The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-01-09

vISrs AND THE COMING IRASnr So
was, then an gnorsma 1870 80.
through the newspapers = pare <,.,n -s,.s .r....
IN approaching transit Of 80. -. 80. ~ 80
with The additional info" 49,, ,ss, a.. S.aS W.
ration OF the sun would mako theuse,
~ssssry in our dwellings. A an eyiSsnt
"'e ,'' @'ooLomy growing up in dis country. Which
con'ans nIeady = considerable number OF Admirable
opeefvsVee, the press, vsnt Of thls ac, hHnds
maoA more thsn fsfmery with descriptions OF celsstia
HAenomena inc jaxsposoa Of the plsnets he ssths,
movements in the ecllptc, the differences Of tine ooc.
stoned by ita daily notion now demonstrated y rnru
lariy by the masuo electric telegraph, have rec@ Dse.
much noticed.
Thus science lie beginning 20 be popularzed and its
practical bearings ON life developed by means pevs
papere to an unusual extent 5ut II ID 10 DO esrstted
that such absurdities thai Coz example, We hive men
toned should find In this country srch extensive curren
cy without correction. nporary has noticed
Washington, and another in Boston, but not psycular
~ - II should be- II the nFAt place. the Appearance
Of Venus when passing the suns dac will bethat
OF small spot and will cause sensible dinuubn OF
the light or heat OF the SUMS rays In tho NEXT &se
the looked for transit viii place till tneyeaf
1874.
The fret ever observed was oy H. HORROR inis39
Another took place In 1881 The last m l7e9 This
wM carefully observed In ysroos quarters o. the lobe
for the purpose Of obtaining the suns horizontal palax
or In other words by trigou Duerca ,,lcu
ations the diameter Of the eur by which know eda We
learn his distance from the earth. The famous opt
Cock wss sent by the British government In Ina. yek &c.
Ushete to make observations Other goyernpcuta
sent astronomers TO other eligible positions for thea
purpose, and our own country man, David Rtenbuse,
made his celebrated observations this country nuder
the direction Of the American Philosophical Sosty.
10 recorded Of this Interesting that he wss sosxcted
when the expected moment Venus touched ,hsedge Of
the suns disc, according 10 h,s previous calculations
that he tainted away
There is . slight discrepancy among astpnomers
rs TO the precise year at which the next trust will
occur. One authority says will take plac..n 1874
another says on the eth Of December 1s82-ovlookne
that to occur ut the previous dae-and another ives The
year - 1875. Tho astronomers OF Green win, how
ever, state the dates 10 be lsA ana
1857 These trsnsts take plsce at intcrvls &C.
curing only in the ascending and descend.nI nodes
These inequalities n the periods u the ranss then
arise from the great differences in the distance Venus
from the eaxth-at one time being about twent seven
millions Of miles, Ut another hundred and sxy three
millions.
This besutful planet has been admired In al yes for
Ito brillancy-by the ancenis s.yled vespsr I'd Hes
perus when the evening" aud Phosphorus the morning
star II carries with II such blaze os Enthusiastically
pe'ok kfcStcf or our oWu-tuh ~
face cannot be minuiey through the escope
and its time Of rotation axis Was only discovered
accidentally by schroeters perceivng An eevaa on itx
northern horn. when it, appearance aud 70
enabled him to calculate The length Of Ito day.
II may have been forgotten by some OF ourreaders
that the observations which founded on theuotions
or Venue are o. the uimos importance la the heory OF
the whole planetary 50 stem Tnis the dic n OF the.
learned H0mboltt, and ia uaeisputed. The escditor
mt fox- H.
in Chile, under the direction OF Lieutenant Glues war
undertaken at the suggestion Professor Gel,rs o.
harbrrs and had particular reference to further oservi
lions o. Venus. Tho LsnteasTs report OF hIsourncy
has been published, but We understand his nlatorc
are not yet tAbula,ed and reduced TO proper form