Nr 42 2012
Miss Clerkes “Baedeker” till 1800-talets astronomi:
Allt detta hände!
Här är något för alla kalenderbitare i vår vetenskap!
Eftersom 10 februari var legenden Agnes Mary Clerkes födelsedag – hon föddes denna dag 1842 – tänkte jag vi för en gångs skull att vi skulle ägna oss åt hennes i alla avseende betydande bok A Popular History of Astronomy in the Nineteenth Century – en av milstolparna i beskrivningen av förrförra seklets astronomi.
Genuspekterna helt å sido .. miss Clerke var en lysande kompilator, sammanställare av fakta, mer så än observerande astronom, och hon blev också hedersmedem i Royal Astronomical Society för sitt arbete.
Notabelt är att hennes bok numera finns att ta upp och läsa på nätet, Första upplagan kom1885, den fjärde 1902.
I boken finns bl a nedanstående tabell över viktiga astronomiska händelser under hela 1800-talet, med utvikningar både framåt och bakåt. Den är värd att ta till sig för att se vilka kvantumsprång som togs detta fantastiska sekel, då astronomin blev astrofysik på allvar.
1900-talet erbjöd OCKSÅ på revolutionerande upptäckter, men 1800-talets astronomer vände upp och ner, ut och in, på den celesta vetenskiapen.
Jag följer Miss Clerkes engelska – bilder har jag lagt in för läsvänlighetens skull.
Läs och njut – och f<ascineras!
1774, March 4 Herschel’s first observation. Subject, the Orion Nebula.
1774 Sun-spots geometrically proved to be depressions by Wilson.
1774 First experimental determination of the earth’s mean density by Maskelyne.
1781, March 13 Discovery of Uranus.
1782 Herschel’s first Catalogue of Double Stars.
1783 Herschel’s first investigation of the sun’s movement in space.
1783 Goodricke’s discovery of Algol’s law of variation.
1784 Analogy between Mars and the Earth pointed out by Herschel.
1784 Construction of the Heavens investigated by Herschel’s method of star-gauging. “Cloven-disc” plan of the Milky Way.
1784 Discovery of binary stars anticipated by Michell.
1786 Herschel’s first Catalogue of Nebulæ.
1787, Jan. 11 Discovery by Herschel of two Uranian moons (Oberon and Titania).
1787, Nov. 19 Acceleration of the moon explained by Laplace.
1789 Herschel’s second Catalogue of Nebulæ, and classification by age of these objects.
1789 Completion of Herschel’s forty-foot reflector.
1789, Aug. 28 and Sept. 17 His discovery with it of the two inner Saturnian satellites.
1789 Repeating-circle invented by Borda.
1789 Five-foot circle constructed by Ramsden for Piazzi.
1790 Maskelyne’s Catalogue of thirty-six fundamental stars.
1791 Herschel propounds the hypothesis of a fluid constitution for nebulæ.
1792 Atmospheric refraction in Venus announced by Schröter.
1794 Rotation-period of Saturn fixed by Herschel at 10h. 16m.[Pg 446]
1795 Herschel’s theory of the solar constitution.
1796 Herschel’s first measures of comparative stellar brightness
1796 Laplace’s Nebular Hypothesis published in Exposition du Système du Monde.
1797 Publication of Olbers’s method of computing cometary orbits.
1798 Retrograde motions of Uranian satellites detected by Herschel.
1799 Publication of first two volumes of Mécanique Céleste.
1799, May 7 Transit of Mercury observed by Schröter.
1799, Nov. 12 Star-shower observed by Humboldt at Cumana.
1800 Monatliche Correspondenz started by Von Zach.
1800 Invisible heat-rays detected in the solar spectrum by Herschel.
1801, Jan. 1 Discovery of Ceres by Piazzi.
1801 Publication of Lalande’s Histoire Céleste.
1801 Investigation by Herschel of solar emissive variability in connection with spot-development.
1802, March 28 Discovery of Pallas by Olbers.
1802 Herschel’s third Catalogue of Nebulæ.
1802 Herschel’s discovery of binary stars.
1802 Marks of clustering in the Milky Way noted by Herschel.
1802 Wollaston records seven dark lines in the solar spectrum.
1802, Nov. 9 Transit of Mercury observed by Herschel.
1804, Sept. 2 Transit of Mercury observed by Herschel.
1804 Foundation of Optical Institute at Munich.
1805 Herschel’s second determination of the solar apex.
1807, March 29 Discovery of Vesta by Olbers.
1811 Herschel’s theory of the development of stars from nebulæ.
1811, Feb. 9 Death of Maskelyne. Pond appointed to succeed him as Astronomer-Royal.
1811, Sept. 12 Perihelion passage of great comet.
1814 Herschel demonstrates the irregular distribution of stars in space.
1815 Fraunhofer maps 324 dark lines in the solar spectrum.
1818 Publication of Bessel’s Fundamenta Astronomiæ.
1819 Recognition by Encke of the first short-period comet.
1819, June 26 Passage of the earth through the tail of a comet.
