i8 



NATURE 



[November 7, 1907 



■directs our attention to the fact that the Strassburg observ- 

 ation of this comet, mentioned in these columns last week, 

 was made by Dr. Wirtz. 



The following is an abstract from the ephemeris pub- 

 lished in No. 42oq of the AsUonomische Nachricbten 

 <p. 147, October 25) bv Dr. M. Ebell :— 



Epiu 



Nov. 



16 



a (irue) 



h. Ml. 



6 24-3 



s 297 



4 244 



2I1. (M.T. Berlin). 

 S (true) 



+ S 26-4 



->S 6-5 



4-21 28 I 



+2$ 51-0 



Bright 

 ne&s 

 27 



yo 



2-8 



The brightness on October 15, magnitude g-c, is taken 

 as unity. 



From the above it will be seen that the comet is 

 apparently travelling rapidly through Taurus, and will pass 

 some 4 to the north of Aldebaran on November 11 On 

 November 15 it will be less than 1° north of the Pleiades. 



The Transit of Mercury.— Astronomers who intend to 

 observe the approaching transit of Mercury, which will 

 take place on November 14 in accordance with the times 

 coiTimunicated by Dr. Downing to last week's N\ture, 

 will find many interesting notes and suggestions in M 

 Bigourdan's articles in the Comptcs rendus (Nos. 16 

 and 17) for October 14 and 21 respectively. In the former 

 article M. Bigourdan discusses the conditions which are 

 necessary for a transit, the results of earlier observations 

 and a few of the phenomena which it is advisable to 

 observe. For example, he suggests that an attempt to 

 repeat l-angley's observation of Mercury before the first 

 contact in 1878 might be made. In the same year Janssen 

 cusing a spectroscope, was able to see the planet projected 

 on a bright prominence before contact with the sun's limb 

 but this is an unlikely observation at the coming transit' 

 because the contacts take place near the north pole of 

 the sun, where prominences are fewer. 



In the second article M. Bigourdan deals with other 

 points of interest, such as the exact measurement of the 

 •distances between the edge of the planet and the sun's 

 limbs in order to determine more exactly the times of the 

 cotitacts, the form of Mercury's disc as seen on the sun 

 and the possible observation of satellites, which if they 

 •existed, might be seen projected on the bright solar disc'- 

 the determination of the planet's diameter and the effects 

 ot different apertures in such observations are also dis- 

 cussed. .As Mercury will be seen on the sun's disc at mid- 

 day m Europe, its exact position on the disc may be deter- 

 mined with meridian instruments. M. Bigourdan then 

 discusses the previous observations of both bright and 

 ■dark rings surrounding the disc of Mercurv, and suggests 

 that a spectroscopic examination might reveal special 

 absorption lines, the existence of which would prove the 

 reality of the annuli, and hence the existence of an atmo- 

 sphere belonging to the planet. Observations of bright 

 points and spots on the planet's disc have been frequentlv 

 reported during previous transits, but the real existence of 

 such phenomena still requires further confirmation M 

 bigourdan s second paper concludes with a discussion of 

 the methods of observation and the class of instruments it 

 IS advisable to employ. 



Changes on Saturn's Rings.— A telegram, dated 

 October 28, transmitted by Prof. Pickering to the Kiel 

 l-entralstelle, announces that Prof. Campbell observed 

 prominent bright knots, visible during the past week in 

 ^aturn s rings. The knots were svmmetricallv placed, 

 two being to the east and two to the' west (Kiel 'Circular 

 No. 10 1, October 28). 



A Bright Meteor.— Mr. Arthur Mee reports that a 

 magnificent meteor was seen by observers at Cardiff and 

 Newport on the evening of October v- It appeared at 

 exactly 10 o'clock, and fell leisurely from 7 Cygni to a 

 point just west of Vega. The head " opened out like a 

 locket, leaving a train that remained visible for several 

 seconds. Those who saw it are not quite agreed as to 

 ilie colour of the head, but all testify to its great brilliancv 

 Ihough the night was bv no means a dark one. 



