The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-23
SCIENCE IN 1878.
PROGRESS MADE IN ASTRONOMICAL AND pHYsT.
CAL Observation-Disclosures OF THE sun ANIL
OF THE WORKSHOP

OF THE WORKSHOP.
from the London Timcs.l
Simply to register the scientific work of the past
year which has found its way to the light through
the many scientific societies all the world would
pretty well occupy an issue os'this paper But this
multitude OF organizations by no means absorbs al
the scientific work of the world. though probably
most of it gravitates toward them. There is host
of scientific periodicals. home and foreign, quite
independent of the societies, which are often the
first to give to the world the results of research
OF the first importance. In this Intensely scien-
thc age even the daily press is sometimes the
first to announce scientific discoveries of the first
Importance; as witness the announcements of Edi-
sons inventions. We ourselves, We believe, were the
FIRST in this country at least publish about your
ago. the news of the liquetacion of the permanent
gases. Our readers must that it is hopeless task
to give complete account of the scientific work of
the year in the space at our disposal We can only
that mainly in respect of the work done in own
country. The principal scientific event of the
year was. however, without nationality notwith-
standing the ruinor that the American astronomers
got up the eclipse of July 20 to give themselves
and their English conJrtres excuse for holiday
The results of this eclipse have been pretty
thoroughly discussed In our columns; it has
enabled us to obtain more definite knowledge
of the character of the SUMS activity, of the
true nature OF his wonderful appendage, the
corona and possibly, Also OF the origin Of the
zodacal light But. in the eyes OF some astronomers
and of the general public" probably more inter-
intra-Iiercural planets. There be little doubt
think, to the accuracy OF the observations on
this point and is just announced that an American
scientist 1--WE wish we knew OF more paatable term)
Professor Dawson. has invented method of obse-v-
ing the region near the sun without eclipse.
which, if efficient, will probably place Watson's and
Swifts observations beyond cavil. Independently of
the eclipse, the spectroscopc and Photographic OBJ
scrvaon OF the has been actively carried on dur
ing the past year. especially by Jansen. of Paris
and Tacchini and others i'll Italy, the former having
invented most ingenious apparatus the photo hello
graph, by means OF which he is able to obtain larger
and much better defined photographs OF the suns
disk than ever were obtained before.
SOLAR OXYGEN.
By this means some very remarkable results have
been obtained. Higgins, we may say here has been
continuing his solid spectroscopc work photograph
ing the spectra Of the fixed stars. An important
tributon to this department of soar observation is
tho just published first part of the Publications Of
the Asstrophysical Ia new and significant tarm)
Observatory OF Potslan containing observations of
sun spots from October 1871 to December 1873. by
DR.. Sporer. Draper announcement of the overy
OF oxygen i'll the sun Is one or great moment but
believe competent solar observers consider the
proof ns efficient vast deal has been written dur
ing the past year by Broun. Balfour Stewart. Mel
drum Bantord, Buchan, Faye and others on the
sunspot period and its supposed connection with
certain terrestrial phenomena. Jevons has made
out wonderfully plausible case for their connection
with commercial crises, Walford with famines and
Mr. f. d. Archibald with locust plaques. Although
the transit OF Mercury has not the important
bearings attaching to like event in the Of his
sister planet Venus, still it is OF great astronomical
value, and that of May was carefully observed by
French and American astronomers weather and
other conditions would admit. Eleven new minor
planets have been added to the already long list dur
ing the year. These now number. believe, 191.
OF other planetary observations those of Asaph Hall
on the satellites of Mars should be mentioned The
announcement that new crater lad been discovered
in the moon astoundcd astronomers at the time
though cool reelection showed that volcanic
need not necessarily be supposed TO be at the bottom
OF it. The publication or Newcomb's Lunar Re-
searches is addition of great value to mathemati
cal astronomy, and the charts OF Lohrm and
Schmidt of the moon are each the result OF nearly
We should note the reorganization of the Paris OBJ
servatory and the Astronomer Royals annual report,
with its summary OF the transit OF Venus observa-
tons far they bear on the suns distance.