1820 Foundation of the Royal Astronomical Society.
1821 Foundation of Paramatta Observatory.
1821, September First number of Astronomische Nachrichten.
1822, May 24 First calculated return of Encke’s comet.
1822, August 25 Death of Herschel.[Pg 447]
1823 Bessel introduces the correction of observations for personal equation.
1823 Fraunhofer examines the spectra of fixed stars.
1824 Distance of the sun concluded by Encke to be 95-1/4 million miles.
1824 Publication of Lohrmann’s Lunar Chart.
1824 Dorpat refractor mounted equatoreally.
1826 Commencement of Schwabe’s observations of sun-spots.
1826, Feb. 27 Biela’s discovery of a comet.
1827 Orbit of a binary star calculated by Savary.
1829 Completion of the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope.
1829 The Königsberg heliometer mounted.
1830 Publication of Bessel’s Tabulæ Regiomontanæ.
1832 Discovery by Brewster of “atmospheric lines” in the solar spectrum.
1833 Magnetic observatory established at Göttingen.
1833, Nov. 12, 13 Star-shower visible in North America.
1833 Completion of Sir J. Herschel’s survey of the northern heavens.
1834, Jan. 16 Sir J. Herschel’s landing at the Cape.
1835, September Airy appointed Astronomer-Royal in succession to Pond.
1835, Nov. 16 Perihelion passage of Halley’s comet.
1837 Solar movement determined by Argelander.
1837 Bessel’s application of the heliometer to measurements of stellar parallax.
1837 Publication of Beer and Mädler’s Der Mond.
1837, Dec. 16 Outburst of η Carinæ observed by Sir J. Herschel.
1837 Thermal power of the sun measured by Herschel and Pouillet.
1838 Parallax of 61 Cygni determined by Bessel.
1839, Jan. 9 Parallax of α Centauri announced by Henderson.
1839 Completion of Pulkowa Observatory.
1839 Solidity of the earth concluded by Hopkins.
1840, March 2 Death of Olbers.
1840 First attempt to photograph the moon by J. W. Draper.
1842 Doppler enounces principle of colour-change by motion.
1842 Conclusion of Baily’s experiments in weighing the Earth.
1842, July 8 Total solar eclipse. Corona and prominences observed by Airy, Baily, Arago, and Struve.
1843, Feb. 27 Perihelion-passage of great comet.
1845, February Completion of Parsonstown reflector.
1845, April Discovery with it of spiral nebulæ.[Pg 448]
1845, April 2 Daguerreotype of the sun taken by Foucault and Fizeau.
1845, Oct. 21 Place of Neptune assigned by Adams.
1845, Dec. 8 Discovery of Astræa by Hencke.
1845, Dec. 29 Duplication of Biela’s comet observed at Yale College.
1846 Melloni’s detection of heating effects from moonlight.
1846, March 17 Death of Bessel.
1846, Sept. 23 Discovery of Neptune by Galle.
1846, Oct. 10 Neptune’s satellite discovered by Lassell.
1847 Publication of Sir J. Herschel’s Results of Observations at the Cape of Good Hope.
1847 Cyclonic theory of sun-spots stated by him.
1848 J. R. Mayer’s meteoric hypothesis of solar conservation.
1848 Motion-displacements of Fraunhofer lines adverted to by Fizeau.
1848, April 27 New Star in Ophiuchus observed by Hind.
1848, Sept. 19 Simultaneous discovery of Hyperion by Bond and Lassell.
1849 First experimental determination of the velocity of by Fizeau.
1848, April 27 New Star in Ophiuchus observed by Hind.
1848, Sept. 19 Simultaneous discovery of Hyperion by Bond and Lassell.
1849 First experimental determination of the velocity of light (Fizeau).
1850, July 17 Vega photographed at Harvard College.
1850, Nov. 15 Discovery by Bond of Saturn’s dusky ring.
1851 O. Struve’s first measurements of Saturn’s ring-system
1851, July 28 Total solar eclipse observed in Sweden.
1851, Oct. 24 Discovery by Lassell of two inner Uranian satellites.
1851 Schwabe’s discovery of sun-spot periodicity published by Humboldt.
1852, May 6 Coincidence of magnetic and sun-spot periods announced by Sabine.
1852, Oct. 11 Variable nebula in Taurus discovered by Hind.
1852 Lassell’s two-foot reflector transported to Malta.
1853 Adams shows Laplace’s explanation of the moon’s acceleration to be incomplete.
1854 Hansen infers from lunar theory a reduced value for the distance of the sun.
1854 Helmholtz’s “gravitation theory” of solar energy.
1856 Piazzi Smyth’s observations on the Peak of Teneriffe.
1857 Saturn’s rings shown by Clerk Maxwell to be of meteoric formation.
1857, April 27 Double-star photography initiated at Harvard College.
1858 Solar photography begun at Kew.
1858, Sept. 30 Perihelion of Donati’s comet.
