The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-12-08
TRANSIT OF VENUS

between the earth and sun, because, unfor-
tunately for the citizens of Vermont, the
sun is not visible from these latitudcs at or
about the hour of midnight. 1t is equally
fortunate for the cause of science, as 1t is
unfortunate for the wishing-to be star Gazer
here, that while darkness encompasses us
here, in other parts Of the world the sun is
then shining in all its brilliancy, always
providing that there is an absence of clouds
or rain. TO the disappointed Ncrmontcr,
of December, 1874, remains the pleasing
consolation that If his life should be spared,
his cyesight remain undimmed until June
200i, lac can, perhaps, If he is furnished
with powerful telescope. enjoy the
ccstatic privilege now accorded to but few
mortal men. But why arc we compelled
10 wait so many years, why do not these
iransits occur every year !?
The answer is more simple than would
The earth rcyolves around the sun, in
round numbers, in three hundred and sixty
five days, while Venus, moving in small
or orbit included within the earth's orbit,
makes her revolution in two hundred and
twenty four days. In consequence of his
quicker revolution of Venus, she must
overtake The earth in certain intervals of
time, computed at five hundred ana eighty
four day. so that, having once passed be-
tween tie earth and the sun, she will re-
turn Ia pass again in live hundred and
eighty. four lays. Wy then do not tran
sits occur ut that ! crval of time? Be-
cause thc orbits he two planets do not
las m tie same plane. If they were in
the same plane, at every one of these ''in-
ierlor cnnjunctions"-as the passage is
termed when no transit occurs-N enus
would pass hetwetn the earth and sun, in
the strictcst sersc Of the word. and her
VhllUmindted side Icing turned toward the
earth, would appear, at points suitable for
observation, like 4 black spot over the disc
of the sun-the same as it will appear to
the scientific observers tonight 1t would
further occur that these transits would all
he central, that is the planet every time
describing a diameter of the sun. The
plane of Venus orbit is inclined toward
the earth in certain angle and would be
so cen. to the north and south of the
eclipiic, described by the earths revolu'
ton. If an observer could be stationed il
angle Is some four times as great, if sucl
an expression may be pardoned. From thu
exact measurement of these angles, thu
suns disc being computed at quarter Of
icrior conjunclons' may pass nirc degrees
to the north or south of the ''sun's limbs.
This planet can only appear on tho suns
disc in those coniunctions when, as scel
from the earth, her cciptc is less than tn
semi-dametcr of the sun. For this effect
she must be within certain number Of de
grees of her ''nodes which ire the tw,
opposite points in which her orbit crosse
the eclipiic. The sun is in these modes
only in June and December, and the tran
sit, therefore, only occurs in these months
To ascertain at what intervals an observ
able transit may follow another, there mus
be found when the before mentioned pero
of conjunctions, namely five hundred an
eighty four days, taken certain humble
of times will amount to certain numbe
of years within three days more or less
that being the number of days that it take
Venus to describe the arc. Five of thes
periods happen in eight years, not to
exact as to days, and this is the shorte
interval in which the transts can folio
one another No other number Of the!
periods less than one hundred and fort.
seven will answer this condition, and tn
number amounts to two hundred and thi
ty-five years. If Venus only crossed Il
suns disc in one path, it would follow tn
transits would only occur at intervals
eight and then two hundred and thrty-fi
years apart and il is true that 1t TAX
place only at these intervals in Civ
path. But it is known that the lrans
occur at two different places on the SUI
face--of course there is no contact betwe
the sun and Venus, and we speak of til
which is only apparent as rcal-and the
occur at the same intervals of eight a
two hundred and thirty-five years. Taxi
these two paths, as We have called the
and making allowance for days Fraction
etc, it will be found that transts can
observed, as mentioned yesterday, sat
RODS Of 8, 1913, 8, 1O4l 8, 1913 and so {
this being the order of succession for
long duration of time.
We had intended to speak of the diff
ent methods of observation and calculate
which will be used for determining the
suits aimed at, but caring that we may I
the patience, we pass them by, and CO
cluGe, this morning, with the follow
list Of stations and observers, for which
are indebted 10 the 1TibuRe.'
.imerican Parties. -Vadivos.ock,
IBERIA Prof. Hall of the Naval Obscrvatoi
assistant. Mr.. o. b. Wheeler of the Ii
Survey.
Pekin, China Prof. J. C. Watson
Ann Harbor.
Nagasaki Prof. @. Davidson assista
Mr. O. ii. Tittmann.
the following are the five southern:
Campbelltown, Tasmania; Capt. X
mond of the L. $. Engineers Lieut.
man, assistant. This party failed to nj
their intended landing on Cro2ets ISL
on account of stormy weather.
Hobart Town. Tasmania; Prof III.
ness of the Naval Observatory assisti
Mr.. l.. Waldo of Columbia college, n.
Kerguelen's Island Lieut.. Command
Ryan and Train, L. $. n.
Bluff Harbor, New Zealand; Prof.
II. +. Peters of Hamilton College, N.
assistant, Lieut.. Bass, L. $. Engineers
Chatham Island Mr.. +. Smith AS
ant, Mr.. Scott-both of the Coast Sur
british Stations.- District A, Egg
Chief, Capt. c. o. Browne, II. A. (el
station not officially given, but somew
near Alexandria or CAIRO.
b. Sandwich Iulands - SubdivisiC
uonnlulu Cant q |, runman Owhy