New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-11
DISCUSSING SCIENTIFIC TOPICS.
SESSION OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY.
PAPERS READ oN MANY sUBJECTs-NEw FEATURES
OF STELLAR PHOTOGRAPHY.

OF SIFILAH PHOlOGRAPu1.
ALBANY, Nov. 10 (Speciah.-Th fall meet
ing OF the National Academy of Sciences convened
to-day In the Assembly parlors. Tho following members
have arrived in addition to those mentioned yesterdays
DIR. S. " scudder, of Cambridge; Professor A. Graham
Bell of Washington Professor f. c. Pickering, OF Cam
bridge; William Sellers, OF Philadelphia; Professor
Raphael Pumpelly OF Newport; Professor Henry Nor
ton of Hoboken; Professor H. A Newton, of Yale College
Professor s. p Langley. Of Allegheny. and Professor H.
s. Morse of Salem The first business the introduce
ton Of Professor F. W. Putnam, who was elected to
membership at the last meeting.
The frat paper By Dr. Billings was read In his absence
by Professor Bell aud gave detailed description or the
craniaphono used for akn composite photographs
Of skulls In tho National Museum at Washington In
order get scientific results OF value great acc
racy Of adjustment and easy manipulation must DO at
tanned He described the apparatus devised for this
purpose Professor James Hall detailed the history OF
the International Geological Congress. sketchlng lhe
three meetings already held at Paris In 1873 Bologna
in 1881 and Berlin this fall He showed the map pre-
pared by tho committee on nomenclature, which VIII
be held under advlsement till the next meeting In
London In 1883. Ho recalled tho difficulties incident
to prosecuting geological work In the States
about ls4O on account OF lack OF recognized
names for tho various formations ont OF
which the application OF local names
such Niagara. Chemung. Trenton. Hamilton, etc
hich still remain. Professor Packards paper read by
biology as illustrated In forms OF fossil nmulus and
cycles discovered In Western Pennsylvania.
II a relief 90 the audience, after the tcchnlcal
topics to listen to paper by Professor G. A. Young on
the new star In Andromeda which was frat seen Dy
Ward at Belfast on August 10, star OF the ninth
magnitude and two days later had grown into seventh
gnitude star which has surpassed II is now
fading rate OF loss equivalent to magnitude III
about eighteen to twenty one days, I'LL now It Is about
the eleventh magnitude. without oommlIunR
poihesi, suggested BY MOncE, either that it
NAV be dark star raised TO ncandescence by passing
through tie matter constituting the nebua. or else It
may bo "a condensation of neteorlc rcams II Ia not
ing through the nebula the length of IT'S duration shows
the enormous size OF the nebuiG since 1t mus. be going
across the thin part, and yet this diameter Is 1orv or
nifty times great the distance from the sun to tho
earth New stars OF similar description have been pre-
yiOusy observed.
ing sensvenesS has now been reached IN ph0lOSIapn
plates that star. giving the one hundred thousandth
of the A a Tsq 6e end nd the hd 5i YETI a 3
room for indefinite Increase IN scnsibity. Already
tho dry gcatne plate has even taken the impression OF
stars minute ~ t. lie beyond tho ken OF the most
Is in the camera aud eeltine plate an
instrument keencr aud moro accurate than
aud science. The first observations stella phoog
raphy at Harvard in 1880 stars OF the first mag
reotype plat kept IN the focus OF telescope for long
Go No rhotogT1Ph 81 the Ioe star nor tho cirenm
he experiments wero renewed By George f. Bond with
ucces' Withna few year, good ~crh ha, been CON, Gone
n stellar photography at Paris aud Cape Of Good Hope
Professor Plckcrus'- experiments wcro con-
%siS1 T1 by %"''' tho "'n Siaaa IRON %cado@S
ycnr ago. The apparatus used enabled him to follow
tars IN equatorial - ve ., IN Polar rcgon-, and what
ycr part OF ,hr hca, the l. situated Il gives
,cturc ~ small circle all the circles hcing Of tho same
izo. This gives almost tool in astronomy. and
nabc- science solve ,arious Problems. is that
i aimo sperlc absorron by COMBATING pictures taken
u Intervals OF tx months and rs taking series Of lines
eff on the sensitive plate by tho stars at different ALT
udes. there II found way OF comparing the brightness
u stars although tho cnucra docs not IN all give
f,atrr acc eject OF the Oluc ray 80 mat teh star
4 the second magnitude giNcr no larger nngo than
ue star OF the sixth The camera used by
'rofes-or PICK rting covers 10 degrees and
ives Trustworthy impressions mp TO , degrees
whereas tnat used In Paris only two degrees or
hree degrees. FOR the pa thnt although the Paris
a larger lens than IN this country Il Is single
rms and not chromarc. In applying the instrument
maps Of the SKIS fifteen hundred plate, OF The Amcr
an system. therefore, would suffice for the whole !
instead OF six thousand ~ 10y the Pans system
ruhably can nirkc by eye better map Than DR.
cicr-. The photograph seems 10 DO peculiarly sen'a-
I've 10 atmospheric chance and hence IMPROVES
high hiutudos Mountain ob7crFatOroA al
reat hcight should be available for photography.
phoiorraphng ~ stella - cra has her toiorc been
cult and only possible with stars down To the second
lagultudc. Results heretofore requiring the use Of
lock work ana lcn foot IN diameter, With AN hours
xpo-ure are now nttHuhblr without clockwork. with
va ana hslfinch len, ana two or three minutes 81
osurc In fact IN using lens OF fifteen degrees angie
ven without clocKwork tho plato was OSer-cNPO'cd {
nd the spectrum fairly burned luto 10. +
Professor NewcOmh .prskng Of the Importance O' the
ork urged that Professor Pickering continue the work
as possible great benefit 10 pOsetity. Tho fol-
wing addition. have been mado 10 the programme; f,
Notcs some Points Ia the Geology OF the Mohawk ,
alley" by Professor Jane, Hal. OF Albany; ""hcn
ia tho Astronomical Day b. suf' by Probe
one. near Poughkccpsir. y Y."by william u. Dwight;
Preliminary report the luvcstsation Relating to
Washington; ION Recent Progress, IN Economic EntO- I
olvsy" By Professor j. A. lIntncr, Of Albany. .