The New York herald., 1876-09-27
An Unexpected Field Day at Hand
for the Astronomers.
THE DISCOVERY OF A NEW PLANET
It's Strange History, Location and
Physical Condition.
LEVERRlERy PREDICTION OF ITS TRANSIT.

Paris that the planet Vulcan would pass between the
earth and tho the I'd or Sd Of October The ma
jory of astronomers dsbelievc tho existence OF such
a planet none OF them having IT, and even
those who speak OF this ncry orb do SO IN terms OF
hesitation, rs though it were a mythical STAR The au
thorty of . eminent Lcverrier, whose
famous prediction OF the discovery Of Neptune has
mmortazed his name will doubtless go far TO estab-
sh u belioi in tho existence OF the celestial body In
question even though the predicted transit bc not
observabc Tor it Is quite possible that bad weather
may interfere with the observations that the
transit may occur while Europe and Amer
ica are In the sumbers OF night, that the
planet may 90 by little to the north or to the
south OF the The chances are, however that the
will place foretod, and that observa
tions OF the will be made from hundred stations
that portion OF the EARTH which win be turned
toward the during the cventful period Should 1t
bo night Europe and America, it will be day
throughout Eastern Russia Asia and the isles Of the
Pachc Ocean, and rice versd, so that If the transit
place all it will be from observaores
in quarter of the earth. For this reason the
astronomers math ematcians throughout the globe
are by this time making ready for the great day. and
tho scientific world the tip OF expectation to
see the young planet ushcred into light
WHAT AND WHERE Is vULcAxy
For the benefit oil those who not gwen TO close
pursuit OF astronomical 1t will be necessary to
recall to mind the positions OF the earth,
and planets in the realms Of space At
inconceivablc distance of countless millions
of miles from the nearest Of the fixed stars adorning
tho heavens the SUM- the OF light and heat
Ninety millions Of miles from this luminary is our
earth, spinning round its axis day and at
the sarne time moving around the sun every year.
Further still from the blazing sphere is Mars, globe
like own wheeling his axis and circlng around
the san. Yet more remote Is Jupiter, with his four
attendant moons, a vast world, moro than thousand
times large the carth performing similar revolu
tons Then comes Saturn, encirced by and
mysterious rings of light. Next IN order Is Uranus
some 800 O0O 600 of miles from the central lumnary
and lastly appears Neptune, the uttermost planet OF
what called the solar system, nearly 000 600 Of
miles away In 1876 LeverrIer prophcscd tho appear
ancc and location Of this distant land, before any
human eye had caught o glimpse OF its rays.
Tho further any planet is from the
tho longer 1t takes to travel round him;
SO that Neptune occupies 164 years making his cir
cult Within the ring made by the earth around the
solar sphere the sparkling orb Venus, the morning
and tho evening Still nearer to the sun is Mer
cary large the carth but sweeping round IN
his circuit every three months, from which circum-
stance the anciens named him after the swift
ger Of gods Finally the interesting body in qucs
ton Vulcan is situated at distance OF only IL OOO 600
oi miles from the solar globe.
WHAT PLANETS CAS- NE IN TRANSIT
Hence there only three planets nearor to tho
than the earth aud only these three can ever
pass between the earth and the sun. Wnen any
OF these passes directly between US and the sun
transit OF that planet Is said TO take place This was
when that rare phenomenon was observed by ex-
Iedtons sent out by nl inc civilized ~ aa.,ons atoms
Transits OF Mercury arc much more frequent and
those OF Vulcan must have been numerous in the past,
slxA ttnat IN
size OF that body, It's diameter being only 1000 or
5000 miles Vulcan rushes round the sun with amaz
ing rapdty, making about OJ0 900 OF miles per day.
and completing trip OF 49, 000 600 less than three
weeks. AT time his rem0teness from the
ral luminary exceed fourteen times the suns BREADTH
and consequently he is never visible by night All OBJ
servaons OF his movements and position must neces
sary be made before dark-a necessity which greatly
battles astronomical research In his regard, the rays
from stars and planets being qucnched IN tho over
powering beams OF solar light Thus the diminutvo
OF Vulcan hts great distance from the Garth and
his proximity to the have combined to hide his
rays IRON human sight, even though sought for with
the most powerful telescopes
GLIMPsEs SUPPOSED PLANET.
Tho first view obtained OF Vulcan was that casually
taken by u French physician named Lcscarbault, in
the Department OF Eure-etLoire. This man devoted
his leisure moments to researches among the stars
While gazing at the sun through dilapidatcd tcle
scope March, 1S46, he saw small round black spot
crawl slowly his disk from the eastern TO the
western rim. The direction OF its movements was
that o. all the other planets The mystic
rious spot could not be Mercury or Venus for these
bodies then in that quarter OF the heavens
IebCu
secret until alter Leverrier's announcement to
the Academy OF France that other planet
must exist between the sun aud Mercury's path.
Loverrier after close scrutiny of those memoranda
concluded that the existence OF an intra-Aercurial
planet had been demonstrated. Other spots had been
observed similarly Atroiing across the suns face, but
they did not appear the epochs when vucan's
transit was possible and consequently the testimony
concerning them has been generally rejected
Apropos OF this may be proper to add that Mr. Lias
was taking solar observations at RIO Janeiro during
the very hour OF Lescarbauts alleged discovery Ho
4, Ynrp 10 AZ I.agcn
he, nevertheless positively asserts that no such
phenomenon was visible.
On the Goth oil March. 1867, between the hours OF
cigh, and nine in tho morning, Mr.. Lummis, Of Man.
chester while examining the sun through his reflector
saw .iny circular spot dilting rapidly
between him and tho solar sphere. He iol-
oScal duties unfortunately called hl away, and when
he returned the mysterious spot had disappeared To
him the apparent diameter tbrcadhl OF the speck was
seven (about the two hundred and SEVENTEEN
part OF the SUMS breadth and It seemed TO rush
one-lhird oil tho suns lace IL twenty minutes On
hearing OF this obscrvation Hind remarked that the
planets velocity have been only half great.
If Lcverriers calculations; based the physicians
statement be correct then the phenomenon Witnessed
by Iummis was not the planet Vulcan as will be shown
subsequent article On the goth OF october, 1919,
Stark spot resembling the planet Mercury gliding
in like manner between tho sun and the earth. This
was probably the Volcanic STAR nasmuch as the transit
took place at period corresponding to Lcvcrrier's
deemed the unworthy OF much
notice During the like season October IL, lS47)
a small black point projected on the sun DISK,
folded itsel to The OF schmidt Two years later
he bcheld the same point travelling at like pace in
similar direction. He thought It's diameter WAS fifteen
seconds and lest any should doubt the accuracy
his views he auded that TT was
| NEITHER BIRD NOR AN INSECT"
The rulgus ignobie may not be aware that quite frc-
qucntly insect or bird hovcrng between the tel
escopc and heavenly body IS taken for grand meteor
or planetary fragment This owing the TACT that
any object nearer than o hundred miles 10
nomca telescope looks blurred and distorted that
It's identity readily perceived by the observer
Besides the supposed OF Vulcan obtained by the
| above mentioned astronomers others have been
corded but the chances OF In those
great that scientific men have rejected the testimony
concerning them II Is ali but certain that the great
astronomers OF the earth will believe the exist
encc OF Vulcan until he observed In transit by
person having authority IN tho scientific world
UTILITY AsrRoyoMERs' SEARCH.
II may again be asked II the persistent efforts of the