Shortly will be ready, price 1s. 6d.

REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS

OF THE OBSERVING ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY DURING THE YEAR, from July 1st, 1869, to July 1st, 1870. It will contain particulars of the Observations of Astronomical Objects and Phenomena by the Members, and will include a paper by Mr. W. R. BIRT, F.R.A.S., on "Hints and Suggestions on the Observation of Lunar Objects." The volume will also contain a List of the Members of the Society on August 1st.

Applications for copies should be made to Mr. WILLIAM F. DENNING, Hon. Sec., Ashley Road, Bristol.

THE OBSERVATORY FITTINGS AND INSTRUMENTS OF THE LATE SIR JAMES SOUTH.

SOUTH v. SOUTH.

JAMES IS

instructed by the

AMES BEAL is instructed
Executors of the late SIR JAMES SOUTH to

SELL BY AUCTION,

IN THE OBSERVATORY, KENSINGTON, ON THURSDAY, 4th AUGUST, at One o'clock precisely,

THE VALUABLE COLLECTION OF

ASTRONOMICAL, OPTICAL, AND PHILOSOPHICAL INSTRUMENTS,

INCLUDING THE

5-ft. and 7-ft. EQUATORIALS,

With which his greatest observations were made.'

ALSO A

9-ft. TRANSIT INSTRUMENT and a 4-ft. TRANSIT CIRCLE,

With which the observations were made for the formation of the Catalogue of Circumpolar Stars. With the Brick Erection of Observatory, and Massive Copper Dome.

Catalogues may be had on the premises, and of the Auctioneer, 209 Piccadilly, W.

The Astronomical Register is intended to appear at the commencement of each month; the Subscription (including Postage) is fixed at Three Shillings per Quarter, payable in advance, by postage stamps or otherwise.

The pages of the Astronomical Register are open to all suitable communications. Letters, Articles for insertion, &c., must be sent to the Editor, Mr. S. GORTON, Parnham House, Pembury Road, Clapton, N.E., not later than the 15th of the month.

2

APPENDIX-" On the Primeval Symbolism of the Great Bear and Orion.”—
By G. J. WALKER.

THE LUNAR CRATERS ARISTARCHUS AND HERODOTUS.

BY H. MICHELL WHITLEY.

The brilliant crater Aristarchus and its companion Herodotus have always been favourite subjects for study to observers of the lunar surface. Their first appearance on the terminator, and their altered aspect as the sun slowly rises above their horizon and gradually attains its meridian altitude, ever present features of interest; and it is with the view of showing these successive appearances that I have embodied in the following table the various observations which I have at different times made on these craters. The instrument chiefly used has been a BrowningWith reflector of 6 inches aperture, but I have also employed refractors with 3 and 3-inch object glasses respectively.

The observations are arranged in the table in order of solar altitudes, from sunrise to meridian passage.

From these observations it will be seen that at sunrise the crater Aristarchus has, on the south, a tract roughened with ridges; but when the sun attains an altitude of about 6° a very curious brush of light makes its appearance; as this streak is constantly visible (although varying slightly in form) from the time the sun attains this altitude to meridian passage (and probably beyond it, but I have not observed the crater during evening illumination), it requires to be described rather minutely.

It starts from the east side of Aristarchus, where it is nearly as broad generally as the crater itself, and runs to the south end of Herodotus. Here it is gathered into a much narrower space; but after crossing the outer south slope of this crater, it expands like

a fan and thus gradually dies away, the whole streak usually somewhat resembling in shape a rude hour- glass.

The brilliant ring of Aristarchus, I find, can be distinguished from the bright interior of the crater until the sun's altitude equals 36°, when it can be no longer discerned, and Aristarchus appears as a brilliant spot defining the crater's outline, which I can readily trace under all angles of illumination, the only time when any difficulty is found being at the period of the sun's meridian passage; but even here, though the light spot fades gradually into the before-mentioned streak, with a little attention the crater's form can be fairly made out.

The outline of Aristarchus, when fully illuminated, does not seem to have been traced at times by some observers; thus, in the Student, Vol III., p. 190, is a paper by Mr. Browning on this crater, in which he says: "The details of Copernicus, when fully illuminated, can be well made out with a moderately powerful telescope; while in the case of Aristarchus the very form is so completely changed that it can no longer be recognised. In addition to the loss of definition under full illumination caused by its high reflective power, Aristarchus seems to alter its form under different angles of illumination more than any other lunar crater, not excepting even Linné"; and he describes Aristarchus, when fully illuminated, as "a nebulous patch of enormously increased diameter and of a totally different form. From the central peaks bright lines, like the ridges of hills, reach as far as Herodotus, to the side of which Aristarchus now appears to extend."

It will be at once seen that during the time of my observations Aristarchus has not presented the appearance described by Mr. Browning, but that I have always been able to trace the outline of the crater, even during the sun's meridian passage—a point to which I directed special attention. What, however, is this curious white brush that is so persistently visible after the sun has attained an altitude of 6°?

My first impression was that it was a lava stream, which had overflowed the lip of the crater, but its passing up and across the outer slope of Herodotus is inconsistent with this theory. One thing with respect to it seems clear that it proceeds wholly from Aristarchus, and is of a date posterior to Herodotus, which crater differs totally from Aristarchus, in showing a bright rim with a gray interior during high illumination. The brush cannot, again, be a glaze on a smooth surface, as it is visible under such different angles of illumination. It may be a glaze on a roughened surface, or it may be a train of ashes ejected from the crater; but the distance to which it extends in one direction presents a difficulty to the acceptance of this supposition.

I do not see that any definite reply to the question can at present be given, but the subject merits attention, and the craters would well repay an extensive and strict scrutiny, under every angle of illumination, especially as to the formation of the ground over which this light streak passes, which examination would not fail eventually to add to our stock of knowledge of the white and glistening portions of the Moon's surface.

THE OBSERVATORY OF THE LATE SIR JAMES SOUTH.

A short notice on page 247 of our volume for 1867 informed our readers of the death of this once celebrated astronomer; and it was with a degree of sadness that we attended at Kensington on the 4th of August, and witnessed the dispersion under the auctioneer's hammer of that fine and curious collection of astronomical instruments which it had been the business and pleasure of his life to accumulate and experiment with. Apart from the interest connected with the observatory itself, it is melancholy to note the trifling sums at which instruments are sold which have cost their original possessor an untold amount of both money and thought; but what remedy is there? Few care to purchase what is to some extent obsolete, and the rising generation in general care little for mementos of those who have passed away long before their time. The fine house and grounds known as the Observatory, Kensington, situated at Campden Hill, were purchased by Sir James (then Mr.) South in 1826, with a view to the erection of as good an observatory as liberal means and complete knowledge of the subject would enable him to accomplish. Mr. South had had his attention turned towards astronomy in early life, and commenced his observations with a six-inch Gregorian reflector. In the year 1816 he erected an observatory at his house in Blackman Street in the Borough, and furnished it with two telescopes-a Dollond of 3 inches aperture, which had been equatorially mounted by Captain Huddart, and another telescope of 5 inches aperture. He also set up a transit instrument by Troughton, constructed on the model of that supplied to the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, of 4 inches aperture, and 7 feet focal length. Here, in conjunction with Sir John Herschel, he commenced and completed that celebrated catalogue of 380 stars which was presented to the Royal Society and printed by Government in 1824, and for which its authors received the gold medal of the Royal Astronomical Society. After this, Mr. South removed the