Abstract
THE ROTATION PERIOD OF SATURN.—In No. 3900 of the Astronomische Nachrichten, Mr. W. F. Denning gives a résumé of his observations of the white spots which have been visible on Saturn since July 1; out of thirty-two observing nights only seven were recorded as giving “good seeing.” Mr. Denning finds it difficult to reconcile the rotation period observed with that usually given, i.e. 10h. 15m., but finds that a period of 10h. 39 1 3 m. agrees with the observations much better. As the mean of many observations of seven of the markings, he obtains the period 10h. 39m. 21.1S., so that if the bright spot discovered by Prof. Hall in December, 1876, near to the equator of Saturn, really represented, in its period of 10h. 14m. 23.8s., the rotation of that part of the planet, there is a difference of 25 minutes between the equatorial and the north temperate currents, the latter being the slower; this is in accordance with the Jovian phenomena, where the north temperate markings take 5½ minutes longer for one rotation than do the equatorial markings.
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