1859 Spectrum analysis established by Kirchhoff and Bunsen.
1859 Carrington’s discovery of the compound nature of the sun’s rotation.
1859, Sept. 1 Luminous solar outburst and magnetic storm.
1859, Oct. 19 Merope nebula discovered by Tempel.[Pg 449]
1859, Dec. 15 Chemical constitution of the sun described by Kirchhoff.
1860, Feb. 27 Discovery by Liais of a “double comet.”
1860, May 21 New star in Scorpio detected by Auwers.
1860, July 18 Total solar eclipse observed in Spain. Prominences shown by photography to be solar appendages.
1861, June 30 The earth involved in the tail of a great comet.
1861-1862 Kirchhoff’s map of the solar spectrum.
1862 Solar hydrogen-absorption recognised by Ångström.
1862, Jan. 31 Discovery by Alvan G. Clark of the companion of Sirius.
1862 Foucault determines the sun’s distance by the velocity of light.
1862 Opposition of Mars. Determination of solar parallax.
1862 Completion of Bonner Durchmusterung.
1863 Secchi’s classification of stellar spectra.
1863 Foundation of the German Astronomical Society.
1864, March 5 Rotation period of Mars determined by Kaiser.
1864 Huggins’s first results in stellar spectrum analysis.
1864, Aug. 5 Spectroscopic examination of Tempel’s comet by Donati shows it to be composed of glowing gas.
1864, Aug. 29 Discovery by Huggins of gaseous nebulæ.
1864 Value of 91,000,000 miles adopted for the sun’s distance.
1864 Croll’s explanation of glacial epochs.
1864, Nov. 23 Death of Struve.
1865, Jan. 4 Spectroscopic observation by Huggins of the occultation of ε Piscium.
1865, Jan. 16 Faye’s theory of the solar constitution.
1865 Kew results published.
1865 Zöllner argues for a high temperature in the great planets.
1866 Identity of the orbits of the August meteors and of comet 1862 iii. demonstrated by Schiaparelli.
1866 Delaunay explains lunar acceleration by a lengthening of the day through tidal friction.
1866, March 4 Spectroscopic study of the sun’s surface by Lockyer.
1866, March 12 New star in Corona Borealis detected by Birmingham.
1866, October Schmidt announces the disappearance of the lunar crater Linné.
1866, Nov. 13 Meteoric shower visible in Europe.
1867 Period of November meteors determined by Adams.
1867, Aug. 29 Total solar eclipse. Minimum sun-spot type of corona observed by Grosch at Santiago.
1867 Discovery of gaseous stars in Cygnus by Wolf and Rayet.
1868, February Principle of daylight spectroscopic visibility of prominences started by Huggins.[Pg 450]
1868, Aug. 18 Great Indian eclipse. Spectrum of prominences observed.
1868, Aug. 19 Janssen’s first daylight view of a prominence.
1868, Oct. 26 Lockyer and Janssen independently announce their discovery of the spectroscopic method.
1868 Doppler’s principle applied by Huggins to measure stellar radial movements.
1868 Publication of Ångström’s map of the normal solar spectrum.
1868 Spectrum of Winnecke’s comet found by Huggins to agree with that of olefiant gas.
1869, Feb. 11 Tenuity of chromospheric gases inferred by Lockyer and Frankland.
1869, Feb. 13 Huggins observes a prominence with an “open slit.”
1869, Aug. 7 American eclipse. Detection of bright-line coronal spectrum.
1870 Mounting of Newall’s 25-inch achromatic at Gateshead.
1870 Proctor indicates the prevalence of drifting movements among the stars.
1870 A solar prominence photographed by Young.
1870, Dec. 22 Sicilian eclipse. Young discovers reversing layer.
1871, May 11 Death of Sir J. Herschel.
1871, June 9 Line-displacements due to solar rotation detected by Vogel.
1871, Dec. 12 Total eclipse visible in India. Janssen observes reflected Fraunhofer lines in spectrum of corona.
1872 Conclusion of a three years’ series of observations on lunar heat by Lord Rosse.
1872 Spectrum of Vega photographed by H. Draper.
1872 Faye’s cyclonic hypothesis of sun-spots.
1872 Young’s solar-spectroscopic observations at Mount Sherman.
1872 Cornu’s experiments on the velocity of light.
1872, Nov. 27 Meteoric shower connected with Biela’s comet.
1873 Determination of mean density of the earth by Cornu and Baille.
1873 Solar photographic work begun at Greenwich.
1873 Erection of 26-inch Washington refractor.
1874 Light-equation redetermined by Glasenapp.
1874 Vogel’s classification of stellar spectra.
1874, Dec. 8 Transit of Venus.
1876 Publication of Neison’s The Moon.
1876, Nov. 24 New star in Cygnus discovered by Schmidt.
1876 Spectrum of Vega photographed by Huggins. First use of dry gelatine plates in celestial photography.
1877, May 19 Klein observes a supposed new lunar crater (Hyginus N.).
