442 EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS. 



NOTE ON THE OCCULTATION OF JUPITER, 

 NOVEMBER 8, 1856. 



Proc. Astronomical Society, Nov. 14, 1856. 



I HAD a good position for witnessing the partial occultation of 

 Jupiter from an upper room of my house, situate opposite 

 Clarence Gate, Regent's Park. I used a small but unexcep- 

 tionably good achromatic telescope, if -inch aperture and 22 

 inches focus ; the magnifying power was 43. 



It seemed to me (but I attach little value to the obser- 

 vation, as the effect might have been due to an agitation in 

 the earth's atmosphere) that at the moment before immersion 

 the margin of Jiipiter was slightly elongated, or, so to speak, 

 stretched itself out to meet the moon ; this was followed im- 

 mediately by a flattening of the same portion of the disk. 



Throughout the whole period a dark line was plainly per- 

 ceptible between Jupiter and the moon. This line appeared 

 to me straight, as though cutting off the convexity both of 

 Jupiter and the moon. The light of Jupiter was notably less 

 brilliant than that of the moon ; I should say hardly equal 

 to half the intensity of the latter. It was of a much bluer 

 tint than the moon, probably an effect of contrast arising 

 from the different intensities of their respective lights. The belts 

 of Jupiter were plainly seen throughout the occultation, and, 

 as far as I could observe, were not in any respect distorted. 



The dark line I thought at first arose from the intervention 

 of a fine rim of the dark body of the moon, but this could 

 hardly be the case towards the termination of the occultation. 

 About a fifth part of the planet appeared to me to be occulted 

 at the maximum period. 



NOTE ON THE OCCULTATION OF JUPITER OF 

 JANUARY 2, 1857. 



Proc. Astronomical Society, Jan. 4, 1857- 



OWING to the kindness of Mr. Gillett, I was enabled to ob- 

 serve this occultation through his binocular telescope. This 



