, 1876-11-11

Tic Astronomer Le vcrr1or Corrcots q Ro-
cont aftsappro1,enston-HoT 10 TrnnaEt Of Vulcan
knrannnHL

1Ne <1bLfoH0mef Lac FcFf40f EOrrc1t1 q 1kG-
cont Sftsappro.enston-io 10 Tranalt Of Vulcan
Announced.
PARIS. Oct. ", 1B7j.-Thr insuiIlcicney Of tcl-
cEraplllc communications, wheu treating deli
cute scientific questions, has brought about
Misunderstanding lictwccn my eunf1tfrs here
mud my friends III Amcrica, Which destrc to
dlspel.
lhayc in M way announced a transit Of the
planet VulcnIl. Prof. X. Wolf, Vi Zurich, Switz-
served upon thc SUI, On April I, is7G. might b.
tho return Ut an unknown budy wiOsv transit
was remarked In 1sD by steinhuhel md In 1859
by Lcseashault. In the International buIlsltn
vl,feh send you heiewith / repptiod by say.
Ing: ~ 1r thGso tArec apparltiu's nre froIi
tho same body, this body will rcpass across the
snn on t!ia 20 ot ;d OF October, OF on the vi. Or
1oth following" Il was t9 decide upon this
Secretary Of the Smithsonian Institution, IN at
tc,ltiyo observation nf tho sun At the periods
mentioned. On Sept II, however, n. vsntosa,
Ut aia'lrid, wrote letter showing that the spot
previously observed BY Wel,er was simply nj Or
dinary solnr Hpock. According 10 this tho qucs-
tton could only bo settled by proof of the
Tcrl,aps It viii be considered that, knowing
beforehand they could not succeed tic aatgonue.
lners suspended observations. We did not cone
slider It possible. The question presents itself
10 Es Light q novel light, ,FlighI ask permission
to elaborate. AZ. you stated In the Herald of
Oct, 4, is7G, y refusing, to group the thrre oh
q, had recognized TINT The five observations Of
FrItsc1,, DcruppIat SilrbpLAnm, Lesparbault,
anu LunnIs might, on thu other l,hild, belong
to tho transit q ot,o body, md that all repro
Of revolution Of % o.. 1t WIS #, view Of
this new theory that 1t lcrn,Ilc necessary to In
Fcsttgntc the pcriods of uiterior tratsits. Tho
difIercnt Intervals between the transits of Venus
eight. The planet Mercury also las particular
periods, an1, tiIrr1, son,c might. expect to
meet The ntra-lHt,vurIa planet III the tf.nsits.
Thgse transts, In cf[ect, nre regulated Oya
period Ut seventeen years, during which The
translts Of tl,r planet across the sun occur, and
nfterwastl IL may nut oc~ur iur several years,
Several astronomers, md tile savant II, Gould
among others, II my ncinury does not deceive
tue, have remarked that, taking the observa-
t!ons Of Lesearbautt and Luininfs, they hive
searched the same rcgiun Of the sky most thor
unghiy without ftndiMg anything such a. thuy
described. Tue fnct ts explained to-day. Ac-
cordlnE 10 TIC note which addressed to you
md to NJ. Gould, nty confrcru OF Cordoba, You
observed that at tlu end Of certain series Of
translts nothing further vas seen for seven or
eight years. By tho ta1lc ynu Will also SEQ at
glance i, 1s7G tkr trans't ar!uss the sun In o.
notlc. was doubtful, but not absolutely in,poss
bic; wlllla In 1871 there will ba ,lu autumn tra,-
cit, that u Will bt ileecssnsy to walt from this
ycar until after 1850. Yon will therefore sec
the rcAsOn which led INC to lG,ievv In the flcccs-
s!ty Of permitting tho astronomers, to continue
their researches Notwithstanding the uuecrtaln-
W Of tho result.
Another important question now .prescnts It.
self, VIII there bu transit during tie spring If
1911 The combustion With tic sun should
take place March 2,1ST7 At fltstance of 10deg.
min. from the node Al,,l II this dis.a,,cu were
admitted % being certain, as well ~ tho !nelna.