1877 Measurement by Vogel of selective absorption in solar atmosphere.[Pg 451]
1877, Aug. 16-17 Discovery of two satellites of Mars by Hall at Washington.
1877, Sept. 23 Death of Leverrier.
1877 Canals of Mars discovered by Schiaparelli.
1877 Opposition of Mars observed by Gill at Ascension. Solar parallax deduced = 8·78′.
1878, January Stationary meteor-radiants described by Denning.
1878 Publication of Schmidt’s Charte der Gebirge des Mondes.
1878 First observations of Great Red Spot on Jupiter.
1878 Conclusion of Newcomb’s researches on the lunar theory.
1878, May 6 Transit of Mercury.
1878 Foundation of Selenographical Society.
1878, July 29 Total eclipse visible in America. Vast equatoreal extension of the corona.
1878, October Completion of Potsdam Astrophysical Observatory.
1878, Dec. 12 Lockyer’s theory of celestial dissociation communicated to the Royal Society.
1879 Michelson’s experiments on the velocity of light.
1879 Publication of Gould’s Uranometria Argentina.
1879, November Observations of the spectra of sun-spots begun at South Kensington.
1879, Dec. 5 Abney’s map of the infra-red solar spectrum presented to the Royal Society.
1879, Dec. 18 Ultra-violet spectra of white stars described by Huggins.
1879, Dec. 18 Communication of G. H. Darwin’s researches into the early history of the moon.
1880, Jan. 31 Discovery at Cordoba of a great southern comet.
1880 Conditions of Algol’s eclipses determined by Pickering.
1880 Pickering computes mass-brightness of binary stars.
1880, Sept. 30 Draper’s photograph of the Orion nebula.
1880 The bolometer invented by Langley.
1881, Jan. 20 Communication of G. H. Darwin’s researches into the effects of tidal friction on the evolution of the solar system.
1881 Langley’s observations of atmospheric absorption on Mount Whitney.
1881, June 16 Perihelion of Tebbutt’s comet.
1881, June 24 Its spectrum photographed by Huggins.
1881, June Photographs of Tebbutt’s comet by Janssen and Draper.
1881, Aug. 15 Retirement of Sir George Airy. Succeeded by Christie.
1881, Aug. 22 Perihelion of Schaeberle’s comet.
1881 Publication of Stone’s Cape Catalogue for 1880.
1881 Struve’s second measures of Saturn’s ring-system.[Pg 452]
1882 Newcomb’s determination of the velocity of light. Resulting solar parallax = 8·79′.
1882 Correction by Nyrén of Struve’s constant of aberration.
1882, March 7 Spectrum of Orion nebula photographed by Huggins.
1882, May 17 Total solar eclipse observed at Sohag in Egypt.
1882, May 27 Sodium-rays observed at Dunecht in spectrum of Comet Wells.
1882, June 10 Perihelion of Comet Wells.
1882, Sept. 17 Perihelion of Great Comet. Daylight detection by Common. Transit observed at the Cape.
1882, Sept. 18 Iron lines identified in spectrum by Copeland and J. G. Lohse.
1882, September Photographs of comet taken at the Cape Observatory, showing a background crowded with stars.
1882, Dec. 6 Transit of Venus.
1882 Duplication of Martian canals observed by Schiaparelli.
1882 Completion by Loewy at Paris of first equatoreal Coudé.
1882 Rigidity of the earth concluded from tidal observations by G. H. Darwin.
1882 Experiments by Huggins on photographing the corona without an eclipse.
1882 Publication of Holden’s Monograph of the Orion Nebula.
1883, Jan. 30 Orion Nebula photographed by Common.
1883, May 6 Caroline Island eclipse.
1883, June 1 Great comet of 1882 observed from Cordoba at a distance from the earth of 470 million miles.
1883 Parallaxes of nine southern stars measured by Gill and Elkin.
1883 Catalogue of the spectra of 4,051 stars by Vogel.
1884, Jan. 25 Return to perihelion of Pons’s comet.
1884 Photometric Catalogue by Pickering of 4,260 stars.
1884 Publication of Gore’s Catalogue of Variable Stars.
1884 Publication of Faye’s Origine du Monde.
1884, Oct. 4 Eclipse of the moon. Heat-phases measured by Boeddicker at Parsonstown.
1884 Dunér’s Catalogue of Stars with Banded Spectra.
1884 Backlund’s researches into the movements of Encke’s comet.
1885, February Langley measures the lunar heat-spectrum.
1885 Publication of Uranometria Nova Oxoniensis.
1885, Aug. 17 New star in Andromeda nebula discerned by Gully.
1885, Sept. 5 Thollon’s drawing of the solar spectrum presented to the Paris Academy.
1885, Sept. 9 Solar eclipse visible in New Zealand.[Pg 453]
1885, Nov. 16 Photographic discovery by Paul and Prosper Henry of a nebula in the Pleiades.
1885, Nov. 27 Shower of Biela meteors.
