The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-11-10
TIE rRANsIr OF MEcunY.


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THE TRANSIT or MEcUHr.
Monday afternoon, between, ana
o'clock the astronomers were stur-gazlng'
looking heavenward, TO observe the transit
of Mercury across the suns disc. This Is that
planets first transit since May 8, 1878,
previous one having occurred In November
1868 The first one that was ever specially
noticed was in the last month of the last
year of the last century. The next transit
will take place May 9th 1871
The present one is not visible
in all parts of the United States
Il he planet Mercury is OF the.larger ones
The nearest known to the sun and is never
more than zoe distant from it, 1t is the
denscst of the planets, and its mean solar
heat as also the intensity Of Its light y
about seven times as great as that OF the
earth. Its change of temperature, about
every six weeks, is nearly equal TO the dif-
ference between frozen quick SILVER ana
melted lead Its days are about as long as
ours but its year is only three Of our months
Duration Its distance from the sun is
some 35,OOO,0OO miles, and from
the earth its greatest distance
is 185,OoO,OOO, its least 100000 miles
u The transit of Mercury can only occur when
it,tke sun and the earth are in the same
strail Ipe the planet being between us
and There are two methods OF
observing k;me of transit over the wire
or the cross-wires, as called, in the eye
piece of the telescope, which is SO adjusted
as to describe great circle of the heavens
] passing through the north and south points
and the celestial pole. The one is the eye,
and the other the ear method; the former
by the siderial clock close to the
transit circle, the latter by the flow
/ of time recorded on barrel
covered with paper and which is made
to revolve at uniform rate of speed,
pricker puncturing this revolving barrel
I. by means of galvanic current at each beat
of the siderial clock. These are the leading
i facts and data in connection with transit
observations. We have said that Mercury
was the nearest of the known larger planets
to the SUM- There are some smaller ones
comparatively very near to the earth, some
fifty or more in number. Some pecu-
liar thoughts occur in connection
with these. Take Ceres, for example
The diameter of this little sphere
is about 100 miles, less than one-half the
diameter of the state of Texas. Now Texas
has an erea of ZIG, 900 square miles, whereas,
Ceres as thus extended would have only
$500 square miles; or one-half the size OF
: the state of New York. Let us see the con-
sequence of this state of affairs in this COM
pact little world In a lecture sometime
since Mr.. Proctor observed that the
diameter of the earth being fifty times
greater than that of Ceres, therefore, an
object there would be fifty times
lighter than it would be here
THIS being so, man there would be able to
lift 4 weight fifty tons as great as here
I ton. therefore, would be- an easy load, and
nswotil play wifi ssosA dsys 60t by ~
non s sor fn.y1b les, and ratsie intended
for a stout baby would be as large and
heavy rs the clock in the Dallas county
courthouse. So also would rapidity of mo-
ton increase correspondingly, so that Mr..
Beecher or any other enterprising gentle
man might Jump over the HERALD build
inr with as much ease as he can now lift his
legs up common staircase. lndeea'
!, staircases might be abolished, and Mrs. DR..
Mary Walker could jump with ease from
Ne sidewalk into the Masonic quarters OF
this building in which we are now writing.
These are all truths if life in Ceres be posi-
ble, of which however we know naught.
khese are some of the things which have
zen leafned through that great instrument,
telescope, the simultaneous invention
Aepershey, -Hollander, and Calico,
rcntine, and to which we are indeed
kr the variety and immensely of
edge respecting the physical con-
he heavenly bodies that so aid
tor, the explorer, the engineer,
and other human existences.
iment that established the truth
pernican theory and gave un-
al s,rrrr IN the church ne demon
llatine beyond all question, the rotundity
ofthe earth its revolution around the sun,
land the plurality of worlds, which seemed
MuXIlN cOnITdulCl iit ItftAdAAoho Va VIZ
For this was that venerable old
Galileo, accused Of imposture, heresy,
phemy, atheism, summoned before the
hisition and made to recant ON his
cs. and with his hand on that Bible to
ire and curse the doctrine
the movement of the earth,
finally committed to prison, treated
re- with remorseless severity for ten
"a and then dying, denied burial in con-
rated ground This same telescope that
so freely used on yesterday revolu-
nizcd the world Of science, religion and
Fernment, and raised men mp from brutal
TO better pursuits, from tyrannous OPP
\xop to the freedom ofmanhood. From
~ 1ds OF lowly earth man made piece
lass through which be read the LOFTY
he and taught the story Of the stars. For
inries that sand laid all untitled,
ueh is manufacture into glass
Known. 80 too, Il was known centuries
lhrisf that piece Of amber when
lid repel LIGHT bodies. IL re-
De remarked Professor Draper,
oct; mere trifie for 1900 years
cnfifcally oDesiay IL central
N. revolufionizcd statesman
fnsed political power By en-
W. nnapsly c1Ulnuni-