THE SUN'S MOTION IN SPACE. 211 



A very complete discussion, and a further exhaustive analysis, 

 and solution that apparently leaves nothing to be desired, furnishes 

 as the best value of the apex of solar motion, determined by the 

 Besselian method, 



R.A. = 270-°4, D.= -0-°2, dp= -(K0013, Epoch 1810-0 

 a value which is independent of all assumptions as to stellar 

 distances, and one from which, as far as possible, the systematic 

 character of the motus peculiares of the stars has been eliminated. 

 It ought to be said that it is quite impossible in the compass of a 

 necessarily short reference to give anything like an adequate pre- 

 sentation of the comprehensive and masterly way in which the 

 question has been discussed by Kobold. 



(125) Backhouse, 1899 (Nov.) — Referring to Newcomb's deter- 

 mination of solar motion, Backhouse remarked that the point 

 regarded as fixed, and to which the motion is referred should be 

 defined. 1 



(125a) Veenstra, 1899 (Nov.) — Since going to press, two papers 

 on the solar motion are to hand in the translated Proceedings of 

 Science Section of the Royal Academy of Amsterdam, Vol. n., 

 published July 1900. The first is by Veenstra. 2 Using an 

 unpublished catalogue, prepared by Kapteyn, of the Bradley stars, 

 and applying systematic corrections, Veenstra obtains the follow- 

 ing results, in which the first results are from proper motions less 

 than "3 ; and the last one is from 151 stars of proper motion 

 greater than that amount. 



Spectral Type. 



No. of 

 Stars. 



R.A. 



1). 





I. 



965? 



268-°3 



+ 36-7 





II. 



965? 



272-1 



376 





III. 



710? 



273-5 



33-9 





IV. 



710? 



270-6 



34-3 



Epoch 1900? 



I. and II. 



1675? 



269-5 



34-3 





I. and II. 



1675? 



274-2 



35-1 





P.M.>0-"3 



151 



262-4 



42-2 





1 The solar motion. — The Observatory, Vol. xxn., pp. 395-6, 1899. 



2 On the systematic corrections of the proper motions of the stars con- 

 tained in the Auwers-Bradley catalogue, and the coordinates of the solar 

 motion in space. — Translated Proc. Roy. Acad., Amsterdam, Vol. n., pp. 

 262 - 267, 1900. 



