The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-01-12

worse . for her temerity. She was q
little tardy. Sex NAV account for
this; that is. il we accept thu BRIT
ish Nautical Almanac" as authority
The time OF internal contact was two min
utes hfty-four seconds later than the alma
nae maker hath it. We had cloudy, dull
days for two months before the Sth and
many of US had misgivings as to the IikeIi-
hood OF the success of our observers: but
when the day dawned all doubts were dis
PEELED, for we had day made for the
occasion. Telescopes, opera glasses, bits of
WINDOW glass-in fact anything that was
transparent-had been prepared over smoky
lamps; and long before the hour for the phe-
nomenon thousands of persons, young and
old, were on the lookout for something To
happen. When the first contact was de-
tected feeling of disappointment came
over the masses, for they had expected
something more pronounced. To Them it
was tame affair.
WORK OF THE BRITISH OBSERVERS.
To the observers stationed here By the
British government the sensation was quite
different: for them it was a full reward for
years of patient study and preparation. A
local writer gives the following graphic,
account OF the scene within the enclosure
erected by the British observers: What q
moment, and what a sense of responsibility
for three thoughtful, studious men, who
have to deal with great crisis in the frac-
ton of a second, while the audience of an
enlightened expectant world is sympathet
ically present. Faithfully the heavenly
traveller comes, as first fortold by Kepler
and the chief observes the first external
contact of disk and disk at 3h. I'M Is.
and Lieutenant Noble at 3h IN S.. ac-
cording to local and'solar time. The agree
ment is singular, but must be regarded
as purely accidental. But this is
|
ment; il is when the perfect rounded orb of
| the planet is within the sun. and the edge
of its disk at the moment of leav-
ing the inner circle OF the lumi-
nary indicates the internal contact,
| the most interesting point TO be observed in
all this transit phenomenon. AS the body
i of the planet was indenting tie suns rim.
and advancing on toward immersion within
it's body, the chief, who was now watching
through micrometer, saw
THE COMPLETE DISK or VENUS
defined about thirty seconds bstore the ac-
tual internal contact was determined, and
for while he imagined he had missed the
critical phase of the phenomenon; out this
revelation OF the complete circle OF the
planet, before actual internal contact had
taken place, was 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 INNER
sion-a phase of the phenomenon never OBJ
served before, and its detection on this oc-
casion is due to the optical perfection Of
the telescope instruments employed.
Lieutenant Noble could distinguish the
complete disk OF Venus fully five minutes
before internal contact. And Mr.. Johnson
; observing at WSimea on the Island OF
Kauai, saw this complete disk no less than
twelve minutes before the complete entrance
! of the planet. This luminous presentatio n
of the full round body of Venus, when still
only partially across the suns circle, was cal.
culsted to dazzle and deceive our astrOno-
! mers; but like faithful watchers, they ne
elected not enc moments observation, and
; as they scrutinized the advancing planet
! they discerned approximately the phase o.
! internal contact, which the chief recorded al
Oh. 35m. 55.7s., and Lieut.. Noble at 81. Som
544s.