  An observation of Mrk 478 using the Chandra Low Energy Transmission Grating
Spectrometer is presented. The source exhibited 30-40% flux variations on
timescales of order 10000 s together with a slow decline in the spectral
softness over the full 80 ks observation. The 0.15--3.0 keV spectrum is well
fitted by a single power law with photon index of Gamma = 2.91 +/- 0.03.
Combined with high energy data from BeppoSAX, the spectrum from 0.15 to 10 keV
is well fit as the sum of two power laws with Gamma = 3.03 +/- 0.04, which
dominates below 2 keV and 1.4 +/- 0.2, which dominates above 2 keV (quoting 90%
confidence uncertainties). No significant emission or absorption features are
detected in the high resolution spectrum, supporting our previous findings
using the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer but contradicting the claims of emission
lines by Hwang & Bowyer (1997). There is no evidence of a warm absorber, as
found in the high resolution spectra of many Sy 1 galaxies including others
classified as narrow line Sy 1 galaxies such as Mrk 478. We suggest that the
X-ray continuum may result from Comptonization of disk thermal emission in a
hot corona through a range of optical depths.
