In the numerous series of drawings which I have made of the planet during this opposition, the aspect of the equatorial zone has struck me by the succession of round, white, luminous spots which it has presented. These spots elongate as they get towards the borders of the disk, and are rounder and more brilliant as they approach the centre. The drawings sent correspond with 15 and 342 degrees of Mr. Marth's ephemeris, published in the Astronomical Register. On 31st July at 10h. p.m. the view was about 341°, and at 10h. 45m. 13o. TWO RECENT COMETS. Sir,-The following ephemeris of Tempel's comet of 1873, for the month of October, 1878, has been calculated by M. Schulof: 31 20 13 12 20 17 4 20 24 44 20 28 31 20 32 18 The comet is slowly receding, both from the The following are revised elements, also by Schulof. P.P. 31 6 31 0.36 31 54 30 47 30 40 30 32 0'33 earth and the sun. The comet found in America by Swift on July 7, has not been generally seen in Europe, because of an error in the telegram conveying the intelligence of its discovery. It has now passed beyond reach. The following provisional elements are by Holetschek, of Vienna: Its motion, both southwards and away from the earth, was very rapid. Northfield Observatory, Eastbourne: Sept. 3, 1878. Your obedient servant, G. F. CHAMBERS. MINOR PLANET CERES. The minor planet, the first of the series, comes into opposition on the 29th of the month. The following is its position over the meridian of Greenwich: R.A. Oct. 21 29 2 29 47'09 LUNAR OBJECTS SUITABLE FOR OBSERVATION IN OCTOBER, 1878. BY W. R. BIRT, F.R.A.S., P.S.S. HYGINUS N. The new Crater.-In the last number of the Register, page 230, Mr. Neison solves the problem of Mr. Hutchings' elliptical depression, by referring it to the valley between Hyginus and Hyginus v which is laid down very plainly in Map II. of his moon, but not so distinctly in the Outline Diagram of the Selenographical Society, May 2, 1878. Miss Ashley in describing her observations of July 14 to 20, says, "From the 14th to the 19th I saw an oval object which at that time I took to be Mr. Hutchings' oval, it seemed so nearly in its position and of its appearance; the interior was filled with shadow, and there were white spots on its border. Neither of these spots answer to any spots in Mr. Hutchings' drawing." Miss Ashley gives four white spots, three on the south-east, provisionally numbered from S.W. to N.E., 14, 16, and 18, and one on the north-west numbered 20 supposing them all to be craters. Miss Ashley says further-"as the region approached the terminator on the 18th, I saw that the oval was really formed of two parallel and very large ridges slightly turned at each end, so having the appearance of a perfect oval. One of these ridges came to a stop at a crater, but it was continued after that again." It appears from the drawings that this crater numbered 20 is on the north-west border. In August Miss Ashley obtained some further observations of this region. She sends two sketches dated August 16 and 17, with alignments. In her description she says "the crater b (see Neison's map) is in a line with the Spiral mountain and the ring-shaped object on the large ridge." This ringed-shaped object appears from her drawing of July 14 to be number 20 of that sketch, but from her alignment on August 16 I am disposed to identify it with Hyginus v. On August 17, her sketch shows this object in a line with Hyginus and Manilius, it being the point of intersection of this line with that passing through the Spiral mountains and the crater b. The line from Hyginus through the Spiral mountains to the crater b, crosses the Hyginus cleft north of two widenings of the cleft shown by Miss Ashley. These widenings are not shown by Neison, but the alignments are in agreement with the map. Schmidt in his large map has four complete craters (widenings) on the N.E. branch of the Hyginus cleft. His delineation of the Spiral mountain appears to be very imperfect, but the alignment b: Spiral: is correct. If, however, Mr. Hutchings' elliptical depression be the valley which Mr. Neison speaks of, v is situated on a ridge more to the north-west of the boundary of the valley. The delineation of the region in the neighbourhood of in Schmidt's is very complex, so much so that we repeat the remark at the close of our last list, page 235, viz: that "careful drawings of the region will be very important.' has a long valley south-east of the ridge on which v is situated. Stratford, E.: September 17, 1878. THE PLANETS FOR OCTOBER. AT TRANSIT OVER THE MERIDIAN of Greenwich. Declination. Schmidt Meridian Diameter. Passage. Mercury rises about an hour and a half before the sun on the Ist, the interval decreasing till the 24th when he rises about the same time as the sun. Venus rises an hour and three-quarters before the sun at the beginning of the month, the interval decreasing. Jupiter may be observed till forty minutes before midnight on the 1st, the interval increasing. On the last day he sets at 9h. 35m. Saturn sets an hour and a half before sunrise on the 1st, the interval increasing. 21 Mon 21 16 14 14 Reappearance of ditto 913 5 18 (6) 3 Occultation of 18 Leonis Sun 20 19 7 Reappearance of ditto Conjunction of Mars and Venus o" 45′ N. Jupiter at quadrature 4th Oc. R. 9 28 with the Sun 1st Tr. E. 5 4 1st Sh. E. 9 57.8 6 24 953'6 825 Superior conjunction of and Mars 5° 54' N. Conjunction of Moon and Mercury 5° 46′ N. |