Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-03-12
THE CHRONICLE.
YENUS.

The bright body now just visible il
the west after sunset, is known as thi
planet Venus. If its position be care
fully noted and compared with stan
near it, daily eastward progress will
be seen until the 18th of April, aftel
which time it will appear to move
slowly to the West until the 25th o
May. From the 1st to the 10th o
May, IL will be so near the sun as K
be hidden by his superior light, bu
by the 18th early risers will find Venui
ahead Of the sun, the bright morning
star.
This planet reached its greatest ap.
parent distance from the sun Febru-
ary 22d, passed the new planet Febru'
ary 9th, and shows us her brightest
evening face for this season, during
the last week in March.
VENUS will permit the moon to pass
her twice in the next month. These
conjunctiOns occur on the LIST and
Both, soon after the new moon of
March. On the 14th of April Venus
will appear to retrograde or turn back
on her course among the stRls until
the oath of May when she will re-
sumo her direct motion from the West
TO the East.
This planet is about nine-tenths as
large as the earth, and is supposed to
be sixty-six million miles from the
sun, and on the 5th of May next as it
passes nearly between the sun and
the earth, it will be about 26, ,000, 900
miles from US, The point then accu-
pied in her path will be 40 l3f north
OF the sun, SO that no transit can oc-
cur at thai time. Such are the rela-
tioDs between the motions of Venus
and the earth with reference to the
sun, that although the three bodies
are in apparent conjunction at inter-
walls of about 5S4 days, yet direct tran
sits or passages of Venus across the
sun, seldom occur. Rare as these oc-
easions are, they are predicted or
rather precalulated witt the greatest
eXactness by astronomers. Not only
is the time determined. but the appar-
ent path of the planet across the
burning face OF the "day king" as
seen from aGy part of the earth. As
these celestial events are not under
human control, we cannot elect the
generations 10 witness them nor the
regions of country where observa-
tions may most conveniently be made;
but we may prepare for the advent,
and science reaps the benefits Of such
preparations. The last transits of
Venus occurred in 1761 and 1769.-l
From observations then made, the |
distance from the sun to each of the |
planets was estimated, and former
measurements were re-
vised and corrected. Subsequent re-
views of the work then performed,
and the probable errors from imper.
feet instruments and methods used,
have somewhat impaired confidence
in the exactness of those results. The
next transits of Venus will occur in
December 1874, and 1882. The most
careful calculations to determine the
best points from which to take Obser-
vations have been made. The belt of
the earth over which the planet will
be seen to cross the suns disk extends
from a region in the South Pacific
Ocean, covering Crozet's and McDons
AIDS Islands, across the South Allan
tie and Indian Oceans and over Aus
lralia and the Eastern portion Of Asia.
The fact that these trapsits occur in
December, when the days are the
shortest, the sun lowest and most
likely to be obscured by clouds, and
he cold most intense, in northern
attitudes, will render all places in
Northeastern Asia undesirable. Those
nations most interested in scientific
discovery are remote from the posi-
)le places for observation.
To transport and properly mount
apparatus so as 70 be
eady for the event at eligible places,
will cost time, talent and money. The
expeditions already planned or in pro-
ess of organization in Germany,
England and the United States, are I
u 9 scale to attract public attention.
he aid afforded by these several gov !
rnments Will stimulate inquiry.
Science in general, and astronomy {
q particular anticipate from these
sansits of Venus, discoveries such as |
} place these among the marked |
vents of this century. J. NJ. I
Allegheny College, Feb, 1878.