315 
SCIENTIFIC SUMMARY. 
ASTRONOMY. 
rjlHE SUN. — Secchi has published a report on solar phenomena during* 
the second half of the year 1875. He finds a minimum of activity, the 
culminating epoch of which would he in March 1876. The number of pro- 
tuberances has been very varying, from 2 or 3 one day to 10 or 12 the next. 
The jets of hydrogen were usually straight, even if attaining 2' or occasion- 
ally 3' in height ; an indication of great tranquillity. The chromosphere 
was low at the equator, but often very elevated (24" to 30") at the poles, 
from the displacement of maxima in that direction. — We are sorry to find 
that the Solar Observatory at Bothkamp has ceased to exist, the Director, 
Dr. Vogel, having accepted a post at the new observatory of Berlin. Dr. 
Lohse, whose work has been published together with Vogel’s, thinks there 
is evidence of a subordinate period of 50 days in the eruptive action of the sun. 
From the drawings of the Spectroscopic Society of Italy he has made out a 
curve determined by the times of observation combined with the area of the 
protuberances, and found that, besides maxima and minima corresponding 
with those of the spots, it showed a well-marked period of 50 days during 
1871, 1872, and the beginning of 1873 ; but subsequently the whole solar 
activity became so small, from the 11-years’ period, that these secondary 
maxima became undistinguishable. From spectroscopic observations Lohse 
is led to infer that the electro-negative elements which are not traceable in 
the sun may exist in the outer layers of the corona. He finds many of the 
as yet unknown dark lines in the more refrangible end of the solar spectrum, 
in that of a Herculis , and also, though feebler, in that of Betelgeuse j but 
they are not perceptible in Arctunis. — Lord Lindsay has presented to the 
Royal Astronomical Society four folio and ten 4to. MS. volumes, containing 
the very valuable series of sun-spot observations by the late Mr. Carrington, 
between 1853 and 1871, which was used for determining the present 
| received values of the position of the solar axis and the drifts in the photo- 
sphere. They were recently bid for at an auction by the Society, but pur- 
chased by a bookseller, from whom Lord Lindsay subsequently obtained 
them. 
Venus. — It is to be hoped that advantage has been taken of the favour- 
able situation of this lovely planet, to investigate the markings of her 
surface, and the irregularities of her terminator. These were once the 
subject of considerable discussion between Schroter and Sir W. Herschel, 
K „ 
