152 . Transactions. — Miscellanea* & 



s. 



white, while the colour of that part of the envelope seen in north latitude, and 

 which is in the rear of the sun's motion pointing towards the constellation 

 Taurus, if projected on the ecliptic, is said to be a characteristic rose-red. This 

 indicates a difference of constitution suggesting a spectroscopic examination. 



The vertex of this light appears to be projected by parallax on different 

 parts of the ecliptic by the earth's motion in its orbit, thus appearing to prove 

 that its shape is elongated, and not circular, for if circular, then it would 

 subtend a similar arc all the year round. 



It regularly decreases in altitude in the evenings by an amount corres- 

 ponding to the angular motion of the earth on its axis, and when seen in the 

 mornings it increases in the same ratio, from the first appearance of the apex 

 above the horizon to such a time as it ceases to be seen from its delicate 

 illumination being overpowered by the solar glare, which fact appears quite 

 sufficient to prove its extra-terrestrial origin. 



From the constancy of its appearance at the above seasons it does not 

 appear to be of an intermittent nature, such as we might expect if produced 

 electrically, or if it was of a similar nature to our auroras. 



Observations on zodiacal light, comets, and meteors, are fraught with 

 renewed interest now that such stupendous commotions are known to occur 

 near the sun's surface, especially after the connection apparently established 

 between the highly attenuated material of Biela's comet with the meteoric 

 display of 27th November, 1872; and it is to the meteorological changes of 

 matter in the sun's neighbourhood through all its possible states from gaseous 

 to vapourous — liquid and solid, and again from solid to liquid — vapourous and 

 gaseous, that we may probably look as furnishing a clue to one of the most 

 important problems in modem physics, namely, explaining the action of those 

 laws of attraction to a centre, and of heat repulsion from a centre, which 

 appears to characterise all cosmical aggregations of matter. 



Art. XVI. — On a new Thermometer for Lecture Purposes. T>y A. W. 



BiCKEitTON, F.C.S., Prof ssor of Chemistry in Canterbury College. 



(With an Illustration.) 



[Bead before the Philosophical Institute of Can rLury, 1st October, 1874.] 



A THERMOMETER of simple construction that would show variations of 

 temperature to a large number of persons at once, would be very useful in the 

 lectures on heat and kindred subjects. It would be of especial value in 

 schools, where but little time can be spent in preparing experiments. A 

 thermoelectric pile and galvanometer is a most valuable piece of apparatus, 



