The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-09
THE TRANSIT OF VENUS.

! iMpOrtanC terrestrial affairs, SUCH as TIE ni,lt
at yicksburg, the Presidents message and the
city attorneyship, crowded out our notice OF
the doings OF our Celestial neighbors on the
| oth. Attention to events on the surface of
/ our apology for not publishing an account Of
! events which occurred only several millions
j of miles from us. Our mundane Venus does
not cause a greater curiosity to male humanity
! than the heavenly Venus. The dance of
Venus across the surface of the sun came of
| on the evening Of the Sth, to-wit-the transit
| Well, what is the transit and what is its inn
portance: The orbit Of Venus is an ellipse
and as it is nearer the Sun than the Earth and
travels at the rate Of 1920 miles per hour,
225 days, while the Earth completes its revo-
luton in 365 days. 1t now SO happens, that
in the revolutions Of the two planets round
the Sun. Venus occasionally passes between
tie Earth and Sun. and this passage is called
the transit.
What is its importance: 1t is 70 determine
the correc. distance Of the Earth from. the
Sun. and whe, this correc. distance is
ascertainea, astronomers have one certain
line Of measurement, By which the accurate
distance Of the earth from the other planets
can be determined, and even the great distance
CT some Of The fixed stars. In a short article
We canno: give an account OF previous efforts
made by the scientific world to find out this
true distance.
.1any Inett,,lo' IS have Keen rcsort2d 70 and
yet the length of the line is not satisfactorily
fixed. Russia has sent out twenty-seven ex-
petitions England, france, Germany and
the United States have sent out scientific corps
with al tie improved modern appliances.
The transit is not visible in the United States,
Or only Oh western boundary Of Alaska.
The points of observation are all along the
eastern portions Of Russia, Asia and Africa,
and many places CT observation have been
selected to insure the most accurate observa-
tons, as clouds or mists might. in some of
the countries, pass before the sun. We may
confidently predict that impedimelts VII not
interfere at all Of the stations selected. The
United States have appropriated $4,000 for
the purpose, and our best scientific men Sc
lected
The great Improvement in time-keepers, IN
telescope glasses, in photographs, and the
new discovery OF the spectrOsccpe, will give
advantages to the present expeditions which
former observers had not. Each discovery,
and each invention, leads to increased accu-
IA " IN finding out the laws which govern the
universe and il the improved Instruments
used on yesterday can avoid the s. blur,
noticed in all previous attempts, which
appears at the moment Of the contact OF the
star with the sun, then the problem will be
solved, the correct distance be found, ana 30
OF 80 times 30 millions OF miles can be meas
ured as readily as a foot on earth. The benefit
which navigation will receive will be great,
but other results Of vast moment will follow.
With one line measured. one undisputed
distance OF the earth from the sun, astrono-
mers can map out the hearens as veil as ge-
ograpllers can the earth, and can tell the dis
lance Of each planet from Us and from the
sun, and the still greater distance Of some Of
the fixed stars which lie beyond our solar sys-
:enl. and whic., are supposed to be suns or
centres o: other systems. We LOOK with grea:
irteres: TO the report. from, the various expe.
ditions sent ou. 70 examine the phenomena,
and hope every thing wii be Yropitious. and
that the important Sact-:he true measure
men. Of ii. distance from. US TO the sun Se
Fixed Beyond doubt. :pon this hinges .e-
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