The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-02-11
THE TRANSIT.
Photographs Received by the Herald Ycs-
terday Direct from New Zealand.
VENUS ON THE SUN.
Professor Peters Work-The First Pictures Of
the Phenomenon in America or Europe
from the Southern Stations


from the Southern Stations
To-day We print copies OF nineteen photographs
Of the transif which left New Zealand on the day
after the observations, and, after Journey, part
Of the way BY special eourIer and part ny steam
and rail. have tust arrived at our ONCE.
The photographs were taken BY the expedition,
under the direction OF Professor Peters. the cei-
ebrated dtscoverer OF asteroids. He has carried
onthe palm In that department. OF astronomy, and
now again confers lustre on mis- adopted coun.
try by giving the nness results Of any expedition
orrantxed By any government While all the
other observers In New Zealand were interfered
with by clouds hs was favored BY a comparatively
good sky. This was due. not to chance but to fore.
sight, for while he and most Of the United States
New Zealand party sailed from this port on the
swatara last June be took the precautton OF
sending Ats assistant, Lieutenant Bass. by ran ana
steamer rom here TO san Francisco and thence
70 New Zealand; so that Bass arrived month
plored the situation. The consequence was that
instead OF remaining ss Blum Harbor, the station
originally selected. the party went into the noun.
famous interior to place called Queenstown.
near beautiful lake-Lake wakatip-130 miles
from the coast. To this place, over roads and no
roads, through valleys and across rivers, all the
instruments and observing houses. several tons IN
weight. were conveyed with singular good for.
tune-not even pane OF glass In any OF the
>ouses being broken. Again, however, 1t must
Ao'Ne supposed that chance alone was RESPONSE.
VIZ w. '-oiessor Peters himself was on the ground
"a'n'ns,u and superntsnded the packing Of
every piece.
0'u" 1"f'os l-ained all day, and our CORE
spondens says that ,rotessor Peters fervently
thanked God that he bad NJ STAYED there to DO DIS
appointed. 1t may interest OR readers to know.
conndensially and as q matter =, oosstn. that IL
was with some reluctance Pro.essor pet.,. v.r.
away from his observatory herr. vhere he wa.
every year adding to the number orunor p,anet.
AS soon however. as he ascertained hat h,s rival
and co-worKer. Professor Watson. OF INN Arnor
was going. and that, therefore, he would n>t havs
march stolen on him while he was away. h. =,
OF compensation, to the cause of science PROBES.
sor Watson, however, as the event has turned out,
has added one 20 his list Of minor planets while
observing at Pektn, and though he has not caught
up he has made point. II our recollection serves
% Professor Peters has discovered more than
twenty Of these MINOR planets, larger number
than any other astronomer can boast Of either
here or In Europe.
The total number Of photographs Of the transit
taken BY Professor Peters 10 237, and that ia more
than all the other observers in New Zealand taken
together procured. The English alone, having
special facilities In this their colony, had organ.
Led main party. with i've branch stations, and
failed except in getting the nPst contact ct Auck.
hud.
The Two woodcuts accompanying this article 70.
quire separate DESCRIPTION. Figure ! 10 very OK.
ecc copy OF the whole disk Of the sun. OF the same
SIZE % the original photograph. The engrsvsr
has tagen the utmost pains to reproduce the pho.
t0graph. At point near the edge IL ssen the
image OF Venus, fully tered on the disk. Several
minutes have elapsed since The nrst external and
nsst internal contact, and this picture and the
other similar ones taken BY the party are valuable.
md illustrate :he superiority Of the American
method VI photographing the transit. Our read.
ers will also observe that the disk OF the sun IL
marked oy two sets OF lines at right angles to one
smother. These are produced BY the reticle plate,
a. II 10 technically called; that Is Q plate OF pol.
ishsd glass which ID sec In the Photographic rele.
scope. Immediately In front OF the sensitive plate
and which IL ruled into squares with diamond
These square spaces serve to assist In measuring
the position OF Venus with regard to the SUMS
centre Near the centre or these faint lines Is
seen one that IL stronger, b. This Is the shadow
OF the silver plumb line by which the exact posi-.
lions OF The centre OF Venus centre OF the sun
are to be calculated. The letters NJ are also cut
with diamond on the reticle plate and are thus
imprinted on every photograph that was taken at
New Zealand. This Is one OF the multitude OF oe.
vices suggested by our townsman. Professor Henry
Draper. the son or the distinguished author, John
william Draper to give accuracy to the observa.
lions. Dr.. Henry Draper, who has worked for
seventeen years ar astronomical photography and
has constructed for himself the largest telescope
IN this country, was called on by the Transit OF
venus Commission, In their extremity last spring,
when 1t seemed doubtful whether the expeditions
could ever be got on IN time. he at once left his
professorshtp mere In the University and all his
private engagements and went at his own ex.
pense to Washington to superintend and organize
The Photographic department OF the eight expedl.
lions. BY the most energetic working ne was en-.
aoled to carry out his original promise that the
organization OF the ave southern parties should
be finished on June l. Tor they pacKed up and left
Washington about the 2sth OF May. Before the
organization was completed there were about
nity men working at Washington. for the Pro essor
insisted that every apparatus should be set up
complete and the men drilled with Il before they
finally packed 1t Tor transportation. The services
o! three or four mechanics were constantly needed
TO construct the necessary appliances. The con.
sequence OF this system has been that not single
needfol article has been missed in the outfits.
or of nj nUur ol
In number illustrates the method resorted TO to |