Excerpt from Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, Vol. 4 December 19th, Section met at usual hour, Chairman Knight presiding. The meeting was opened with instructive remarks by the Chairman relative to the increase in the number of double stars that have been discovered, giving credit to many and notable discoveries at the Lick Observatory; justifying very amply the generous appropriations made for the maintenance of that noble institution. Mr. Knight then gave a resume of the knowledge now systematized relative to Phoebe, the ninth satellite of Saturn; claiming for it a diameter of about a thousand miles, a radius of revolution of about two million miles, and a period of perhaps three weeks. It is claimed by some that this planet moves about its principal in a direction reverse to that of the other satellites, but this theory is not fully accepted by the astronomical world. The question gave rise to a spirited discussion. The Chairman then introduced the speaker of the evening, Mr. B. R. Baumgardt, who entertained the section first by reference to some of the interesting facts relative to Encke's comet. The period of the comet is 3 1-3 years, its orbit being an ellipse; and its present situation is in the vicinity of Mercury. Mr. Baumgardt claims that there is no good authority for the theory that any comet of the solar system goes beyond the orbit of Jupiter. He stated that any comet which moves at a greater rate than twenty-six miles per second never returns, and must move in a hyperbolic or parabolic course; that all apparently parabolic or hyperbolic comets may be but such as move in ellipses of extreme eccentricity, the remote focus being almost at an infinite distance from the sun; all such comets may yet return to our solar system. Mr. Baumgardt then proceeded to read a paper delivered at Cambridge by Professor Poynting, on solar radiation. The article consisted chiefly in the discussion of the significance of the fact that a black surface radiates more heat than any other. The author analyzed the heating power of the sun, claiming for it the function of a full radiator. Professor Turner, of the Oxford Observatory, claims that the highest heating power of the sun at its surface cannot exceed eight thousand degrees. Professor Poynting treated at length the effect of radiant energy as opposed in its effects to the gravitation of the sun, claiming that were the planets small enough the repelling power of the sun's radiant energy would counter-balance the attraction of gravity, or even overcome it. The paper was full of striking statements and closely logical argument, largely opposed to some formerly generally accepted theories. Mr. Knight read a brief extract from Professor Woodward suggesting the probability that light, heat, electricity, and magnetism would all be proved to be but forms of matter rather than modes of motion. Remarks were also made touching the extreme importance of the solar observatory being constructed on Mt. Wilson. The eyes of the astronomical world are fixed with intense interest upon the possibilities to be expected from the operation of this newest enterprise for astronomical investigation. Attention of the Section was called to the interesting occultation of Aldebaran by the moon on the evening of the 20th of December. After some further discussion, the meeting adjourned. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com