American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-10-31
The Secret of Venus.


sumes near the horizon in the southwest,
and how significantly intelligent appears
her hlushing, radiant smile. This won
derful secret she has kept ever since the
morning stars together sang their first
chorus-cver since God spal>c into eX-
istcnce the rolling, fiery worlds that pco-
pie immensity. This is longer than Sc
crets are usually kept by those who wor-
ship at the shrine of Nenusi
1t was not till the beginning of the
eighteenth century, about los years ago,
that Venus was suspected of holding so
selfishly in her possession this coveted
information. DIR. HALEY then discovered
the important fact, and proposed that by
some artitice she be induced to divulge
the secret. To say nothing of her usual
disposition or indisposition to respond
when addressed, it is only at special
periods that Venus can ut all be APP
preached upon this particular subject.
Since the discovery two of the periods
have paSsed-one on the 9TH of June,
1861, the other on the Sd of June, 1863.
To the first questioning distinct re-
Venus replied, but not plainly.
And now, almost GREATNESS, we
await the coming of the next period
This will be the SH Of December, 1874.
Then will be repeated the same
question, with the greatest possible en-
phasis. Then, too, on account of this
very Importantly will we fondly expect
her to look down from her celestial
abode and distinctly to speak out her
response far above the profoundly low
and deep-toned music of spheres. Fond
ly, too will we expect her uttcrance to
be recognized and echoed and reverber-
ated to every planet and every star
throughout the universe. Even now, as
she wrinkles in the twilight, she seems
the night by revealing her secret before
the time.
The secret of Venus is nothing less
than the parallactic angle of the sun;
that is, the angle contained by two lines
drawn from the center of the sun, one
to the center of the earth, the other
tangent to the earth. Upon the accuracy
with which this angle is measured de
pend, directly or indirectly, all astronom-
Ical distances-the distances of the earth
and all other members of the solar sys-
TEN from the sun, and the distances of
the fixed stars from the solar system and
the velocity of light. 1t is difficult ther
fully to appreciate the real value of this
secret when it is once in the possession
of the scientific world.
The motions of Venus and the earth
around the sun are such that at the sue
cessive ntervals of 1914 years, eight
years, 1864 years, eight years, 1919 years,
and so on, the planet, in passing between
the earth and the sun, is SO near to a line
joining the centers of the earth and the
sun that it will appear to traverse the
suns face. This is called Il transit of
Venus. The first transit known to have
been observed occurred on the 4th of De-
cember, 1889; the second on the 9TH of
June, 1861; the third and last one in the
past, on the Sd of June, 1863 The first
one in the future will occur on the Sh of
December, 1874; the second on the 9th of
December, 1882; the third on the 9TH of
June, 1904.
In the interval of 1861 years elapsing
between the last transit and the next, the
earth will complete 1851 revolutions
around the sun, whilst Venus, in the
same time, will complete 171t revolutions
around the same central body. 1t is
plain, then, that in this interval Venus
will complete precisely sixty-six revolu-
lions more than the earth; that is, at the
time of the next transit, she will be pass
ing the siXty-siXth time 5et,oeeJ. tie earth
and tie sun since the last transit. How
ever, siXty-tive of these passages were
not sufficiently near the line joining the
centerS of the earth and the sun as to
appear upon the suns face; and, as the
interval between these passages is about
5S4 days, the siXty-five have already oc-
CURED, and ninet enths of the time has
and tie merit transit Of penus.
Venus, our present beautiful evening
star, therefore, having passed around be
yond the sun, and having attained her
greatest eastern clongation, is now
sweeping along toward point between
the earth and the sun The time of her
setting is coming nearer and nearer that
of the sun, and, at the time of the tran
sit, it will be the same. After the transit
4 l.
Will again be our morning-star.
Since only that half of Il planet shines
which Is toward the sun, the part turned
toward the earth at the time of the
transit will be thoroughly dark, and ii
VIII appear to be IL round black spot on
the face of the sun. The diameter of
Venus is only about 1.120 of the diameter
of the sun; but, as her distance from the
sun is only about three fourths of the
distance of the earth from the sun, the
planet will be at point about one-fourth
OF the distance from the earth to the sun;
and, hence, the diameter of the spot, as
compared with the diameter of the sun,
will be about four times its real length
The diameter of the spot will, therefore,
be about one-thirtieth of the diameter of
the SUM- This apparent great black bead
Will pass over the face of the sun from
left to right, and the phenomenon will
last about four hours.
On the Sth of December, 1874, the
transit will begin about eight O'Clock
p. III. and Will end at about | / 40 O'Clock
=. m, Chicago solar time* Tie J,i.enon,e-
nan, therefore, ctU MT be Uisi6Le in tie
United Suites.
To those points of the earth on longi-
tude about 100 degrees east of Green
witch the transit will begin ON the 9th at
about ten O'Clock IA. m and end about
two o'clock p. m, and the middle Of
TIE phenomenon ,1tU Occur at H00B This
meridian passes through the eastern part
OF Asia and the western part of Australia
Near this line will be the most favorable
positions from which to take obscrva-
lions on the transit. As the declination
OF the sun at the time of the transit will
be about twenty-five and half degrees
south, to one located on latitude as many
degrees south and on the previously
mentioned longitude, the sun, at the !
middle of the phenomenon, will be pre- |
cisely in the zenith. At this instant the
transit will be visible at all places not |
exceeding ninety degrees from this |
point. This point will be found in the |
western part of Australia; and this dis
tance will extend as far to the east on |
the equator as longitude $50 degrees |
west, and as far to the west on the |
equator as longitude thirty degrees east
North OF the equator this distance will |
not extend so far to the east and west |
and 1T Will lack twenty-five and Il half |
degrees of reaching to the north pole.
South of the equator it will extend some
what farther to the east and west and it |
viii reach twenty-five and "a half degrees |
he. flas 4.