1885 Thirty-inch achromatic mounted at Pulkowa.
1885 Publication of Rowland’s photographic map of the normal solar spectrum.
1885 Bakhuyzen’s determination of the rotation period of Mars.
1885 Stellar photographs by Paul and Prosper Henry.
1886, Jan. 26 Spectra of forty Pleiades simultaneously photographed at Harvard College.
1886, Feb. 5 First visual observation of the Maia nebula with Pulkowa 30-inch refractor.
1886, March Photographs by the Henrys of the Pleiades, showing 2,326 stars with nebulæ intermixed.
1886, May Photographic investigations of stellar parallax undertaken by Pritchard.
1886, May 6 Periodical changes in spectra of sun-spots announced by Pritchard.
1886, June 4 An international Photographic Congress proposed by Gill.
1886, Aug. 29 Total eclipse of the sun observed at Grenada.
1886, Oct. 1 Roberts’s photograph showing annular structure of the Andromeda nebula.
1886, Dec. 8 Roberts’s photograph of the Pleiades nebulosities.
1886 Solar heat-spectrum extended by Langley to below five microns.
1886, Dec. 28 Detection by Copeland of helium-ray in spectrum of the Orion nebula.
1886 Thirty-inch refractor mounted at Nice.
1886 Publication of Argentine General Catalogue.
1886 Completion of Auwers’s reduction of Bradley’s observations.
1886 Draper Memorial photographic work begun at Harvard College.
1886 Photographic detection at Harvard College of bright hydrogen lines in spectra of variables (Mira Ceti and U Orionis).
1887, Jan. 18 Discovery by Thome at Cordoba of a great comet belonging to the same group as the comet of 1882.
1887 Publication of Lockyer’s Chemistry of the Sun.
1887, April 16 Meeting at Paris of the International Astrophotographic Congress.
1887 Heliometric triangulation of the Pleiades by Elkin.
1887 L. Struve’s investigation of the sun’s motion, and redetermination of the constant of precession.
1887 Von Konkoly’s extension to 15° S. Dec. of Vogel’s spectroscopic Catalogue.
1887 Auwers’s investigation of the solar diameter.
1887 Publication of Schiaparelli’s Measures of Double Stars (1875-85).[Pg 454]
1887, April 8 Death of Thollon at Nice.
1887, Aug. 19 Total eclipse of the sun. Shadow-path crossed Russia. Observations marred by bad weather.
1887, November Langley’s researches on the temperature of the moon.
1887, Nov. 17 Lockyer’s Researches on Meteorites communicated to the Royal Society.
1887 Completion of 36-inch Lick refractor.
1888 Küstner’s detection of variations in the latitude of Berlin brought before the International Geodetic Association.
1888 Chandler’s first Catalogue of Variable Stars.
1888 Mean parallax of northern first magnitude stars determined by Elkin.
1888 Publication of Dreyer’s New General Catalogue of 7,844 nebulæ.
1888 Vogel’s first spectrographic determinations of stellar radial motion.
1888 Carbon absorption recognised in solar spectrum by Trowbridge and Hutchins.
1888, Jan. 28 Total eclipse of the moon. Heat-phases measured at Parsonstown.
1888, Feb. 5 Remarkable photograph of the Orion nebula spectrum taken at Tulse Hill.
1888, June 1 Activity of the Lick Observatory begun.
1888 Completion of Dr. Common’s 5-foot reflector.
1888 Heliometric measures of Iris for solar parallax at the Cape, Newhaven (U.S.A.), and Leipsic.
1888 Loewy describes a comparative method of determining constant of aberration.
1888 Presentation of the Dunecht instrumental outfit to the nation by Lord Crawford. Copeland succeeds Piazzi Smyth as Astronomer-Royal for Scotland.
1888, Sept. 12 Death of R. A. Proctor.
1889 Photograph of the Orion nebula taken by W. H. Pickering, showing it to be the nucleus of a vast spiral.
1889 Discovery at a Harvard College of the first-known spectroscopic doubles, ζ Ursæ Majoris and β Aurigæ.
1889 Eclipses of Algol demonstrated spectrographically by Vogel.
1889 Completion of photographic work for the Southern Durchmusterung.
1889 Boeddicker’s drawing of the Milky Way.
1889 Draper Memorial photographs of southern star-spectra taken in Peru.
1889 Pernter’s experiments on scintillation from the Sonnblick.[Pg 455]
1889 H. Struve’s researches on Saturn’s satellites.
1889 Harkness’s investigation of the masses of Mercury, Venus, and the Earth.
1889 Heliometric measures of Victoria and Sappho at the Cape.
1889, Jan. 1 Total solar eclipse visible in California.
1889, Feb. 7 Foundation of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
1889, March Investigation by Sir William and Lady Huggins of the spectrum of the Orion nebula.
1889, July-Aug. First photographs of the Milky Way taken by Barnard.
1889, August 2 Observation by Barnard of four companions to Brooks’s comet.