NO. 1984, VOL. yj'] 



THE NEIV JMIWICIPAL TKCHMCAL 

 INS TJ-rUl E, liEL FA S 7 : 



'piIE formal opening of the new Municipal Technical 

 Institute, Belfast, on October 30, bv the Lord Lieu- 

 tenant of Ireland (the Earl of Aberdeen),' mav be said to 

 close the first epoch in the history of technical education 

 in that city, and, indeed, in the whole of Ireland. When 

 It IS remembered that the Agriculture and Technical 

 Instruction (Ireland) .\ct became law so recently as 1899, 

 the progress already made is most noteworthy. Within 

 that brief period the annual enrolment of students has 

 risen to 5000, and these are now housed in a building 

 which in beauty of architecture and excellence of equip- 

 ment may challenge comparison with anything of a similar 

 nature in the United Kingdom. 



In the year 1900 the Corporation of Belfast decided to 

 put the Act in force, and appointed a strong committee 

 to carry on the work. The committee chose as its 

 chairman .\lderman Sir James Henderson. .\ happier 

 selection or one more fruitful of good results it is difficult 

 to imagine. A former Dublin University man, a member 

 of the Irish bar, a past Lord .Mayor of the City, and the 

 managing director of an old and influential newspaper 

 (the Belfast News-Leiter), Sir James was admirably fitted 

 to take up the duties of pioneer of technical education in 

 his native city and province. Operations on the site were 

 commenced in February, 1902, but, owing to the peculiar 

 nature of the subsoil, great care was requisite in the form- 

 ation of a suitable foundation. The site itself is 240 feet 

 by 205 feet in size, and into this area were driven 2750 

 piles, each 40 feet in length. The heads of these piles 

 were connected to longitudinal timbers, and the whole 

 bonded together in concrete. The formal laying of the 

 foundation-stone was performed on November 24, 1902, bv 

 the Earl of Dudley, at tliat time Lord Lieutenant of 

 Ireland. 



A general idea of the external architectural design of the 

 building will be readily grasped from the accompanying 

 reproduction from a photograph ; and it will be sufficient 

 to state here that the height of the top of the surmounting 

 balustrade above the pavement is 85 feet ; to the top of 

 the domed towers the height is 135 feet. Internally, the 

 building surrounds two courtyards, these courtyards being 

 lined with white glazed bricks and roofed in with glass 

 over the ground floor. The corridors are carried round 

 these areas, and are spacious and well lighted. The floors 

 throughout are of steel and concrete, finished in the labor- 

 atories and class-rooms with solid wood blocks, and in the 

 corridors and lavatories with marble terrazzo. Ample gas 

 and water supplies are laid on everywhere, and the build- 

 ing is lighted throughout by electricity. Heating and 

 ventilation arc provided by the " Plenum " system. The 

 air, after being washed and screened, enters the heating 

 chamber, where it is passed over tempering coils, and is 

 finally driven throughout the building by a large pair of 

 " Ulster " centrifugal fans. The capacity of these fans is 

 140,000 cubic feet of air per minute. Arrangements are 

 also made for driving these fans by electricity when heat 

 is not required. 



Coming to the question of departmental arrangement, 

 the general idea has been to group together the work of 

 each department in one suite of rooms. The subjects 

 taught are grouped into departments as follows : — mathe- 

 matics, mechanical engineering, naval architecture, physics 

 and electrical engineering, building trades, textiles, pure 

 and applied chemistry, miscellaneous industries, natural 

 science, commerce, domestic economy, and art. 



The department of mechanical engineering includes a 

 total area of 13,000 square feet. On one iioor are the 

 lecture rooms, drawing rooms, a photo-printing room, and 

 a mechanical laboratory in which fifty students can work 

 at the same time. The engineering laboratory, work- 

 shops, and boiler house are on another floor. The 

 mechanical laboratory is fitted with a large range of 

 appliances of small type all of the newest description. 

 The central idea in providing the equipment has been to 

 keep the application of mechanics to engineering well to 

 the front. A small hydraulics section is attached to this 

 laboratory. The floor of the engineering laboratory is 

 double, and in the intervening space are stored all shafts, 



