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INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION Proc. N. A. S. 
2. That the continuity of the observations by the present methods 
at the four international variation of latitude stations, Ukiah, California; 
Carloforte, Italy; Mizusawa, Japan; and Charjui, Turkestan be main- 
tained, as far as practicable, and that the matter of utiUzing the observa- 
tions made at other stations be considered. 
3. That the question of renewing variation of latitude observations 
in the southern hemisphere be considered. 
4. That, inasmuch as no definite plan, can be advanced for defraying 
the expense of the variation of latitude work until some international 
arrangement is formulated, the several nations maintain the stations 
within their domains, and that some provisional arrangement be made 
for caring for the records, reductions, and publications, pending a perma- 
nent organization of the work. 
Frank B. LitteIvL, Chairman, A. O. Lkuschner, Frank Schl,esinger 
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ASTEROIDS AND COMETS 
Among the most important objects to be served by the discovery, 
observations, and by researches in general on comets and asteroids, are 
the following : 
1. Testing of gravitation by comparison of theory and observation 
leading to deviation from the law (e.g., those shown by the moon). 
2. Testing of gravitational theories as sufficient to represent their 
motions for some time in the past and future. 
3. Distribution with reference to theories of formation and evolution. 
4. Distribution of orbits with reference to theories of the stability of 
their motions. 
5. Positions for photometric research. 
6. Photometric research for testing of theories of causes of variation 
of light. 
7. Theories of distribution tested by search for asteroids in regions 
indicated by theory. 
8. Positions of asteroids recorded for future researches, the direction 
of which is at present unknown. 
These ultimate aims involve: 
Observations of position, visual and photographic; 
Photometric observations, visual and photographic; 
Methods of observation and reduction; 
Researches in orbit methods and orbit determinations, preliminary 
and final, and ephemerides ; 
Methods of special and general perturbations, of varying degree of 
accuracy according to special requirements; 
Researches in pure celestial mechanics (e.g., periodic solutions), etc., etc. 
Complete bibliographies should be prepared for each line of work. 
