316 Patents. — Astronomy. 



T,IST OF PATENTS FOR NEW INVENTIONS. 



To Daniel Wheeler, of Hyde-street, in the parish of St. George 

 Bloomsbury, and county of Middlesex, colouring-maker, for his 

 new or improved method of drying and preparing malt. — 6 

 months allowed for specification, dated 28th March 1817. 



To Edward Nicholas, in the parish of Llangattock Vibou 

 Avell, in the county of Monmouth, farmer, for his new plough 

 for the purpose of covering with mould wheat and other grain 

 when sown. — 19th April. — 2 months. 



Astronomical PhcenomenUf May 1817. 



D. H. M. o. H. M. 



1. 0. op inperigee 17.23. 2 D 5 



2. 2.14 D J itK 20.23.63 © enters n 

 2. 3.16]) /3 -nji 23. O. D ^5 a 



2. 5.19 J) V n^i 28. 9. 2 I i of a- =5= * 6' S of 



3. 9. 4D d Ophiuchi 28. lO. 5 E ( B'scentre. 

 4.10.15]) X t 29. O. O D in perigee 



7. 7.40 D e yy 29. 5.40 J) K ^ 



14. COD in apogee 29. 9 51 D A ^i 



15. 0. 00 eclipsed inv. 



On the 21'' 11*^ Venus will be in conjunction with the Sun, the 

 planet 2° 22' to the north; but his nearest approach will be on 

 the 22d. She may be seen in this situation with a telescope of 

 moderate power, provided an additional tube be attached to the end, 

 to prevent the direct rays of the sun falling on the object-glass. 



I have ound a tube of paper, blackened on the inside, of about 

 two feet long, to answer exceedingly well. 



I beg to apologize for an error in the occultation of a^ j^ in 

 your last Magazine, which arose thus : That occidtation is one 

 of the few noticed by tlie Nautical Almanac : upon comparing 

 my ov/n calculation with it, I found a difference of about an 

 hour ; and not doubting but the error must be in mine, I (too 

 confidently it seems) adopted the numbers there given. My own 

 were I 3'' 10"^ 17', F 3'' 10'' 42', and which, from an observation 

 of the immersion, I believe were not far from the truth. It is 

 probable that this error in the Nautical Ephemeris is a typogra- 

 phical one ; but surely, as these errors are as likely to mislead 

 as those of calculation, they require to be as diligently guarded 

 against. I am sorry to notice many errors of the same kind in 

 the present month ; for instance, the geocentric longitude of 

 Mars on the 19th and on the 25th appears 10', it should be 11'. 

 The eclipses of Jupiter's first satellite on the 1st and 15th, and 

 that of the second on the 16th, were visible, although they were 

 not marked so. Yours, &c, 



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Meteoro- 