1889, Nov. 1 Passage of Japetus behind Saturn’s dusky ring observed by Barnard.
1889, December Schiaparelli announces synchronous rotation and revolution of Mercury.
1889, Dec. 22 Total eclipse of the sun visible in Guiana. Death of Father Perry, December 27.
1889 Spectrum of Uranus investigated visually by Keeler, photographically by Huggins.
1890 Long-exposure photographs of ring-nebula in Lyra.
1890 Determinations of the solar translation by L. Boss and O. Stumpe.
1890 Schiaparelli finds for Venus an identical period of rotation and revolution.
1890 Publication of Thollon’s map of the solar spectrum.
1890 Bigelow’s mathematical theory of coronal structures.
1890 Foundation of the British Astronomical Association.
1890 Measurements by Keeler at Lick of nebular radial movements.
1890 Janssen’s ascent of Mont Blanc, by which he ascertained the purely terrestrial origin of the oxygen-absorption in the solar spectrum.
1890 Newcomb’s discussion of the transits of Venus of 1761 and 1769.
1890 Spiral structure of Magellanic Clouds displayed in photographs taken by H. C. Russell of Sydney.
1890 Publication of the Draper Catalogue of Stellar Spectra.
1890, April 24 Spica announced by Vogel to be a spectroscopic binary.
1890, June Gore’s Catalogue of computed Binaries.
1890, November Study by Sir William and Lady Huggins of the spectra of Wolf and Rayet’s stars in Cygnus.
1890, November Discovery by Barnard of a close nebulous companion to Merope in the Pleiades.
1890, November McClean Spectrographs of the High and Low Sun.
1891 Capture-theory of comets developed by Callandreau, Tisserand, and Newton.
1891 Dunér’s spectroscopic researches on the sun’s rotation.[Pg 456]
1891 Preponderance of Sirian stars in the Milky Way concluded by Pickering, Gill, and Kapteyn.
1891 Detection by Mrs. Fleming of spectral variations corresponding to light-changes in β Lyræ.
1891 Establishment of the Harvard College Station at Arequipa in Peru (height 8,000 feet).
1891 Variations of latitude investigated by Chandler.
1891 Prominence-photography set on foot by Hale at Chicago and Deslandres at Paris.
1891 Schmidt’s Theory of Refraction in the Sun.
1891, April Meeting at Paris of the Permanent Committee for the Photographic Charting of the Heavens.
1891, May 9 Transit of Mercury.
1891, Aug. 19 Presidential Address by Huggins at the Cardiff Meeting of the British Association.
1891, Dec. 10 Nova Aurigæ photographed at Harvard College.
1891, Dec. 20 Photographic maximum of Nova Aurigæ.
1891, Dec. 22 First photographic discovery of a minor planet by Max Wolf at Heidelberg.
1892 Commencement of international photographic charting work.
1892 Photographic determination by Scheiner of 833 stars in the Hercules Cluster (M 13).
1892 Publication of Vogel’s spectrographic determinations for fifty-one stars.
1892 Publication of Pritchard’s photographic parallaxes.
1892, Jan. 2 Death of Sir George Airy.
1892, Jan. 21 Death of Professor Adams.
1892, Feb. 1 Announcement by Anderson of the outburst of a new star in Auriga.
1892, Feb. 5 Appearance of the largest sun-spot ever photographed at Greenwich.
1892, March Photograph of Argo nebula taken by Gill in twelve hours.
1892, March 6 Discovery of a bright comet by Swift.
1892, June 29 Death of Admiral Mouchez. Succeeded by Tisserand as director of the National Observatory, Paris.
1892, Aug. 4 Favourable Opposition of Mars.
1892, Aug. 17 Rediscovery at Lick of Nova Aurigæ.
1892, Sept. 9 Discovery by Barnard of Jupiter’s inner satellite.
1892, Oct. 12 First photographic discovery of a comet by Barnard.
1892, Nov. 6 Discovery of Holmes’s comet.
1892, Nov. 23 Shower of Andromede meteors visible in America.
1892 Poynting’s Determination of the Earth’s Mean Density.
1892 Dunér’s Investigation of the System of Υ Cygni.
1892 Photographic investigation by Deslandres of the spectra of prominences.
1892 Photographs of the sun with faculæ and chromospheric surroundings taken by Hale with a single exposure.
1892 Investigation by T. J. J. See of the ancient colour of Sirius.[Pg 457]
1892 Publication of T. J. J. See’s Thesis on the Evolution of Binary Systems.
1892 Chandler’s theory of Algol’s inequalities.
1892 Nebula in Cygnus photographically discovered by Max Wolf.
1893, Jan. 28 Kapteyn’s investigation of the structure of the universe.
1893, March 10 Gill announces his results from the Opposition of Victoria, among them a solar parallax = 8·809′.
1893, April 16 Total solar eclipse observed in South America and West Africa.
