Abstract
Light-Variation of Eros.—Beob, Zirk., No. 3, con-tains some observations of maxima and minima of Eros, made at Hamburg-Grossborstel by M. Beyer. The principal period is still 5h 16m 14s, but the light-range is notably smaller than it was at the beginning of December. Similar changes of light-range have been observed at other apparitions; they favour the theory that the planet is double, and that mutual occultations occur when the earth is near the plane of rotation, but not otherwise. Duplicity ought to be detected by the great American telescopes at this near approach, if it exists. Prof. Yamamoto notes in U.A.I. Circ., No. 309, that even if the variation arises from regions of very different albedo on the planet's surface, it may cause the centre of light to be shifted some 01″ from the centre of figure, which would be an appreciable amount in researches of such delicacy as are now being carried out. There was a request to observers with large instruments to try to observe the shape of the planet, but no reports have yet been received on the subject.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Our Astronomical Column. Nature 127, 177 (1931). https://doi.org/10.1038/127177a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/127177a0
This article is cited by
-
Untersuchungen über die Temperatur des Galvanokauters bei Ausführung der Goninschen Operation
Albrecht von Græfes Archiv für Ophthalmologie (1932)