, 1870-08-28
Jeremiah XKoEFox4

FROM .app&k{on& Journal
The feCent 1nnGuncAfn ent Of Queen FlctoEl4
to her Parliament, tlf1t arrangements had
been made for the ecientitc observation Of
the transit Of the planet Venus ACROSS tho
sun'e dice, in 1874, calls the attention OF low
cru OF sience to very rare and Important
sAv Venus crossing the sun, and yet the OBJ
servAtion Of this transit furnishes the most
essential elements Of astronomical knowledge.
Venus, As viewed by the inhabitants of tho
earth. is the most beautiful and interesting Of
the planetary stars. Being the eeeond planet
from the sun, and the most conspicuous Of
the TWO inferior planets having thsir orbits
within the orbit OF the earth, and approaching
the earth At the time OF her inferior eonjunc-
tion within 26,06N 100 miles, she ever has
| seemed i friendly luminAry to tie lovers and
observers OF celestial scerev.
ucr maximum orilliancy has been estimated
to equal the light OF twenty liked etarr. Her
most beautiful appearance is presented to the
equatorial regions, At the period OF her ereat-
est elopGstiou, when she IL seen high Anoys
the horizon, shining with pure, ttealy light,
| Ike twilight s1.n. She ia 70 brilliant II oe1-
| tain periods 81 to be visible At MONDAY, and
her light is 60 intense in the evening. of her
greatest splecdoE As to csst u shadow Upon
the earth
The body OF the planet hss been seen by as
tronotuers through her luminous atmosphere.
and her atmosphere ITSELF has been observed
like pale, penumbzal halo Of light 1,.riaE
| her trapeits.
Transita Of Venus aesoss the suns ,lI.u
occur alternately At iutcrsals 1T eight, one
hundred five and a half, ard ons hundred
,wenty-one and a half years The lsst transit
but one took place in 1851, after Eli int.rssl
! OF one hundred and twenty-une aud hall
years :; the last transit took place Ill l7GY,
after an interval OF eight years a.i the ,.,'Nt
| transit will take pace in 1871 lDeseni'tT ~.
after III interval OF enc hundred i've 1nl !.
halt years. The transit Of 1s74 will not bs
| yinihe in this country.
\, As the observation OF the transit OF Venus
| enables ua to determine tho suns hurszausAl
raraila1-un element OF knowletace os tha
greatest importance, eizce by !: VIC t.cser2sius.
a. accurately H we are ablo. the distance o:
| the srn from the earth, and ths DISTANCES of
the planets from each other-t?Is transit u
1874 vii! awaken = general interest i'll the tol-
lowing traEs1t, which will take ll.ca i'll l*3!
: and wleL will lie vieitIo in the must enlisht'
: cncd PA1te Of the world. No oao who OBJ
5 serves tic event in 1852 Will ever rec t.at
1 tra1.rit Of Venus AGAIN.
: This event, which furnishes the basis fol
r the most wonderful problems ever nlas:tre,
q by the human mind. was fret ccTrt-ets: al
y ruiatcd, aud hrSt observed ty SoVla:
. enthusiast Of science. named JcEeIai7h fIo.r1A
y lie was born at To1tett. near l..x"r:.n,l
l. dreamy. poetical youth, admired a:d heloses
r for his amiable desperation, and for tho rests
E. fule uf his intentions. He loved t..e III: II
10 aud tile rublirlties Of its e,lestia! scenery
y Aid, while others were ialus or slsciins. i
r VAS his delight delight anouniins a; tim.
Il to raptu1e-to follow the sta1s III thti
o courses. anl 10 roam III fancy among tn
II Enl.rn zones on high
l. Ere he reached the age Of Is lla ha'
g mustered the most profound reasnnings an
astronomers.
When Kepler prepared his Ru.:nipni.,
Tables, he discovered that the planet. Mel
cCIy and Venus must sometimes pass aver III
Al, L. .1t.A,. Ia
D. Venus III the year 1864. and Published ii
Mt prediction in 4 t1Act entitled ''Ai.nnulto j
n .ArtronoI1us" I.eipsic. 1G9o) kerler died b,
Il. fore the date Of the predicted transit. Ga
,s- senti locked for the event in Paris: but Il
or prediction WAS not fulfilled
;. When the boy Ho11u1 began tho study
=, astronomy, he uAed the tables Of Iansbe
. pius. These tables indicated transit. nt Il
~ planet Venus in 1859. but the tables
NO lansbergiua were imperfect. ard the hi
~ applied himself TO close examination u I
ma tables. In The weary hours that his co.nra
be ions devoted to recreation and rero=e.
studied and ciphered until he had re,:4IculA,
H. that the transit predicted for 1851 wnuld IL
II. place on tho oith OF November (ol,l styl
NJ, 1859.
~ From tho age ot II the boy Hon
le- gazed upon the evening s'as,. dreaming Il
ar among all the inhabitants that ever poor
al the earth. would see that planet making
an way tcross tie disc Of the st,n.
FIIe The slow pAced years OF his !t'y!:e
nd roll on. The expected autumn comes, "
NJ November day that he has luIS seeu III
et. dreams Irightens the caxtl, and iinls b
al. Watching
r. Ii il the sabba,i,-the last OF tho tsl!.
hi stands in darkened room. beaiJe al OF
hn sheet Of paper. ahic11 lies the Suns il, !,
IL. At the Very hour that he expects thu dlat
,a;- eure, tho church tells ring. Shall he Y
,nf for the planet to write its message. or sh
mi he so 10 the house OF Cod with the worAAi
to pers: The question agitatea his eoul-
,de | thinks OF the consequence OF losing the aie
re- for which he has waited for eo u1Aay aaxid
to rears- He reatous that the worship OF t
ma Creator oueht not to be neglected. even
~ witness the sublfme1t works that the Great
has made. Jeremiah HORROR did what I
men that the worlI ever eaw would ha
eu 1,,s done: be left the room, and repaired to t
'as | rauctua,y.
~. I.was a cloudy day. When he returned .
IN 1,s clouds had broken, and the luminous e
sue ~. s!ono atove him. He went 10 the darkcn
~ ~ 1ncm. There, on that white sheet OF pap
ae lay the euns image. and on the sun's inns
W. W. appeared the placet Vcnus. Disclosing the
w ~, Of the very finger Ut the Invisible.
inS Horrox made the following apology to n
~ ~ Of science for ruspendiEy LIS observations
,a .ne % observed il tti1e reflection Of the eu
@ !as- imsge) from sunrise to 9o'closk a=s.s,, 3
W tie before 10: ant. 1n.tls, .. noon. ard fra1
m m. to o'clock-tLe rest Of the day heinz; dc
~. ted TO higher tlutes, which might not tc e
" lected for these pas;imes-"
: ~ Horror WAS II years Of age. OF nearly
aaN II when he made the observation. Il" diel J
~, nef uary g. lGi1, shortly after writing An aeco,
U.s. OF his important discovery. He ha'l inst I
ued r.i,e1 ~ tsto ~. 1;,.L. s1soro w., " ~
the nns wo,id. ~ -'e3' ~S 'N'S'
Ian 10 "S'@'
lefe Tho Kcover in Alnxka.