Astronomy. 175 



cover any. marks of a division of the ring into many parts. He remarked, 

 however, that the outer ring is much less brilliant than the inner. 



Professor Struve has never seen the seventh satellite. The fourth has a 

 diameter of 0.75, and resembles a small disc. The five old satellites are 

 easily seen, and the sixth has been observed several times by M. Struve. 

 Professor Struve's paper was read at the Astronomical Society of London 

 on the 9th June 1826. 



2. Struve s Observations on Jupiter and his Satellites. — Professor Struve 

 has also applied Fraunhofer's telescope to Jupiter, with a power from 540 

 to 600. The mean results suited to the planet's mean distance are, 



Jupiter's major axis, - 38".442 



-minor axis, - - 35.645 



Compression at the Poles, .0728 or ■ - 



Mean Diameter of 1st Sat. - - I .018 



2d - -' 0.914 



3d 1 .492 



4th - - 1 .277 



It had been supposed by preceding astronomers, and even by M. Struve 

 himself, that the figure of Jupiter deviated from the elliptical form. On 

 March 7 1826, he believed that the diameter passing through 61° 4' lat. 

 preceding south, and 61° 4' lat. preceding north, was smaller than the 

 ellipse allowed ; but upon measuring it with great care he found this to be 

 an illusion, the length of this diameter being 42".34 by measurement, and 

 42".38 by calculation. 



3. Royal Observatory of Edinburgh.— -The friends of astronomy will be 

 gratified to hear that his Majesty has granted the sum of L. 2000 for the 

 purchase of instruments, &c. for the Royal Observatory of Edinburgh. 



This observatory, which some foreigners suppose to be attached to the 

 Royal Society of Edinburgh, and others to the University of Edinburgh, 

 belongs to an Association of 183 individuals, who, by subscriptions of twen- 

 ty-five Guineas each, have raised about L. 4800 for the promotion of as- 

 tronomy. A plan, elevation, and description of the very handsome build- 

 ing which they have erected on the Calton Hill, will be found in the ar- 

 ticle Observatory, in the Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, vol. xv. p. 443. 



4. New Observatory at Brussels.— -The King of the Netherlands has 

 given directions for the erection of an Observatory at Brussels. The site 

 of it will probably be between the gates of Louvaine and Schaerbeck, in 

 the vicinity of one of the promenades of the city. 



5. Mr Dunlops Observations on Encke's Comet in 1825. — The observa- 

 tions on Encke's comet are scarce worth transmitting, this latitude having 

 been very unfavourable for peeing it. 



I find, on the 14th of August, I discovered it near star t Gemini, but 

 was prevented by haze from making observations on it. 



