﻿Miscellaneous 
  Intelligence, 
  79 
  

  

  IV. 
  Miscellaneous 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  1. 
  New 
  Tables 
  of 
  the 
  JPlanets. 
  — 
  Prof. 
  Newcomb 
  in 
  his 
  report 
  as 
  

   Superintendent 
  of 
  the 
  Nautical 
  Almanac 
  announces 
  the 
  substan- 
  

   tial 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  determining 
  the 
  fundamental 
  con- 
  

   stants 
  of 
  astronomy 
  and 
  the 
  elements 
  and 
  masses 
  of 
  the 
  major 
  

   planets 
  from 
  Mercury 
  to 
  Saturn 
  inclusive. 
  He 
  hopes 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  

   tables 
  from 
  Mercury 
  to 
  Mars 
  inclusive 
  completed 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  fiscal 
  year. 
  The 
  tables 
  of 
  Jupiter 
  and 
  Saturn 
  were 
  completed 
  

   by 
  Dr. 
  Hill 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  fiscal 
  year. 
  This 
  leaves 
  only 
  Uranus 
  

   and 
  Neptune 
  to 
  be 
  worked 
  up. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  Newcomb 
  takes 
  this 
  occasion 
  to 
  present 
  a 
  general 
  report 
  

   upon 
  the 
  nature 
  and 
  objects 
  of 
  this 
  work. 
  The 
  best 
  of 
  existing 
  

   tables, 
  those 
  of 
  Leverrier 
  are 
  by 
  the 
  lapse 
  of 
  time 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  

   lack 
  of 
  homogeneity 
  in 
  the 
  elements 
  employed, 
  quite 
  unsuited 
  to 
  

   the 
  present 
  needs 
  of 
  astronomers. 
  There 
  was 
  needed 
  a 
  partial 
  

   or 
  complete 
  reduction 
  of 
  all 
  good 
  observations 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  

   planets 
  made 
  since 
  1750. 
  The 
  actual 
  number 
  of 
  separate 
  meridian 
  

   observations 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  and 
  the 
  three 
  planets 
  Mercury, 
  Venus, 
  

   and 
  Mars 
  used 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Newcomb 
  was 
  62,030, 
  against 
  10,893, 
  

   used 
  by 
  Leverrier. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  computation 
  required 
  to 
  utilize 
  

   all 
  these 
  observations 
  and 
  determine 
  simultaneously 
  the 
  23 
  un- 
  

   known 
  quantities 
  involved 
  can 
  be 
  appreciated 
  only 
  by 
  those 
  who 
  

   have 
  experience 
  in 
  such 
  work. 
  This 
  immense 
  labor 
  has 
  been 
  

   secured 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  extra 
  appropriations 
  of 
  $3,000 
  to 
  $4,000 
  

   annually, 
  together 
  with 
  such 
  economy 
  in 
  the 
  regular 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  

   Almanac 
  office 
  as 
  was 
  practicable. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  Newcomb 
  speaks 
  of 
  the 
  increased 
  demand 
  for 
  accurate 
  

   positions 
  of 
  a 
  much 
  larger 
  number 
  of 
  fixed 
  stars 
  than 
  have 
  here- 
  

   tofore 
  been 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  Ephemeris. 
  This 
  increase 
  is 
  greatly 
  

   needed, 
  and 
  in 
  making 
  it, 
  we 
  hope 
  that 
  the 
  additional 
  stars 
  will 
  

   be 
  selected 
  after 
  consultation 
  with 
  the 
  superintendents 
  of 
  the 
  

   British, 
  German 
  and 
  French 
  Almanacs. 
  A 
  common 
  list 
  of 
  stars 
  

   may 
  or 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  desirable. 
  If 
  a 
  common 
  list 
  is 
  not 
  desirable, 
  

   the 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  lists 
  should 
  be 
  for 
  explicit 
  reasons. 
  

  

  2. 
  OstwaUVs 
  Klassiker 
  der 
  exakten 
  Wissenschaften. 
  Leipzig 
  

   (Win. 
  Engelmann). 
  — 
  This 
  series 
  of 
  classical 
  scientific 
  memoirs 
  

   continues 
  to 
  grow 
  in 
  value 
  as 
  it 
  grows 
  in 
  size. 
  The 
  papers, 
  selected 
  

   for 
  republication, 
  are 
  well 
  chosen 
  and 
  the 
  originals 
  being 
  for 
  the 
  

   most 
  part 
  difficult 
  of 
  access, 
  the 
  library 
  becomes 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  im- 
  

   portance 
  to 
  the 
  student 
  in 
  the 
  subjects 
  which 
  it 
  embraces. 
  The 
  

   latest 
  additions 
  are 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  No. 
  54. 
  Anmerkungen 
  und 
  Zusatze 
  zur 
  Entwerfung 
  der 
  Land 
  und 
  Himmels- 
  

   charten 
  von 
  J. 
  H. 
  Lambert 
  (17 
  72) 
  93 
  pp. 
  

  

  55. 
  Leber 
  Karteuprojection 
  : 
  Abhandlungen 
  von 
  Lagrange 
  (1779) 
  und 
  Gauss 
  

   (1822) 
  101 
  pp. 
  

  

  56. 
  Die 
  Gesetze 
  der 
  Ueberkaltung 
  und 
  Gefrierpunktserniedngung. 
  Zwei 
  

   Abhandlungen 
  von 
  Sir 
  Charles 
  Blagden 
  (1788). 
  49 
  pp. 
  

  

  57. 
  Abhandlungen 
  uber 
  Thermometne 
  von 
  Fahrenheit, 
  Reaumur, 
  Celsius 
  (1724, 
  

   1730-33, 
  1742). 
  140 
  pp. 
  

  

  58. 
  Chemische 
  Abhandlung 
  von 
  der 
  Luft 
  und 
  dein 
  Feuer 
  von 
  Carl 
  Wilhelm 
  

   Scheele 
  (1777) 
  112 
  pp. 
  

  

  59. 
  Otto 
  von 
  Guericke's 
  neue 
  " 
  Magdeburgische 
  " 
  Versuche 
  iiber 
  den 
  leeren 
  

   Raum 
  (1672) 
  116 
  pp. 
  

  

  