The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-05-19

on the 9Th of December of the present
year, and the entire scientific world is
more or less excited in consequence. Our
own government has appropriated $780,
900 to assist in taking observations
France has given 100000 francs, aud
Great Britain. Austria, Russia, and the
German Empire have also contributed
literally to the same end. The object Of
the observations is to ascertain, if posi-
BILE, the exact distance Of the earth from
the sun. The transit will be visible only
at certain places, and much depends upon
the state Of the atmosphere at those
points for a determination of the paral.
lax. Stations will be established at Ia.
hiti, Pekin, in China, and Yokohama, in
Japan. The Russians will watch from
twenty-four several points in Siberia The
English will have their observatory at
Victoria. The transit will not be seen
from any part of North America, nor any
portion of Europe, excepting Turkey and
Greece. The following particulars with
reference to previous events Of the kind
are compiled from history.
Prior to the seventeenth century, it
was supposed that the distance was not
more than 100000 miles There was
a transit of Venus iD 1859, and the as.
tronomer HALEY demonstrated that the
impressions of the astronomers had been
erroneous; but he did little more than
prove that they were considerably out of
their reckoning. 1t was more than u
century afterward that the next transit
occurred and by that time astronomical
science had made great progress, and
savants were prepared for the event. 1t
took place in 1869, the year in which
Napoleon and Wellington we're born,and
about which time the American colonies
were preparing to shake off the British
domipatons Encke was one of the as.
tronomers who made careful observations
and he computed the suns parallel to be
S.57 seconds which gave the distance be-
tween the earth and the center Of our
planetary system as little more than
% 900 900 Of miles
Since 1869. all the astronomical talent
Of the world has been expended an re-
version OF Enckes calculations. Lever.
rier came to the conclusion that Enckc's
figures were too small. Foucalt, max
ing experiments in the velocity Of light,
concluded that the suns parallax must
be S.S6 seconds. Stone and Winter, w.
serving Mars ia opposition with the sun,
in lS62, made it 50 seconds, and other
astronomers have varied in their cacula.
tions from S.S4 seconds to S.94 seconds
This variance between Encke and his
critics involves the question whether or
, not the distance between the sun and
earth is from two to four million of miles
nearer than he made it. With oil our
modern improvements in astronomical
appliances and methods, and particular
ly in consequence Of the invention Of the
, spcctroscope, it is expected that our say
ants will be able, during the next transi,
of the planet across the face Of the sun
to establish with much accuracy the dis.
, tance between the earth and the sun, and
so settle the controversy for all time
f The event looked forward to with such
intense interest will take place December
$, 1874. the last transit Of Venus, as
/, We have said, occurred one hundred and
five years ago. The next one after that
I VI neat povrmuvI ,ahvc piavv DvCvm',rr
&, 1882, and then the world must wait
r one hundred and twenty-five years long
er--until juno $, 2004-beforc it can
1 witness the same spectacle. 1t will be
q seen, therefore, that the chances for tax
ing these observations are few Indeed
and must be made the most of. The civ
Q ilized nations Of to-day arc fully awar,
: Of the Importance Of doing it.