The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-11-12
New Piancts.--IntercstinE Statements by
NJ. LcXerricr.

NJ. Leyerrier. whose fame rs the tleOre
teal dlscovcr"r OF the planet Neptune Is
we'll known, ha, written IL letter Of the
highest interest, to NJ Fave. the astronO
nicr, on the suhle of some unaccountable
discrepancies between the observations OF
the transit- of Mercury over the disc of the
sun and the results of calculation. The
facts are as follows: The theory Of the sun
having been carefully revised and com
pared with the results OF 1000 observations
OF that body taken at various ob>ervato-
ries, the motion oil Mercury had in its turn
to he revised Now, there are II observa-
tions of the inner contacts of Mercury S
disc with that OF the sun, taken within a
period of l5l wears viz between 1898 and
Isis, and o liable yet in these transits
there appears 10 be - Progressive error.
which amounts 10 as much as niiie seconds
of an arc in 1853 Now. can it be sup
posed, to explain such constantly repeat
ed divergence. that such men as Lalande.
Ca-sini, Bougucr, &c. should have commit
ted mistakes amounting to several minutes
OF time, and mistakes, too, progressively
varying from one period 10 another Thi,
would be- absolutely impossible.
But there IS another curious circum-
stance. viz: that bv Increasing the secular
ll'll''ll ~ ill' PEI lltilpii Nv % dit
the above observations are found TO be
correct IL a second, aud in some cases even
10 a half second NJ L-verrier then pro
ce"d> 10 show that la order To explain this
addition ot y seconds. we should have to
increase the mass attributed To Venus 10y
ore tenth ot this amount This mass. cs,
culat~d L. b. the itnUoOth part of the
sun. has been found. bv other calculations.
r ther too la'ge, :" that increasing IL Is ont
ot the question Hence, VI Leverrier con
c!udeS II at the excess of the motion "f
Mercury : periheiion must be owing To
some other cause Vet unknown ~ u, aud
tins cause be >uppo~e> Ia te either a new
plaii't or series OF small bodies Circulat
ing between the sun and Mercury. NJ
Fave. in communicating this letter 10 the
Academy ot >rIsnc.-. suggested that all
the astronomers al europe should now d.
rect their attention u the smallest spot on
the disc ot the sun, in order 10 discover
whether there wrro among them any H%
nuj" planetary bodies which had hitherto
c,car"d observation
Such bodies had often been looked after
without success, hut this proved nothing,
such researches having been made AT mere
haard. now, however. there We're serious
ground Tor repeating such attempts, and
total .clip-"s would bc the mos, advanta-
g-ou> periods for Observing any minute bo-
dy in the immediate vicinity OF the sun. -
\ total ec!ir-e ha added. would be visible
in Spain and Algeria IN July next Sup
pose an astronomer al tamprev, for in
stance, u prepare himself exclusively for
such an observation. nc-lcct.ug evcry thing
el-'' relating I" tiI- eclipse; If, a quarter ot
au hour before The proper time. he re-
manned ia dirk room IN order 10 guard
h.> eyes from the dazzling Influence OF the
>,l Lay NV. whose effects continue for scv.-
r.,I minute. and c:su-.. vision to be indi--
t.nct AZ tie doc -.v,. moment, he might ;.s
-u,a a- the cc!ir-, had reached IL maxi
mum Observe the heavens with tlte great
- ar'urs :. sni perhaps discover what
hHd hitherto escaped notice under less Ia
voTahl- CIRCUMSTANCES -Is' y,sdat 8 .rssSsr-
81, N.r' -