Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Volume 48 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1888 Excerpt: ...of the plates destined to form tho chart, the number of auxiliary comparisons intended for the verification aud reduction of the plates shall be reduced to a minimum. 5. The tubes of the photographic instruments shall be made of the most suitable metal for securing an unvarying focal plane, and they shall carry a scale for the determination and adjustment of the position of the plates. 6. The selection of fundamental stars, as well as the question of the formation of a provisional catalogue for the chart of the southern hemisphere, is referred to the Permanent Committee. 7. The question of the mode of measurement, and of the conversion of the numbers obtained into Right Ascensions and Declinations for the equinox 1900, is referred to the Permanent Committee. The Committee shall in the first place take into consideration the employment of measuring instruments capable of giving, as may be desired, rectangular or polar co-ordinates, and based upon the simultaneous use of scales for long distances and a micrometer eyepiece for the subdivisions of the scale. It will be seen that the Congress confined its resolutions as far as possible to general principles, leaving the details to be settled by the Permanent Committee. The opinion was expressed that it might be two years before the work could begin generally1 and during that time it was reasonable to expect many photographic and optical improvements to be made. The Congress resolved that the Permanent Committee should be formed on the following principles: --"The Permanent Committee shall consist of two categories of members. "(1) All Directors of observatories who will take practical part in the work. "(2) Members not necessarily taking a direct share of the work." It was resolved that the se...