The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-02-09
The Scientific Army at
the Antipodee.
BRILLIANT SUCCESS AT SYDNEY.
Two Thousand Photographs from Aus
tralasian Chimes.
The Contacts as Seen at Tasmania
and New Zealand.
Theories Crumbling Beneath Elk.
perience.

uSOIl0S VI u111Ul111S oo11OdCu Tx.
perience.
SYDNEY, N. s. w., Dec. "a, 1874.
In the events OF the past month tho transit OF
Venus occupies prominent position In the sclen.
tinc world, 30 that what has been done In Aus.
trals In lhe way OF observation Is cert ain to be
received with interest. In no part OF the globe
has the transit been seen under more favorable
circumstances than at sydney; not cloud
interposed to prevent . full and complete record
OF every Phase OF the phenomena. The results
may be tnus brieny summarized:- The first ar-
parent break upon the face OF the sun occurred
three minutes later than was calculated by the
the astronomers. There was no appearance OF
satellite and there was no black drop.
TRIUMPH OF THE FRENCH SCIENTISTS.
In the latter the French school obtain an advan-
tage the English by proving their theory that
the supposed black drop resulted from using an
imperfect instrument. At the temporary opserva-
tory at Woodford something like the black drop
was seen by one OF the Surveyor Generals party,
but the observer informs me that he IS certain IL
was an optical delusion caused by the inferior
telescope used. The government astronomer saw
the planet gradually meet the edge OF the sun
clear and we'll defined, surrounded by what ap-
peared to him an atmosphere, which eItirey van
ished when Venus was fully on the SUMS disk.
DENSITY AND HEIGHT OF VENUS ATMOSPHERE.
This halo or atmosphere reappeared at egress,
It's diameter being about one second OF an arc.
The photographs taken number 1910, and Include
about 500 at ingress AGO at egress and $50 OF the
two podies complete during the transit. II Is also
remarkable that when only portion OF Venus
was ON the sun the remainder was clearly de-
fined in the sky. The distance between the solar
cusps was smaller and the cusps sharper than was
supposed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TRANSIT PHENOMENA.
Mr. febbut. distinguished amateur astronomer,
says IA few seconds afterward 1t was obvious
that the apparent contact had taken place. the
planets limb being slightly within that Of the
sun, but connected with 1t by dusky hgament
whose breadth was about one-fourth the diameter
Of the planet. Instead however, OF the solar cusps
being squared on by this hgament they were
rounded, the convexity being toward the ligament.
In other words the ngamens was contracted In
the middle. 1t was also shade lighter across the
middle than along the limbs of the sun and
planet The more deeply shaded portion OF this
ligament resembed In color the limb Of the moon
when entering the earth's dark shadow during
eclipse. The distance between the limos of the
sun and the planer-for The solar limb at the
point OF contact could be lalntly seen-coud not
TWO or three beats OF the nali.seconds cHronome.
ter noticed that TINS llgament vibrated or trem-
bieg and at the same time resolved itself into sew
eral shaded sLreaEs parallel TO the limb OF the sun
and planet. They were then gradually, but quickly,
ABSORBED. partly INTO the dark disc OF Venus and
partly into the black margin OF SKY lying along
the SUMS linn. Venus was then seen slightly
within the solar limb with the space between the
two limbs as bright as the other portion OF the
solar disc. The disappearance of the shaGed
streaks. which phenomenon l regard as he real
mean time the counting OF the chronometer half
seconds being carefully verified by carrying 1t up
to to the next inteser minute alter the observa'
THE TRANSIT AZ BRISBANE.
AZ Brisbane, Queensland, the time Of internal
2n lam. $685.; internal contact at egress, an. 2m.
40s. external, An. 32m. los
VENUS SEEN PASSING THE NOON.
On November II Venus was observed at Cook
town passing Luna, the hrst indications being at
M Iu ap mwa s6 @
and lower norns OF the crescent, throwing prisms
Of light a.! round the Queen Of Night.
At Melbourne the party In charge OF the great
telescope had g'mpse Of the sun Just at the mo-
fifty photographs ere the clouds again covered the
face o. Ola Sol, obscuring MN Tor three hours
iorIynve seconds PAST noon. instead Of lin. SIM
S2s, as calculated rom previous data: while the
jOur seconds earlier than computed.
PHOTOGRAPHIC PICTURES TAKEN AT HOBART TOWN.
Cablegrams Will have announced that Professor
Hardness stationed at II J0art Town. was ole to
OBTAIN any observations OF either con TACT out OBJ.
tanned lls pnoMSos NO., q Venus on the sun ana at
the weather was most unlavorable.
THE SUCCESS AT BLUFF HARBOR.
obssrvers were mosi smccessul IN ootanng SS
OBSERVATIONS the weather being much more aus
picious than at some OF The Otner American sta
tlons
THE NEW ZEALAND oBsERvATIoNs-vARIED Sue
CESS OF THE SCIENTIFIC ExpED1T1oNs-IN-
TEREsTING DATA PROCURED.
QUEENSTOWN. New Zealand, Dec. II, 1874.
have thought that few words touching the
fate OF one al least OF the p9rties sent by the
United States to ooserve the transit OF Venus
might be interesting to the scientific world, even
though 1t were only semi-offlcla. The party CON-
manded by DR.. G. II. +. Peters arrived at Blun
Haroor on the 16Lh oil October, and Queenstown,
our present position, on the 23d OF October
Queenstown is beautifully situated on the shores
OF Lake wakatipu, q magnificent sheet Of fresh
water seventy miles long by Ave or SIX broad. We
Immediately selected site on broad terrace
overlooking the town and began the setting up OF
houses ana instruments. by the l3tn oil NOvem.
Der everything was IN working order and our 1rst
extremely rough aud but lew ane days afforded
an opportunity Tor protracied practice. The Sth
entertained OF a lair day Tor tho transit, which
was TO occur on the following day, the 9th.
Heavy the whole SKY any
occasional light seemed but the usual precursors
A SMILE FROM JUPITER rLuvIus.
We all waited ermv. however, at our places.
The transit was TO begin at two minutes past
one by our cAronometers. YEARLY were the
seconds counted until one O'Clock, and
then but o lew more when, ike u
lightning fash, the sun burst from
behind cloud, and Tor some Iory minutes all
persons were hard at work. jnyful rs bros. Then
Old sol hid himself again and the rest OF the pno-
tographs were really wing sGos" between the
CLOUDS. kilograms came IN In bushels, ana TO our
astonishrhent we learned we were the only party
In New Zealand that had succeeded In Pho OQraph-
ing or OBSERVING he first contact the most I'M
portant phenomenon. You imagine with
what vim we gave three cheers TO our success aud
three times three TO the glorious Nag tnaL ioated
so proudly aoOve u.s. Our success was not entire,
as the last contact was Invisible, but every picture
after the first hall houf was, as IL were, wrested
from nature, and nearly seventy-nve we're taken.
We start by the end OF the month and expect TO
reach the United States about May.
THE EXPEDITION IN WELLINGTON.