lis 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[May 1, 1895. 



W. Connell, Glasgow. ImprOTements in apparatus for regulating 

 fanlights and skrlights. The drawing renders the invention verv 

 clear. o is a toothed raelc, with deep teeth, pivoted to the frame of 

 the window, i is a bracket fixed to tlie window, one of the eheoks 

 of the bracket being shown broken off, to csijose to view the pinion c, 

 having two teeth onlv. The pinion niav be revolved by a pulley and 

 cord as shown, and thus made to travel along the rack, earrving the 

 \< indow with it. d is a small guide pulley, and e is a guard, both 

 attached to the bracket b. 



Dated 2Sl/i April, 1894. Accepted 2nd March, 1895. No. S-153. 



S. F. Pichler, London. Improvements in or relating to plating or 

 covering articles with metal. Tlie inventor says : " I take liquid 

 collodion or analogous compound, and, after thinning the same (if 

 necessary) with alcohol and ether, I mix therewith powdered 

 aluminium, aluminium bronze, silver, gold, or other powdered metal." 

 He then proceeds to show the methods of applying the metals to 

 the purposes of tipping cigars, cigarettes, and the like, to jjrevent the 

 lips coming in contact with the leaf or paper, the covering being 

 perfectly tasteless ; forming a hard yet cellular mouthpiece, and 

 preventing the tobacco becoming loose and entering the mouth. Also 

 photographic reproductions affixed to glass may be covered with the 

 mixture, instead of white paper, im}3arting thereto a brilliant appear- 

 ance. Also for capsuling bottles, and many other obvious applications, 

 the plating being air and water proof, and also proof against sulphuric 

 and nitric acids. 



Dated \Oth May, 1894. Accepted \%th March, 1895. No. 9261. 



THE FACE OF THE SKY FOR MAY. 



By Herbebt Sadler, F.R.A.S. 



SPOTS and faculae are still visible in considerable 

 numbers on the solar disc. Algol is too low on 

 the northern sky for minima to be conveniently 

 observed. 



Mercury is in superior conjunction with the Sun 

 on the 5th, and is too near that luminary to be conveniently 

 observed until the middle of the month. On the 14th he 

 sets at 8h. 62tn. p.m., or lb. 12m. after the Sun, with a 

 northern declination of 22° 31', and an apparent diameter 

 of .5-4", i^/jjths of the disc being illuminated. On the 

 17th he sets at 9h. 14m. p.m., or Ih. 30m. after the Sun, 

 with a northern declination of 23° 52', and an apparent 

 diameter of 5 6 ", y^ths of the disc being illuminated. On 

 the 22nd he sets at 9h. 44m. p.m., or Ih. 52m. after the 



Sun, with a northern declination of 25" 15', and an 

 apparent diameter of 0'2'', -/fj^l^s of the disc being illu- 

 minated. On the 31st he sets at lOh. 8m. p.m., or 2h. 5m. 

 after the Sun, with a northern declination of 25° 25', and 

 an apparent diameter of 7'4 ", -,\,?pths of the disc being 

 illuminated. While visible he describes a direct path 

 through Taurus into Gemini, being north of rj and 

 u. Geminorum at the end of the month. 



Venus is an evening star, and is the brightest object 

 in the evening sky. On the 1st she sets at lOh. 47m. p.m., 

 with a northern declination of 24° 13', and an apparent 

 diameter of 13-4", Vggths of the disc being illuminated. 

 On the 11th she sets at lib. 7m. p.m., or 3h. 30m. after 

 the Sun, with a northern decUnation of 25° 25', and an 

 apparent diameter of 14-2 ', tVo^^^ o^ ^^^ ^^^^ being illu- 

 minated. On the 21st she sets at llh. I8m. p.m., with a 

 northern declination of 25° 19', and an apparent diameter 

 of 15-2", Tgy'is of the disc being illuminated. On the 

 31st she sets at llh. 19m. p.m., with a northern declination 

 of 24° 4', and an apparent diameter of 16-2", ^'y'gths of 

 the disc being illuminated. During May, Venus passes 

 from Taurus into Gemini, being near the 3rd magnitude 

 star £ Geminorum on the 19th and 20th. 



Mars is, for all practical purposes, invisible. 



Jupiter is an evening star, but is so rapidly approaching 

 the west that our ephemeris of him extends to the tirst three 

 weeks of May only. On the 1st he sets at llh. 58m. p.m., 

 with a northern declination of 23° 28', and an apparent 

 equatorial diameter of 83'9". On the 11th he sets at 

 llh. 22m. P.M., with a northern declination of 28° 26', and 

 an apparent equatorial diameter of 38-0". On the 21st 

 he sets at lOh. 50m. p.m., with a northern declination of 

 28° 21', and an apparent equatorial diameter of 32|''. 

 The following phenomena of the satellites occur while the 

 planet is more than 8° above and the Sun 8° below the 

 horizon. On the 5th a transit egress of the shadow of 

 the third satellite at lOh. 18m. p.m. On the 7th an 

 occultation disappearance of the first satellite at 9h. Om. 

 p.m. On the 8th a transit egress of the first satellite at 

 8h. 34m. p.m., and a transit egress of its shadow at 

 9h. 31m. p.m. On the 10th a transit egress of the second 

 satellite at 8h. 4Sm. p.m. On the 15th a transit ingress of 

 the shadow of the first satellite at 9h. 8m. p.m. On the 

 17th a transit ingress of the second satellite at 8h. 54m, 

 p.m. On the 22nd a transit ingress of the fourth satelUte at 

 9h. 18m. P.M. During May, Jupiter describes a direct path 

 in Gemini, to the east of |ix. Geminorum. 



Saturn is an evening star, and is well situated for obser- 

 vation, though his altitude above the horizon is not large. 

 He rises on the 1st at 6h. 20m. p.m., with a southern 

 declination of 10° 5', and an apparent equatorial diameter 

 of 19" (the major axis of the ring-system being 43^" in 

 diameter, and the minor \2f). On the 7th he rises at 

 5h. 52m. P.M., with a southern declination of 9° 57', and 

 an apparent equatorial diameter of 19" (the major axis of 

 the ring-system being 43 j'' in diameter, and the minor 

 125"). On the 14th he rises at 5h. 22m. p.m., with a 

 southern declination of 9° 47', and an apparent equatorial 

 diameter of 18|" (the major axis of the ring-system being 

 84f" in diameter, and the minor 12V'). On the 21st he 

 rises at 4h. 52m. p.m., with a soutbern declination of 

 9° 39', and an apparent equatorial diameter of 18|" (the 

 major axis of the ring-system being 43'0 " in diameter, and 

 the minor 12^"). On the 81st he rises at 4h. 10m. p.m., 

 with a southern declination of 9° 29', and an apparent 

 diameter of 18i" (the major axis of the ring-system being 

 42|" in diameter, and the minor 120"). Titan is at his 

 greatest eastern elongation at 4h. p.m. on the 1st, and l^h. 

 P.M. on the 17th ; and lapetus at greatest eastern elongation 