1893 Publication of Kruger’s Catalog der Farbigen Sterne.
1893 Conclusion of Boys’s series of Experiments on the Density of the Earth.
1893 Publication of Cordoba Durchmusterung, vol. i.
1893 Fabry shows comets to be dependents of the Solar System.
1893 Publication of Easton’s Voie Lactée.
1893 Campbell detects bright Hα in γ Argûs and Alcyone.
1893 Nova Normæ photographed July 10; discovered on plates, October 26.
1893, May 28 Death of Professor Pritchard.
1893, July 27 Installation of 28-inch refractor at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.
1893, December Exterior nebulosities of Pleiades photographed by Barnard.
1893, Dec. 6 Death of Rudolf Wolf.
1894, January Sun-spot maximum.
1894 Publication of Potsdam Photometric Durchmusterung, part i.
1894 Publication of Roberts’s Celestial Photographs, vol. i.
1894 Wilson and Gray’s determination of the sun’s temperature.
1894 Barnard’s micrometric measures of asteroids.
1894 McClean’s gift of an astrophysical outfit to the Cape Observatory.
1894 Establishment of the Lowell Observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona.
1894 Taylor’s triple achromatic objective described.
1894, April 3 Discovery of Gale’s Comet.
1894 Sampson’s investigation of the sun’s rotation.
1894, Oct. 20 Favourable opposition of Mars.
1894, Nov. 11 Transit of Mercury.
1894, December Howlett impugns the Wilsonian theory of sun-spots.
1894, Dec. 14 Death of A. Cowper Ranyard.
1895 Publication of Newcomb’s Astronomical Constants.1895 Bailey’s Photometric Catalogue of 7,922 Southern Stars.
1895 Bailey’s photographic discovery of variable star clusters.
1895 Publication of E. W. Brown’s Lunar Theory.
1895 Tisserand’s theory of the inequalities of Algol.
1895 Stratonoff’s determination of the sun’s rotation from photographs of faculæ.
1895 Binary character of η Aquilæ spectroscopically recognised by Bélopolsky.
1895 Presentation of the Crossley reflector to the Lick Observatory.
1895, March 23 Great nebula in Ophiuchus discovered photographically by Barnard.
1895, March 25 Ramsay’s capture of Helium.
1895, April Constitution of Saturn’s rings spectrographically demonstrated by Keeler.
1895 Binary character of δ Cephei spectroscopically detected by Bélopolsky.
1895, June 11 Death of Daniel Kirkwood.
1895, July 7 Death of F. W. G. Spörer.
1895, October Nova Carinæ spectrographically discovered by Mrs. Fleming.
1895, Dec. 12 Nova Centauri spectrographically discovered by Mrs. Fleming.
1895, Dec. 28 Death of John Russell Hind.
1896 Gill’s Report on the Geodetic Survey of South Africa.
1896 Appearance of Loewy’s Photographic Atlas of the Moon, part i.
1896, January Fessenden’s electrostatic theory of comets.
1896 Chandler’s Third Catalogue of Variable Stars.
1896 Publication of Lick Observatory Photographic Atlas of the Moon, part i.
1896, February Effects of pressure on wave-length described by Humphreys and Mohler.
1896, April 5 Opening of new Scottish Royal Observatory on Blackford Hill, Edinburgh.
1896, April Pickering’s photometric determinations of light curves of variable stars.
1896 One of the stars of Castor spectroscopically resolved into two by Bélopolsky.
1896, May Third Astrographic Chart Conference at Paris.
1896, Aug. 9 Total eclipse of the sun visible in Novaya Zemlya. Reversing layer photographed by Shackleton.
1896, Aug. 30 Death of Hubert A. Newton.
1896, Sept. 18 Death of Hippolyte Fizeau.
1896, Oct. 20 Death of F. Tisserand. Succeeded by Maurice Loewy.
1896, Nov. 13 Detection by Schaeberle of Procyon’s missing satellite.
1896, Nov. 26 Death of Benjamin Apthorp Gould.[Pg 459]
1896, November Second series of hydrogen-lines discovered by Pickering in stellar spectra.
1896, December Zeeman’s discovery of spectral modifications through magnetic influence.
1896, December Oxygen-absorption identified in the sun by Runge and Paschen.
1896 Study of lunar formations by Loewy and Puiseux.
1896 Mounting of the Mills spectrograph at the Lick Observatory.
1897 Installation at Greenwich of the Thompson 26-inch photographic refractor.
1897 Publication of Miss Maury’s Discussion of the Photographed Spectra of 681 Stars.
1897 Callandreau’s researches on cometary disaggregation.
1897 Braun’s determination of the earth’s mean density.
1897 Tenuity of calcium vapour in chromosphere demonstrated spectroscopically by Sir William and Lady Huggins.
1897 Completion at the Cape Observatory of McClean’s spectrographic survey of the heavens.
1897 Twenty-one Wolf-Rayet stars found by Mrs. Fleming in Magellanic Cloud.
1897 Percival Lowell’s New Observations on the Planet Mercury presented to the American Academy.
1897, April 8 McClean recognises oxygen-absorption in helium stars.
