Our Astronomical Column

Abstract

THE STRASBURG OBSERVATORY.—Herr W. Schur has published, in No. 2736 of the Astronomische Nachrichten, a supplementary report on the work done at the Strasburg Observatory during the ten months preceding May of this year, so as to exhibit the state of the instruments and of the computations relating to the observations made with them on the eve of his departure for Göttingen, where he has been appointed Director in the room of the late Prof. Klinkerfues. During the interval to which the report refers, Herr Schur was chiefly occupied with observations of the moon with the altazimuth and of comets with the great refractor, also with the examination of the micrometer-screw of the latter instrument. The meridian-circle has chiefly been employed in the observation of southern stars amongst others the eighty-three stars of Auwers' Southern Fundamental Catalogue, and certain stars for investigating astronomical refractions. The direct and reflection observations to the end of the preceding year give for the geographical latitude of the meridian-circle, +48° 35′0″11, which agrees well with a former determination with Repsold's transit, using Horro-bow's method, viz. +48° 35′0″23. In former reports Herr Schur has drawn attention to the discordance between the nadir points determined with observer north and observer south, which, for his observations, amounts to a considerable quantity; in the mean, from a large number of observations, ½ (north-south) being as much as + 0″-50. This large value agrees both in sign and in magnitude with the quantity determined from observations of zenith stars for similar positions of the observer, viz. 0″.77, and Herr Schur concludes that his observed zenith distances of stars require a correction of about -0″6. In the case of the other Strasburg observers, the corresponding correction is comparatively insignificant. Herr Schur's successor at Strasburg is Dr. Kobold.