SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
489 
ance is really of extreme importance, and we believe doubt has been thrown 
on the early date communicated to Mr. Hind. It seems that Mr. Chandley, 
of the United States Coast Survey, saw it on May 14, at eleven p.m., when it 
was brighter than Bootis. Mr. Farquhar, Assistant Librarian United States 
Patent Office, saw it between eight and nine o’clock on the 12th of May. 
His uncle, Mr. Benjamin Hallo well, speaks of having seen it then for three 
weeks, varying in magnitude from time to time. 
Father Secchi has lately communicated to the Paris Academy a further 
paper on the analysis of the stellar spectra, accompanying it with a diagram 
of Antares, a star remarkable for its red colour, observed with a high power 
and dispersion. The spectroscope now employed by Father Secchi consists 
merely of a cylindrical lens placed in front of the direct vision Amici prism, 
and both placed in front of the eye-piece to which the ordinary micrometer 
may be attached. With a power of 200 on the 9-inch Merz, the bands in 
Antares are easily analyzed. Secchi is now disposed to divide stellar spectra 
into three classes : 
1. Coloured stars, like a Orionis, a Scorpionis, (3 Pegasi, — large band 
spectra. 
2. White stars, — line spectra — like Arcturus, a Ursee Majoris, (3 Aquilse, 
Capella, Procyon, &c. 
3. Blue stars — Syrius, Vega, a Aquilse, &c. These have a large band in the 
blue—/ — one in the violet, and sometimes another more refrangible 
one, with fine lines only visible in the larger stars. 
M. Chacomac has communicated to the Paris Academy a note on the 
moon, pointing out what he considers to be strong evidences of tidal 
action, and drawing the inference that the rotation of the moon must once 
have been widely different to permit a tidal action to take place at all. 
The asteroids now number 88. The last was discovered by M. Stephan at 
the Marseilles Observatory, on the 6-7th August, in Capricornus. “87” was 
discovered on June 15th by C. H. F. Peters ; both are of the 12th magnitude 
“ 86,” which has been named Semele, is of the 9th. 
M. Coulvier Gravier thus sums up his observations of the shooting stars 
seen in the beginning of the month of August. “ The number per hour at 
midnight on the 5th, 6th, and 7th August, was 16 T V ; on the 9th, 10th, and 
11th, 39 x v ; and on the 13th and 14th, 18 X V” Thus the brilliancy of the 
August shower is rapidly diminishing ; the hourly number in 1865 was seven 
less than in 1863 ; it is now 18i%- less than last year. 
There will be a partial eclipse of the sun on the 8th October. 
Since we wrote the above, Hermann Goldschmidt has died at Fontainebleau, 
aged 64. In him we loose a most zealous and eagle-eyed observer. At thirty 
he studied painting in the studios of Schnorr and Cornelius, and subsequently 
came to Paris, where he exhibited at the Louvre with considerable success. 
He occupied a room in the Rue de l’Ancienne Comedie, and there, with a 
common telescope, discovered thirteen of the minor planets. Arago and 
Le Vender acknowledged the eminent services he had rendered, and the 
grand prix of astronomy, founded by Lalande, was awarded to him, as well 
as the Cross of the Legion of Honour, at the demand of these distinguished 
men. He has also received the gold medal of the Royal Astronomical 
Society. 