1897, May 9 Death of E. J. Stone, Radcliffe Observer.
1897, June 10 Death of Alvan G. Clark.
1897, June 18 Spectrum of a meteor photographed at Arequipa.
1897, Oct. 21 Inauguration of the Yerkes Observatory.
1897 Rabourdin’s photographs of nebulæ with the Meudon reflector.
1897 Dr. See’s discoveries of Southern double stars with the Lowell 24-inch refractor.
1898, Jan. 22 Total eclipse of the sun visible in India.
1898, February Binary character of ζ Geminorum ascertained spectroscopically by Bélopolsky.
1898 Star with proper motion of nearly 9′ discovered by Innes and Kapteyn from the Cape Durchmusterung plates.
1898, March 8 Nova Sagittarii photographed on Draper Memorial plates.
1898, June 20 Opening of Grand-ducal Observatory at Königsstuhl, Heidelberg.
1898 Keeler succeeds Holden as Director of the Lick Observatory.
1898 Bruno Peter’s results in stellar parallax.
1898 Lewis Swift’s discoveries of nebulæ at Echo California.
1898 Hale’s photographic investigation of carbon stars.[Pg 460]
1898, Aug. 14 Discovery of Eros by Witt.
1898 Flint’s investigations of stellar parallax by meridian differences.
1898 Easton’s spiral theory of the Milky Way.
1898 Seeliger’s research on star distribution.
1898, October Multiple hydrogen-bands observed by Campbell in Mira Ceti.
1898, November Orbit of a Leonid meteor photographically determined by Elkin.
1899 Publication of Potsdam Photometric Durchmusterung, part ii.
1899 Innes’s Reference Catalogue of Southern Double Stars.
1899 Keeler’s photographs of nebulæ with the Crossley reflector and generalization of their spiral character.
1899, January Spectrum of Andromeda nebula photographed by Scheiner.
1899, April Photographic discovery of Nova Aquilæ by Mrs. Fleming.
1899, Aug. 26 Installation of 31-inch photographic refractor at Potsdam.
1899 Campbell’s detection of Polaris as spectroscopically triple.
1899, October Duplicate discovery by Campbell and Newall of Capella as a spectroscopic binary.
1899, Nov. 15 Failure of the Leonids. Deflection of the stream predicted by Johnstone Stoney and Downing.
1899, December Publication of Sir William and Lady Huggins’s Atlas of Representative Stellar Spectra.
1899 Thirty-two-inch photographic refractor mounted at Meudon.
1899 Issue of first volume of Potsdam measures of international catalogue plates.
1900, Jan. 27 Kapteyn’s determination of the apex of solar motion.
1900 Chase’s measures for parallax of swiftly-moving stars.
1900 Publication of Gill’s Researches on Stellar Parallax.
1900 Kapteyn proposes a method for a stellar parallax Durchmusterung, and gives specimen results for 248 stars.
1900 Burnham’s general catalogue of 1,290 double stars.
1900 Publication of the concluding volume of the Cape Photographic Durchmusterung.
1900, May 28 Spanish-American total eclipse of the sun.
1900, July International Conference at Paris. Co-operation arranged of fifty-eight observatories in measures of Eros for solar parallax.
1900 Horizontal refractor, of 50 inches aperture, 197 feet focus, installed in Paris Exhibition.[Pg 461]
1900, Aug. 12 Death of Professor Keeler. Succeeded by Campbell in direction of Lick Observatory.
1900, November Opposition of Eros.
1900 Publication of Roberts’s Celestial Photographs, vol. ii.
1900 Complete publication of Langley’s researches on infra-red spectrum.
1900 Printing begun of Paris section of International Photographic Catalogue.
1901, Feb. 22 Nova Persei discovered by Anderson.
1901, February Variability of Eros announced by Oppolzer.
1901, April 23 Apparition of a great comet at the Cape.
1901 Publication of Pickering’s Photometric Durchmusterung.
1901 Miss Cannon’s discussion of the spectra of 1,122 Southern stars.
1901 Kapteyn’s investigation of mean stellar parallax.
1901 Campbell’s determination of the sun’s velocity.
1901 Porter’s research on the solar motion in space.
1901 Bigelow’s magnetic theory of the solar corona.
1901 Hussey’s measurements of the Pulkowa double stars.
1901 Radial velocities of the components of δ Equulei measured at Lick.
1901, April 16 Death of Henry A. Rowland.
1901, June Nebular spectrum derived from Nova Persei.
1901, Aug. 23 Nebula near Nova Persei photographed by Max Wolf.
1901, Sept. 20 The same exhibited in spiral form on a plate taken by Ritchey at the Yerkes Observatory.
1901, Nov. 8 Photograph taken by Perrine with the Crossley reflector showed nebula in course of rapid change.
1901, Sept. 19 Unveiling of the McClean “Victoria” telescope at the Royal Observatory, Cape of Good Hope.
1901 Sun-spot minimum.