28 



REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



sixty-five thirty-one bright southeast three," would announce the discov- 

 ery of a bright comet in right ascension 22 h 13 m ; declination + 05° 31'; 

 the declination decreasing, right ascension increasing, daily motion about 

 three degrees. 



The precediug examples, contain the greatest number of words re- 

 quired for any one dispatch, if composed according to the rule adopted. 

 Usually they will not exceed ten. Sometimes, however, the dispatch 

 thus composed would become equivocal, and it has therefore been estab- 

 lished as an additional rule that the number expressing the minutes of 

 right ascension or decimation shall always be expressed in words, even 

 when zero occurs. Therefore, 23 h m should be written " twenty-three 

 nought," while "twenty three" will be understood to mean 20 h 3 m . In 

 a similar way 11 of right ascension or 0° of declination are to be dis- 

 tinctly expressed by the word "nought." 



The right ascension and declination in the dispatch will be understood 

 to give the position (by proper motion approximately reduced) for the 

 midnight' following the date of the dispatch : Washington time for Amer- 

 ican discoveries, Greenwich time for European. 



Since, in conformity with the preceding article, only an approximate 

 estimate of a later position, and not that of the first observation itself, 

 is given, the dispatch is not to be considered as a document for deciding 

 the question of priority of discovery. 



We trust the time is not distant when, with the completion of a tele- 

 graphic cable between Japau and the United States, this system will be 

 extended to the eastern part of Asia, and the astronomers who are now 

 in process of education in the United States, both from China and Japan, 

 will be able to participate in the facilities thus offered for co-operation in 

 the advance of astronomy. In connection with the publication of this cir- 

 cular, the National Academy of Sciences, at its meeting on the 15th of 

 April, adopted a resolution recommending that amateur astronomers de- 

 vote a portion of their time to sweeping the sky for the discovery of comets. 



The following is a list of the announcements during 1873 : 



Discovery. 



Date of 

 telegram. 



Prom whom. 



Place. 



Eight 

 ascension. 



Declination. 



P. 



o 



o 









f=i 



h. in. 





/ 





10 



X. 



13 40 



N. 



16 14 



s. 



21 18 



W. 



7 



s. 



4 34 





17 in 



s. 



21 43 



N. 



1 14 



s. 



7 32 



S. E. 



23 2 



s. 



2 40 



S. 



7 27 



X. 



38 45 



S. 



7 29 



X. 



36 55 



s. 



7 27 



N. 



59 30 



E. 



7 



X. 



7 53 



S. 



10 23 



N. 



27 2C 



S.W. 



10 4 



X. 



22 6 



S.W. 



Magnitude. 



Planet 



Planet 



Cornet 



Planet 



Comet 



Planet... . 



Comet 



Cornet 



Comet 



Planet 



Cornet I Xov. 11 



Comet Nov. 12 



1873. 

 Feb. 18 

 May 26 

 July 5 

 July 14 

 July 27 

 Aug. 17 

 Aug. 21 

 Aug. 22 

 Aug. 24 

 Sept. 27 



Peters . 



Peters . 



Tonrpel 



Watson 



Borelli 



Watson 



Borelli . 



Henry . 

 Luther 

 Coggia . 



Clinton, X. V 



Clinton, X.Y 



Vienna 



Ann Arbor, Mich 



Marseilles 



Ann Arbor, Mich 



Marseilles 



Vienna 



Paris 



Diisseldorff 



Marseilles 



Vienna 



Eleventh. 

 Eleventh. 



Eleventh. 

 Eleventh. 



Tenth. 



