PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9535, 6 May 1909, Page 2

PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTE.

The Canterbury Philosophical Institute met last evening, the president (Mr E. R. Wait©) in the chair. There was a large attendance of members. The president reported that the committee which had been appointed to make geological investigations' At the Arthur's Pass tunnel had steadily continued its labours, and the results would doubtless be of extreme value when the committee's -work was concluded. The committee selected to make investigations regarding the cold lakes of Canterbury was expected *to commence its work soon, as also the committee set up to investigate local artesian wells. In future, while the Institute's " Transactions " would be issued annually as usual, the proceedings would be published three or four times a year. A letter was received from Professor E. Rutherford acknowledging the Institute's cablegram of congratulation upon his winning the Nobel Prize. Dr Alfred Russell Wallace wrote acknowledging the Institute's congratulations upon his investiture with the Order of Merit. . v The president stated that the amount subscribed for the Sir James Hector memorial was about £260. . Mr E. G. Hogg gave an addressupon "Some Recent Advances in Astro*nomy," in the course of which he dealt | with the observations upon the variable binary star Algol made by .M. Nprdmann, with the use of coloured light filters, illustrating his remarks by lantern slides of the curves of variation, i Mr Hogg said that the principal, result of Nordmann's observations was that, as the red light -waves from Algol, 'which- was sixty light-years distant from the/earth, arrived sixteen minutes earlier than violet light waves, red rays travelled 160 metres a second faster than violet rays. • T-his ran counter to the theories of Arragco and Kelvin. Arrago declared that if the red waves travelled faster than the rest, Jupiter's satellites on emerging from eclipse should appear red, but they did. not. The probable explanation of this apparent, anomaly was the absorption of red rays by the atmosphere of the satellites. The lecturer also dealt with Nordmann's observations of the variable binary star Beta Lvraa. He also gave arougli outline of Professor Pickering's theory -of 'planetary- inversions, with" examples from Jupiter's recently discovered ninth satellite and other satellites. At the conclusion of his address. Mr Hogsc was accorded- a hearty vote of thanks. , _—_ \ . _ . |