlungen der Konigl. Preuss, Akademie der 
Wessenchaften, Berlin, containing the results of his spec- 
troscopic studies upon the new starin Aurigae, discovered 
by Anderson in 1892. Dr. Vogel’s paper is too extensive 
to more than mention the most important facts. The 
spectrum of the new star extended far into the violet and 
showed many broad and bright bands. It was evident to 
him that the spectrum was not that of asingle body, but 
was made of the superposed and relatively placed spectra 
of two bodies, which were moving with great velocity. 
Dr. Vogel then gives a carefully prepared description of 
the spectrum as it appeared during each night’s observa- 
tion. Professor Barnard, observing the star with the 
thirty-six inch at the Lick Observatory, found that it ap- 
peared nebulous. 
A very interesting series of papers have been printed in 
the Astronomical Journal, containing a discussion by Mr. 
C. L. Poor, of the orbit of comet 1889, V. A rather faint 
telescopic comet was discovered by Mr. W. R. Brooks on 
July 6, 1889. The object would not have attracted much 
attention from astronomical students were it not for the 
fact that a short series of observations indicated that 
another periodic comet had been added to the list. That 
indefatigable worker, Dr. S. C. Chandler, found that the 
comet had been greatly perturbed by Jupiter in 1886, so 
much so as to change the orbit from one of twenty-six 
years to that of between six and seven. Mr. Poor, how- 
ever, from a much longer series of observations found that 
previous to 1886 the comet had a period of over forty 
years. Recently Dr. Julius Bauschinger in a work en- 
titled ‘‘ Untersuchungen iiber deu periodischen kometen, 
1889 V (Brooks) ” I Theil., has from all the published 
observations, covering a period of over three quarters of 
ayear, obtained a definitive set of elements, and upon 
those data Mr. Poor has given the orbit of the comet a 
most exhaustive investigation. Dr. Chandler had at- 
temped to prove the identity of comet Brooks with that 
of Lexell’s comet, 1770, but Mr. Poor seems to be of the 
opinion, after weighing carefully all the facts, that comet 
Brooks is not the same as comet Lexell. Dr. Wilson in 
Astronomy and Astro-Physics for November gave a 
complete resumé of the subject, accompanied with draw- 
ings showing the orbit of the comet before and after its 
approach within the action of Jupiter. 
A new catalogue of colored stars has appeared, prepared 
by Herr Fredrich Kriiger, of Kiel. It contains all the 
stars north of 23°, south declination, that are of a yellow 
or teddish color, or those that are remarkable through the 
existence of absorption spectra. The introduction contains 
a reference to previous catalogues, the work of different 
observers, their instruments and methods, etc. The 
catalogue is indeed a valuable one. In No. 300 of the 
Astronomical Journal will be found a second catalogue of 
variable stars, prepared by Dr. Chandler. He has used 
the latest observations and has computed the elements for 
each. 
Judging from the earnestness displayed by Charlois and 
Wolf, the number of asteroids that will be discovered in 
the future will only be limited by the amount of patience 
displayed by those observers in exposing their photo- 
graphic plates to sky.. Up to August 19, the orbits of 
SCINSIN Cle. 
Vol. XXIII. No. 579 
372 of those strange little bodies scattered between Mars 
and Jupiter have been computed. In the present year an 
even forty have been added to our store-house of know- 
ledge, although some of them may be identified as old 
ones. 
During the year three comets were discovered. ‘The 
first one was the first return of comet of Finlay. In 1886 
Mr. Finlay, an astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope, 
“discovered a small comet, which soon proved to be a 
short period one, and its return was predicted to occur in 
the spring of the past year. M. Schulof, of the Bureau 
des Longitudes, Paris, took the orbit of the comet in 
hand, and the result of his work will be found in the 
current numbers jof the Auwlletin Astronomique. Mr. 
Finlay again found the comet, on May 17, very near its 
predicted place. 
In the first week in last July a bright comet appeared — 
on the eastern side of the sun. Its discovery has been 
claimed by many. It was seen simultaneously at a num- 
ber cf places in Spain, France, and the United States. It 
shone as a hazy star of the third magnitude, and as its mo- 
tion was very rapid, upon coming out from the twilight, a 
tail of ten or twelve degrees in length was seen. Its 
orbit does not differ from a parabola. 
The last comet of the year was found by Brooks, on 
October 17. It never became very bright, but in Decem- 
ber it was well placed for observing, as it was then sub- 
polar for stations in central northern latitudes. 
On April 19 a total eclipse of the sun took place, the 
line of totality first touching the western shore of South 
America at Saco, then passing northeastward across the 
continent, cutting Africa to the south of Cape de Verde 
Islands. It was observed by two British parties, one at 
Fundium, west Africa, the other at Para Curu, Brazil. A 
French expedition was also located at Fundium, another 
at Joal. Two American parties, one the representative 
of Harvard College, the other of the Lick Observatory, 
were stationed in Chili. Allobservers were fortunate in 
having good weather. All parties gave their attention to 
photographing the corona, and many of the negatives 
show a great deal of detail. The corona as seen in 
April, 1893, was very different from that seen on Jan. 1 
or Dec. 22, 1889. It more nearly resembled that of 1871 
in the distribution of the coronal streamers. 
During the year appeared a volume which is a 
monument to the work of any astronomer. It is the 
Cordoba Durchmusterung, by Dr. John M. Thome, the 
director of the Cordoba Observatory, in the Argentine 
Republic. The volume contains the brightness and 
position of every fixed star down to the tenth magnitude 
between 22° and 42°, south declination. This valuable 
work contains the first part of the great undertaking by 
Dr. Thome, namely, the continuation of Schénfeld’s 
Durchmusterung southward. This has been accomplished 
for the region between 22°, Schénfeld’s lower limit, and 
that of 42°. These are contained in Vol. XVI. of the 
Cordoba observations, and give the position of 179,800 
stars; the second instalment, forming Vol. XVII., will 
contain 160,580 stars. The latter volume will appear 
during the year. The great work carried on by Dr. 
Thome is truly heroic, and his labors have been since 
1885 devoted distinctly to the completion of one grand 
idea, a durchmusterung from pole to pole. 
During the year Mr. Edwin F. Sawyer published a 
catalogue of the magnitudes of southern stars from o° to 
30°, south declination. The catalogue contains the 
magnitudes of 3415 stars; the average number of observa- 
tions for each star was four. The system of magnitudes 
adopted was that of the Uranometria Argentina. It 
appears to be the most important and accurate photo- 
metrical work which has appeared in a decade. 
