the Laboratory at Woolwich, &c. Besides many other works, abounding in ingenious ideas, he published treatises on the mounting of iron ordnance, on his hydro-pneumatic lock for saving water, on the means of preventing the forgery of Bank notes, &c. PICTURE OF CONSTANTINOPLE. Queen of the Morn! Sultana of the East! Dazzled, amazed, our eyes half-blinded, fail, Astronomical Occurrences In AUGUST 1829. SOLAR PHENOMENA. THE Sun enters Virgo at 33 m. after 11 in the morning of the 23d of this month; and he rises and sets during the same period as in the following TABLE Of the Sun's Rising and Setting for every fifth Day. August 1st, Sun rises 20 m. after 4, sets 40 m. after 7 Equation of Time. When apparent time is known, and mean or true time required, the one may be easily found from the other by using the numbers as directed in the following Table. If the time be required for any day intermediate to those in the Table, the correction must be found by proportion, as already explained. TABLE Of the Equation of Time for every fifth Day. Saturday.. August 1st, to the time by the dial add m. s. 5 58 Thursday 6th.... ........ Tuesday .......... 11th. Sunday 5 34 4 54 4 1 2 54 1 36 0 9 .31st. LUNAR PHENOMENA. Phases of the Moon. First Quarter.. 7th day, at 13 m. past 10 in the evening Moon's Passage over the Meridian. The Moon will pass the first meridian at the following times this month, which will afford opportunities for observation if the weather prove favourable: viz. August 7th, at 36 m. after 5 in the afternoon 8th 24 6 7 in the evening 11th 5 9 12th 13th 4 in the morning 20th 36 22d 23d 24th 22 15 7 5 6 7 8 PHENOMENA PLANETARUM. Phases of Venus. The illuminated phase of Venus now begins to decrease in magnitude, but to increase in brilliancy, on account of her approach towards the earth. S'Illuminated part = 11-27124 Eclipses of Jupiter's Satellites. The following will be the only eclipse of the first and second of these satellites that will be visible this month, though there will be twenty-seven others. Emersion. First Satellite...20th day, at 4 m. 11 s, past 9 in the evening. Conjunction of the Moon with the Planets and Stars. August 3d, with 8 in Virgo at 6 in the evening Other Phenomena. < Mercury and Saturn will be in conjunction with each other at 8 in the evening of the 11th of this month. Mars will be in conjunction at 45 m. past 3 in the morning of the 19th; and also in conjunction with Mercury at 11 in the morning of the 20th. Mercury will also be in his superior conjunction at a quarter past midnight of the 20th; and Jupiter in drature at 15 m. after 7 in the morning of the 30th. METEORIC APPEARANCES. qua Alloa, Monday evening, half past 8 o'clock, 15th Sept. 1828. Meteor. A splendid luminous arch appeared in the heavens, embracing the whole horizon, from south-west to north-east, while its breadth seemed to be little more than that of a rainbow. The night was calm and clear, and before the arch appeared several columns of the aurora borealis were seen in the north, which continued luminous a considerable time. The light of the meteor was very much the same as that of the aurora borealis-only that it was stationary. It retained its brilliancy and beauty for about an hour, when it gradually melted away. This interesting object was also seen in Edinburgh and Glasgow. This phenomenon, interesting from the rarity of its occurrence, was, in the present instance, rendered still more so from being in opposition to the received notions of the causes which are believed to produce it, and the season of its appearance. It has been supposed, that they appear only at the full of the Moon; now, the bow in question appeared just at the time the Moon set, and which, instead of being at its full, was only nine days old, and there was no rain at the time, the evening being uncommonly serene, the sky almost unclouded, and the air rather dry and frosty than humid; the thermometer at the time standing at 50, and the barometer rather above 30.--Communicated by William Brodie, Esq. сс At ten minutes past six o'clock one evening lately (January 1828), a luminous arch appeared across the heavens, stretching directly from the magnetic east and west through the zenith-the east extremity being by far the most intense in light, and narrower than the west one. The east end appeared much more compact than the west; the latter having the appearance of streaks of light. The centre, which passed directly through Cassiopeia, had the appearance of flocci, and at least three times the breadth of the west end, and four times that of the east. About 20° farther north another arch of light appeared, quite distinct from the former, but much thinner; its ends terminated in the extremities of the larger bow. The north horizon exhibited the aurora by appearing like the sky when illuminated by the rising Sun. Round the Moon was a very distinct halo, and she had attained the altitude of about 50°. In the south were thick white clouds, which concealed the south horizon. After the appearance had continued about ten minutes, the larger bow began to move at the centre towards the south, and to increase in breadth, the extremities remaining stationary; and this continued till the part of the bow that had been in the zenith united with the clouds, the smaller bow advancing in the same degree. When the centre of the bow had moved about 20° toward the south, the halo entirely disappeared. The bow, during the whole time, seemed to have motion from one extremity to the other, as though impelled by wind from the west to the east. The wind at the surface of the earth was at the same same time north-west by north. The thermometer was 40°, the barometer 30-30, and had risen during the day from 30-07. The whole appearance lasted about half an hour, after which the whole sky was clear, except in the south. No streamers were visible, except from the east end, whence a few large ones moved towards the magnetic north, but rather sluggishly. The weather changed during the night, by |