108 Scientific Intelligence. 
On the heat of the stars.—Mr. Hueerns has endeavored to 
tecaninc whether a measurable amount of heat is radiated from 
the fixed stars. The incident rays were received upon the object- 
glass of a telescope of 8 inches aperture, in the focus of which was 
placed the surface of a thermo-electric pile consisting, for stars, of 
one or two pairs, for the moon, of 24 pairs. An astatic oalyanom- 
eter of great delicacy was employ ed. The thermo-electric pile was 
enclosed in casings of past rtalepardl stuffed with cotton so as to ex- 
clude all changes « of temperature as much as possible. The author 
describes the minute precautions taken, for which we must refer to 
his paper. The telescope could be directed to a star by means of 
the finder, the needle being at rest, and the image of the star kept 
by clockwork upon the face of the pile. It was es that the needle 
almost always began to move as soon as the image fell upon the 
pile, and that when the telescope was then distneed: to the sky near 
the star the needle usually began, after a minute or two, to return 
to its original position. From 12 to 20 observations were made 
upon the same star, and these observations repeated on other 
nights. In this manner observations of Sirius 8 gave a cdeviatiel of 
the needle of 2°; those of Pollux 14°. Castor gave no deviation ; 
Regulus a deviation of 3° and Arcturus in 15 minutes also 3 
bservations of the full moon did not give corresponding or 
reliable results. e results obtained with the stars are not 
strictly comparable, as it is uncertain whether the a 
of the 2 gulvadeuieies ie always the same.—Proceedi — hese 
mice he BLP No. 109, 1869. 
new sulphur salts.—ScHNEWER has discovered ad ie 
become uniformly ae qui uietly , fased, 5: venige diffuses from t 
cooled mass much potassic sulphite ae Flys, a and leaves 
tals. The 
the new compound in ecryst w salt has the formula 
K,5.Fe,5, or atomistically, 
S—K 
s—Fe,=s 
S—K 
It forms long flexible needles of brilliant _— ~~ purple brown 
color. At. ordina oe 8 it is perm Acids even 
when very dilute decompose this body easi sity: ‘vith evolution . 
hydric sulphid and —_ of sushi, Heated in a current 0 
sci it loses one atom of sulphur on its luster om 
ystalline Then e new compound has the formula K,5. 
2FeS, or, 
5S—K 
Fes 
