Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-12-31

The Next Transit OF venus-Tbe Time
or II. Occurrence ana Ats Conttnua-
tiou.
To The Editor of he Conrnercial
The monthlies, weeklies and dailies all seem
to take hand at the Transit Of Venus, and
probably will favor us occasionally for some
time to come, or until the final interesting re-
suit is announced and the corrected size OF our
corner Of creation satisfactorily established. Is
it not lucky that transit occurs once a hundred
years, or 80 to furnish you editors something
sensible and agreeable besides bloody murders,
''B 7. NJ" reyvals, city rings, public corfup-
tion, Katie Kings, &c, to talk about2 In the gem
eral voice, why should not that centre Of learn
ing called "Hockessin" put in wordp We pro
fese, you know, to have telegraph Office up
here. on the line between the sub terrestrial ter
restrial aud celestial kingdoms. Furthermore,
since prima donDas have their boquet-throwers,
doctors their s'church callers" literary their
mutual admiration clubs and, above all, siuce
editors brag of their circulation and are good
generally at blowing their own horns, why should
not gentleman of mature years, like myself,
boast of what ne did when boy
To come to the point, after this prologue, l
will state for the entertainment of your readers
| that in my Office, at the 'centre OF learning
aforesaid, hangs projection OF the next transit
| OF Venus, which will occur December 9Th, 1888 i.
| This projection was drafted from elements de-
| duced from many days calculation, and was made
in 1887, or 81 years ago, when boy 10 years oil
| age. 1t was chosen at that time for calcula-
| ton in preference to the transit just passed. as
much more popularly interesting to us OF the
/ Uaited States, on account OF being completely
visible here and occurring near the midday oi
| the Atlantic Coast
The planet will appear on the face Of the sun
| as a we'll defined round black sp0t, in diameter
about 30th part OF the suns apparent diameter,
and will be quite visible, without magnifying
power, to an eye protected by smoked glass l
| otherwise Its path across the sums disk Will be
| near the southern, or somewhat southwestern
limb OF the sun, and will cut of, M it were, @
| segment Of the sun whose versed sine will be
rather more than II OF the sums senii- diameter
According to my calculation, which is presum'
| cd to be reasonably near correct, (and winch
such Of your readers as live eight year longer
and choose to preserve this record may verify.
the first external contact will take place on tlit
south eastern limb of the sun about en- m'nu es
q ter A. NJ, aud the planet will have fairly en-
tered on the face of the sun about s 80 A. NJ.
Tho middle of the transit will occur abou
IL 20 A. NJ, and the last external contact, ol
end OF the transit will take place about 80 T.
NJ, at winch time her ladyship, Venus, will pass
away, no more to venture across the face OF hel
Lord, until A. d. 2004. though she will still cou
tinue AZ Hesperus and Phosphorus, the eyeninf
and the morning stars, to smile on twligh
straying lovers, or wink brightly in the eyes o
early market men, and early birds generally. il
eihsr OF which capacities you will probabl,
never see it. j. q. j.