The New York herald., 1877-03-22
WILL THEY FIND IT?

WILL THEY FIND IT?
vULCAN's TRANSIT PREDICTED FOR To-DAY-LE-
vERR1ERs LATEST UTTERANcEs ON THE SUBJ
JEcT-1MpoRTANT AMERICAN OBSERVATIONS
IS VULCAN MYTH?
To-day, according TO the most recent statements Of
NJ Leverrier the eminent mathematician and astron-
omer the supposed intra. .Mercurial planet, Vulcan,
should plough its darkenina furrow the disk Of
the sun; and at the various observatorcs public and
private astronomers, professional and amateur,
at this moment engaged in investigations that will
probably result either in affirming or denying the
verify Of NJ Leverrier's calculations. According to
Mr. Henry NJ. Parkhurst the direction OF tho
motion must be approximately from east
to west. and IN order that 1t should be
visible at all magniiying power of at
least ten must be employed, while TO re-
veal It US a round black body It bc enlarged
about ono hundred times Its rate OF motion be
such as to tho solar field in four avo hours
IT. therefore, spot should be observed, the diameter
OF which exceeds about 1-500ths the SUMS diameter
or which moves toward the north, south east, or
which travels materially faster than six eight min-
utes Of degree per hour, such spot cannot be
identified with Leverrer's supposed Mercurial
planet According to the authority tho predicted
transit which observing the suns
disk to-day, should take place about seven O'Clock
p NJ, New York tme that the best points OF obser
walton the United States will be upon the Pacific
SLOPE who its next transit September 20 will occur
at about oght o'clock A. NJ and Will be best observed
IN this longitude or in Europe.
LEvERRER's THEORY
The expectancy which still continues in astronomical
circles relative tho transit OF Vulcan commenced
September, 1876 when NJ. Leverrier telegraphed to
ohe
the supposed intra-Mcrcurial planet would probably
tho SUMS disk October and requested that
careful observations should DO made It Is needless to
say that the request was literally complied with, and
the result was very Disappointing The planet failed
appear, and the doubt as to Its reality remains
potential ever, although the probability that such
body exists upon very conclusive mathematical
data. Vncan's existence announced by tho
emlnont astronomer ut session OF tho Academy
of Sciences held in December, 1878 Summarizing
his results, tho existence of certain untabe
Uranian perturbations led him to calculate the
and position Of yet undiscovered Neptune, and on
pointing his telescope TO that position Neptune stood
revealed Similar pcrturbations in the motion OF Mars
produced by the great asterod ring interior 10 1t,
and the theory the perturbations OF Mercury
are only to explained. according 10 Leverrier, by
the existence Of yet undiscovered planet Tor planets)
within its orbit This supposed body has the
name OF Vulcan, In advance OF its actual discovery.
In 1909 NJ. LcscurDault, q physician IN Paris, an
nounced that he had observed tho passage OF the
black disk OF a new planet across tho sun.
Tne details OF this and other observations were at
examined by lie Verrier, who on August 2S 1876,
communicated TO the Academy OF Sciences letter
from NJ Wolf, the eminent Swiss astronomer, In winch
on April i, was mentioned ana described. WOLF
Schmidt (ne Athen.an astronomcr and Weber ali ex-
amined the solar disk the following day spot
then visible. On the other hand. Vcntosa OF the
Madrid Observatory, saw April 3, at twentythree
hours and eighteen minutes. spot and its
Weber
planet ut twenty-five minutes past four on tho follow.
for u period OF five hours minutes brings
the supposed planet 10 the exact POINT where
ventosa saw and noted sun spot Wcbers observa-
ti0n renamed vexcd question among astronomers
until last ial, when Mr.. Airy tho British Astronomer
Royal its authencily coup dc 0rdce. by produc
claimed discovery of Vulcan, which showed that his
supposed planet was in reality sun spot, without q
penumbra and surrounded by small group OF facule.
Leverrcr now made new collation. OF some thirty
observations taken since 100, and from data obtained
Ia 1920 1886, and from this collation. he the
conclusion that the vuIcanan year was only Is. GOTTA
days with circular orbit, ana predicted transit OF
RECENT AMERICAN OBSERVATIONS.
On Sunday, July 3D. 1876 Mr. Samuel Wilde, Of Mont
Clair N j., observed round body on tho left lower
limb OF tho suns disk. Tho instrument used was six
and quarter inch rcractibg telescope, with solar
prism 10 secure clear white light Mr. Wilde OBJ
mencing three r. NJ. On tho same day, at three =.
NJ, another observer resident at Montcair observed
The same phenomenon at the point the SUMS
the ett lower portion oil the field clear and sharply
defined. This observer studied the phenomenon Tor
about three quarters OF an hour wnen intervening
clouds put end TO further examination II stated.
Also Rev. H. H. Craven OF Newark, N j., that tho
late Professor Joseph 5. Hubbard repeatedly assured
hun he had observed tue transit OF iutra Mer.
curIal planet ut New Haven while he was using the
Yale College telescope Still another American OBJ
server Mr. h. Covlngton, while duty Fort Van.
couver IN Washington Territory In 1860 has the
spot the SUMS disk. Neither Professor
Hubbard nor Mr.. Covington took memoranda OF their
OBSERVATIONS II should DO added, as preface
days study Of Lcverrers calculations that his latest
utterances state the period OF Vulcan at 80 O225
days upon which basis reconciliation OF the con.
nIctng data granting that many any OF them are
genuine memoranda OF the transit OF planet, may DO
possible without arbitrary rcjections.
Tho claims of Mr. John II. Tice, OF St Louis must
not be neglected reviewing tho recent literature Of
Vulcan. Mr. Tce states that no observed the transit
of Vulcan September To- 1860, carly in the fore.
noon and gives apparent diameter to that of tho
sun as 8 TO 81. His observation commenced about
eight O'Clock the planet having entered upon tho
eastern limb OF tho sun, little south OF its equator
The sun beng the horizon, IL was con
enlarged by rcfractlon. The planet was about two
hours making tho transit. Tho way out OF the con.
at It's greatest eastern or western elongaton at whics
times Its tremendous proportions Will render II visible
for day or under the proper conditions of ntmos
phere To test this hypothesis he looked for Il in
June. 1875, the sky beng exceptionally clear and blue
afternoon. and successful. IL was situated
| the SUM-
Such, without entering into abstruse statements in
togibe only TO Astronomers Is tho present state OF
the facts as concerns the problem that this morning
occur as predicted failure will tend to cast rdlcule
on tho boosted inallibity vi Loverricr and will no
| doubt be accepted as final.