LocxfEn's THEORIES.
From the bewilderingly wide ana varied field of
physics we cannot hope to pluck ANYTHING like
representative bouquet, but only two OF the
most prominent flowers OF research that have bios
somed during the past year Mr. LocAyers implicit
universal in its bearings but belongs specially 20
physics by the method of research followed. Mr..
Lockyer does not pretend TO have completed his
bricf and at this. the preliminary stage OF his
nouncement it is to be expected that he would
with adverse and even depreciatory criticism.
There is often too much human nature among men
of science and the older chemists must be naturally
piqrcd that great triumph should be gained i'll
thus irregular fashion their ground. Should
Mr. Lockycr be able to complete his proof, then
1878 will be red letter year i'll the history OF scen-
thc discovery. There can be no doubt about the
certainty aud value OF the strange results achieved
by Mr. Crookes in his recently described experiments
til rarefed gases by means OF his radionleer. The
most noteworthy point in Mr. Crookes' experiments
is the reve.at Of kind OF ultra-gaseous OF
matter which comes into play when the number OF
molecules IN given space is enormously reduced.
Here molecular reelection occurs obeying the laws OF
light, and molecular foci formed which can
raise to incandescence platinum fol. Moreover.
i'll this state the molecular stream readily
ntn tEA fnHn y Ar
Crookes recent well AS his previous
experiments have given remarkable confirmation of
Mr.. tombstone Stoney's theoretical views concerning
the action of the rIdiometer. The last named phys-
cist has lately placed his theory upon firm mathe
NAUTICAL basis in series of valuable papers
tributed to the transactions OF the Royal Dublin
Soccty'-a society which during the past year has
exhibited a remarkable scientific activity. A great
deal OF important work has boon registered in con-
ne ton with spectroscopic research. We only
mention Abney's new method OF phosographiug the
least refrangibo red end OF the spectrum OF
the great achievements OF the year in this depart
mcnt.
THE GREAT AMERICAN PHENOMENON.
Elisons phonograph belongs to the pas. year, 30
far at least as IT'S ANNOUNCEMENT Is concerned IL has
not yet realized the expectations formed AZ to its
practical value. though has b,en OF great service
III connection with researches sound, and
pecially the human voice. III this respect the
pcrinients OF Fleming Jenkiu and Ewing. Ellis and
Barrett ON the wave-iornls OF articuate sounds are
noteworthy. The telephone itself has undergone
various improvements during the year. adding much
t. its practical utility: the most marked advance
carbon telephone. But perhaps OF most popular
interest i'll this direction is Hughes micro
pnone. AS sensitive to heat the micro
phone is to sound is Edisons mcrotasinetcr,
which brought into play al the eclipse OF
July. w need do more than refer to the subject
OF electric lighting, the great popular scientific
sation VI the ycar--oi more practical than purely
scientific interest. In this connection We should
mention Tyndalls experiments tog signals. which.
besides then great practical importance. have dis
tinct scientific value Larry iii tho year Joulc
nounced tho results OF new determination OF the
mechanical equivalent of heat the value given
being lI3.5J foot pounds. Out OF much other v3lua-
bic work during the year in various departments OF
ply sizes only mention De La Rue and Muers
elaborate researches ON the phenomena accompany
ing electric discharge in gases. which have their
pieinent in the researches similar phenomena by
DR.. MaciarIane, described in the transactions
OF the Royal Society OF Edinburyh;" Sod
ley Taylors curious experiments the color
figures produced on thin huIs by varying sounds,
Cores researches the thermo-ccctric properties
OF liquids; Captain Evans important conrioution
to knowledge of the oarths magnetism and its
markabie changes. in his Geographical Society lee
turc; q. n. Darwins various papers the vscosity
Of the earth which have both physical and