New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-08-22
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
WAS TT YULCANF

LETTER FROM PROFESSOR swIFT-EXPRRIESCEs OF
| THE ROCHESTER, ASTRONOMER DURING The RE
CENT ECLIPSE.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir So many erroneous statements in regard to
the alleged discovery of Vulcan have been published
that have thought best, if The TRIBUNE will ac-
cord me little space, to give in popular way a
summary Of the facts regarding it. In going to
Denver to observe the late total solar eclipse, my
principal object was to make with my periscopie
comet eye-pece, made expressly for me at the OPP
teal Works in this CITY, rigid search for the hypo-
thetical planet Vulcan, supposed by many astrono-
mers to have an existence between Mercury and the
sun.
At the total eclipse Of 1869, had devOted my
self to observation of the general phenomena usu-
ally attending such eclipse, and so felt less regret
at being unable to give them much attention now
The field of my eye-piece being so large-One and a
halfdegrees-l knew could sweep over considerable
territory along the ecliptic during the two minutes
intended to devote to this quest, for had ar
ranged previous to leaving home a mental pre-.
gramme as follows TO give twenty seconds each at
the beginning of and just preceding the end OF to-
tally to the observing of the corona, Beiley's
Beads, protuberances, chromosphere, etc, and the
remainder Some two minutes) to the above object
This programme l carried out, only that, from a
obliged to confne my search to the west of the
exclusively. The wind was blowing in fitful gusts
and to prevent the shaking of my telescope the
mounting being not very substantial part of it hay
ing been made at Denver placed end of pole,
ten feet i'm length the eye-end of the tele-
scope, the other resting on the ground to the west
Fearing it might fall on my face, tied it to the
tube with a piece of twine designing to remove it
just before the commencement of totality, but in
the excitement ! forgot it, and when began my
sweeps | was Mortified to find could only observe
to the west of the sun, the pole punging into the
ground and bringing the telescope to standstIll, if
attempted to move the end containing the object
glass to the eastward. 70 this seemingly untoward
incident am probably indebted for the finding Of
Vulcan.
Almost Immediately after 1 began my search, l
saw two stars where felt certain only one existed
VIZ: Theta Cancri. They instantly engagedmy undI-
yidcd attention. until had written down, the re-
tina of my memory every distinctive feature about
them, designing to re-observe them just before the
end of totaty but the movement Of the instrument
was 50 uncomfortable found soon had them in
the field again. l then made another sweep to the
westward, but there was no regularity about them
and again found them in the field This the
last view had of them little cloud the only one
within 90 of the sun. prevented the observation
intended making few seconds before the reappear-
ance of the sun. These observations were all made
during the first minute of tOtality. Though /
searched over considerable space, those were the
only stars saw and every time they passed across
the field of view, instantly recognized them, and
their general appearance was every time identical
Thinking my time was about up, left the searchfOT
the closing phenomena at the end OF total phase. AS
soon rs totally was over, wrote i'll my notebook
as follows, which read 10 Professor Hough and to
my two assIstants saw two stars about 30
southwest of the sun, apparently OF the fifth magn-
tude. some twelve minutes apart, pointing toward
sun. Red"
On my homeward journey, the thought occurred
TO me that the distance between the two stars was
a little more than half that between Mizar and Al
cor whatever that might bel. which, upon arrival
home and consulting "Webb's Celestial OBJECTS l
found to he less than twelve minutes, the dis
lance between the two objects could not have
been more than about seven minutes, instead of
twelve, as had hastily recorded. IL the reader
will look just above Mzar, the second star in the
handle Of the Great Dipper, he will see much
smaller star IN close proximity, which IS Acor, and
he Will then appreciate the position of the two
bodies as saw them. have consulted Argelander's
Chart and find only star of that magnitude ex-
isting there and the inference TO me cOncu-
sive that at least one of them is the elusive Vulcan
but which ono have data to determine.
Professor Watson, OF Ann Arb0r, claims also to
have discovered new object near a neighbOring
star" but as have no statement of his con-
corning the magnitude, direction, or color, or its
distance from that object, am unable in my OWN
mind positively TO decide whether the object dis
covered by him is identical with the one seen 10y
me some four minutes later, totality having oc-
CURED some four minutes earlier with him at Sepa-
ration. than with me at Denver 1 ought, perhaps,
to state that my telescope is four and half inch,
the power Of the comet eye-piece TWENTY-FIVE d.
amcters. LEWIS SWlFI
An, 1873