802 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIV. No. 360. 



The following officers were elected for the 

 year 1901-02 : 



President, Dr. Charles E. Bessey, University of Ne- 

 braska, Lincoln, Nebr. 



First Vice-President, Dr. E. A. Birge, University of 

 Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. 



Second Vice-President, Mr. John Aspinveall, New 

 York City. 



Elective Memiera of the Executive Committee, Dr. A. 

 M. Holmes, Denver, Col. ; Dr. V. A. Latham, Chicago, 

 111. ; Mr. G. C. Whipple, New York. 



Secretary, Dr. Henry B. Ward, University of Ne- 

 braska, Lincoln, Nebr. 



Treasurer, Mr. J. C. Smith, New Orleans, Louisiana. 



Custodian, Mr. Magnus Pflaum, Pittsburg, Pa. 



Resolutions of regret at the death of ex- 

 President E. W. Claypole, the sad news of 

 which came to the Society as it was in ses- 

 sion, were read and ordered spread upon 

 the minutes of the Society. 



Henry B. Ward, 



Secretary. 



TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN* 

 Among the unsolved problems for the 

 twentieth century are many relating to the 

 central luminary of our system. Many 

 points of scientific interest to students of 

 solar phenomena are still to be discovered, 

 and it is true that when we come to con- 

 sider what we do not know about the sun, 

 we are rather startled to find our knowl- 

 edge about the heavenly body which has 

 most interest to us human beings so in- 

 complete. The distance is not known to 

 the accuracy which we wish it, and very 

 little is known of the laws of motion at 

 the surface of the sun or the manner in 

 which light and heat are sent out. The 

 spectroscope tells us what metals are pres- 

 ent at the surface of the sun, but, as yet, 

 it has not decided the question of the extent 

 of the different gases, nor the position of the 

 ' reversing layer.' In fact, the very exist- 

 ence of the ' reversing layer ' has been dis- 

 puted. The most beautiful of all natural 



* Read before the New York Academy of Sciences, 

 November 4, 1901. 



phenomena, the corona, is to us an unsolved 

 mystery. Much time has been spent de- 

 lineating its form, and in late years some 

 connection has been established between the 

 form of the corona and the sun-spot period; 

 but what is the meaning of this connection? 

 and in turn, what is the relation between 

 sun spots and terrestrial magnetism ? The 

 spectroscope tells us that ' coronium ' forms 

 a constituent of the corona, but what is 

 ' coronium ' ? 



These and many other points are still to 

 be solved by astronomers and physicists. 

 Their solution depends almost entirely on 

 the observations, on the average, of only a 

 few minutes each year, for it is only when 

 the sun is eclipsed that most of these prob- 

 lems can be investigated. 



The United States government recognized 

 the importance of these inquiries, and 

 through Congress appropriated money to 

 equip and send out an expedition to observe 

 the eclipse of the sun visible in the island of 

 Sumatra in the East Indies, on May 18, 1901. 



This expedition consisted of thirteen, a 

 number which would have caused terror to 

 enter the hearts of people less sensible than 

 astronomers. This is the largest party, we 

 believe, ever sent out by any government 

 for such a purpose. 



The thirteen were made up of two sepa- 

 rate parties, two members. Professor C. G. 

 Abbot and his assistant, Mr. Draper, rep- 

 resenting the Smithsonian Institution, and 

 eleven the Naval Observatory. Six be- 

 longed to the staff of the observatory, and 

 consisted of Professor A. N". Skinner, U. S. 

 K; Professor W. S. Eichelberger, U. S. N".; 

 Professor F. B. Littell, U. 8. N.; Mr. L. E. 

 Jewell, Mr. W. W. Dinwiddle and Mr. G. 

 H. Peters. The remainder of the party 

 was made up of Professor E. E. Barnard, 

 Yerkes Observatory ; Dr. W. J. Hum- 

 phreys and Mr. H. D. Curtis, of the Uni- 

 versity of Virginia ; Dr. N. E. Gilbert, of 

 Hobart College, and the writer. 



