Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-01-08
Yenps' Transit.


shadow or the time will not be struck
-
Yenps' Transit.
The agony is overt Venus has made
her transit of the sun and seems none
the worse for her temerity. She was
little tardy. Sex may account for this,
that is if we accept the British Nauti.
cal Almanac" as authority.
The time of internal contact was two
minutes fifty'four seconds later than the
almanac-maker hath it.
We had cloudy, dull days for two
months before the 9Th, and many of us
had misgivings as to the likelihood of
the success of our observers, but when
the day dawned all doubts were dispelled,
for we had day made for the occasion.
Telescopes, opera glasses, bits of window
glass--in fact anything that was trans
parent-had been prepared over smoky
lamps, and long before the hour for the
phenomenon thousands of perso ms, young
and old, were on the lookout for some
thing to happen.
When the first contact was detected
feeling of disappointment came over the
masses, for they had expected something
more pronounced. To them it was a
tame affair
To the observers stationed here by the
British Government the sensation was
quite different; for them it was full re-
ward for years of patient study and
preparation. A local writer gives the
following graphic account of the scene
within the inclosure erected by the
British observers:
What moment, and what n sense of
responsibility for three thoughtful,
studious men, who have to deal with a
great crisis in q fraction of second,
while the audience of an enlightened,
expectant world is sympathetically
present. Faithfully the heavenly trav-
eler comes, as first foretold by Kepler,
and the chief observes the first ex-
ternal contact of disc and disc at 3h.
I'm. Is. and Lieut.. Noble at 3h. I'm. 3s.,
according to local mean solar time. The
agreement is singular, but must be re-
garded as purely accidental. But this is
not the crisis of greatest moment; it is
when the perfect rounded orb of the
planet is within the sun, and the edge of
its disc at the moment of leaving the
inner circle ofthe luminary indicates the
internal contact, the most interesting
point to be observed in all this transit
phenomenon. AS the body of the planet
was indenting the suns rim and ad-
vancing on toward immersion within its
body the chief, who was now watching
through micrometer, saw the complete
disc of Venus defined about thirty sec
onds before the actual internal con.
tact was determined, and for
while he imagined he had missed the
critical phase of the phenomenon but
this revelation of the complete
circle of the planet before actual inter
nal contact had taken place vas owing
to the effulgence of the corona or outer
flame waves of the sun, which Illuminated
the whole surface of Venus some time
before complete immersion--a phase of
the phenomenon never observed before,
and its detection on this occasion is due
to the optical perfection of the telescopic
instruments employed. Lieut.. Noble
could distinguish the complete disc of
Venus fully five minutes before internal.
contact. And Mr.. johnson, observing at
Walmea, on the island of Kauai, saw
this complete disc no less than twelve
minutes before the complete entrance of
the planet. This luminous presentation
of the full round body of Venus when
still only partially across the suns cir
Gle was calculated to dazzle and deceive
our astronomers; but like faithful
ment's observation, and as they scruti
nized the advancing planet they dis
cerned approximately the phase of
internal contact, which the chief re-
corded at 3h. 35m. 557s. and Lieut..
Noble at 3h. 35m. 54.4s.
We had several parties of amateur as
tronomers who made observations which,
for accuracy, astonished the profession
ais Mr.. C. j. Lyons, of our coast survey,
with surveyors theodolite and friend
to record the time by chronometer, gave
the time of internal contact at 3h. 35m.
53s., while Capt. Daniel Smith and our
chronometer doctor (D.N Flitner) with
better instruments, hit quite near; in
fact, Capt. Smith noted his time as 3h.
35m, 54 Ss.-within four-tepths of Sec
ond of the time of Lieut.. Noble.
OF the success of the more juvenile
observers must say it was of different
kind; perhaps, however, quite as satis-
factory to them; certainly so to locker
on. In the anxiety to have the first look
the smoked glass was placed to their
eyes smoked side in. Eyes would water
from steadiness of gaze and naturally
fingers would rub, regardless of smut,
the grand result being ludicrously be-
grimed faces.
llC ICSulJ VI tIt W lnC
professional observers may be summed
up in the language of Capt, Tupman, as
follows
"The atmospheric conditions were fa-
vorable- exceedingly so at times One
hundred and fifty measures of cusps and
limbs were obtained, and sixty photo
graphs. A totally unexpected appear
ance presented itself at internal contact,
The disc of the planet became visible
as an entire circle minutes before con-
| tact. From then 20 the complete estab-
| lishment no definite or sudden pause
was observed. No black drop after in-
teTnal contact"
This much was known to favored
few the day after the transit. On the
10th the following facts were given from
the same source:
Twenty out of the sixty photographs
have been developed. All are blurred
by the phenomenon known as boiling"
or dancing" caused by the suns heat,
possibly within the instrument; some
are better than others; valuable results
are to be obtained, however.
The Jansen apparatus failed totally,
At Kailua Prof. Forbes and party were
sadly disappointed, as the day was
cloudy and no observation of the con-
tact was possible. The professor OBJ
tanned valuable measures with the mi.
crometer, so that his time was not lost
Honolulu (Dec. 12) Cor. ". y. Herald