Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-07

| sit. To obtain the suns parallaX requires
combination of the observations obtained in
DOtn the northern and southern hemispheres.
That work will be done by the Transit of Venus
commission for the American observers, and a
similar reduction will be made by each govern
ment OF the observations Of its own people.
After each one finds its result, the results will
all be combined for the final result Several
years will probably elapse before this is done
Some OF the results OF the transit of Venus in
1874 are not yet completed. The contact OBJ
servations, however, will be worked out within
q short time"
A dispatch from Professor Hall, received last
night, says that the observations at San Antonio
We're not wholly successful the first two contacts
having been lost on account Of intervening
ciOuds Two hundred photographs were taken,
the clouds having lifted at 10 o'clock sufficiently
for the commencement of the photographing
work The photographs were satisfactory.
Professor Eastman, at Cedar Keys, was also
heard from la the following telegram:
CEDAR KEYS, FLA, Dec. 6.
Vice admiral s. G. Ro,ran, President of Transit
Of Venus Commission, U. s. N:
Partly cloudy this morning Lost first con-
tact by clouds; other contacts excellent; no
6lack drop Have $50 good photographs; $50
dry plates. All well.
(Signed) J.R. EASTMAN.
AT THE SIGNAL OFFICE.
At the United States Signal Office in Washing
lngtOn city, observations of the times of contact
were made by Mr. Upton with an equatorial
telescope of three inches aperture and magnify
ing power of Is. The times of contact as OBJ
served were; First contact, 8 h. Sc m. los;
second contact, 9 Lie. IN. g.; third contact, Oh
81 H. 40 s.; fourth contact, Q h. SO m. 2Os.
GOOD REPORTS FROM NEW MEXICO AND FLORIDA.
Prof j. e. Higard. superintendent of the
coast and geodetic survey, has received the fol-
lowing report from Assistant George Davidson,
nj In cit ~
Selden, New Mexico: Completely successful.
All four contacts observed. Micrometer differ
ences Of limbs and diameter OF Venus measured
Meridian transit Of Venus and sun observed.
Two hundred and sixteen splendid photographs
obtained. All our instruments in capital order.
Weather beautiful. Party all we'll
Colonel Perrier, chief of the French party at
San Augustine, Florida, also telegraphs: Clear
weather. Good and complete observations"
THE OBSERVATIONS ELSEWHERE.
The transit was observed by DR.. C. s. Hast
ings at the Johns Hopkins university, Baltimore.
In reviewing the result he said that the proba-
BILE error Of the observations will be within II
seconds. The error in the suns parallax as
previously determined. is more than per cent.
so that the error can be reduced to one-fifth of
its present amount. 1t was not generally
thought that such degree of accuracy could be
obtained, and it was due largely to the practice
of the observers before the event. For two DAYS
previous they had been trained to the work by
system of artificial transits arranged on a
building at distance of $50 feet The sun was
initiated by piece Of white paper and Venus
by black spot which was made to traverse
the paper bya system Of clock work Practice
in observations on this apparatus had familiar
lied the observers with the appearance Of q
transit, and made them steady and free from
nervous excitement.
At the college of the city of New York Prof.
John w. Draper succeeded in getting eight
plates of thirty-twO on each plate The plates.
during the first and second contacts. were very
good, but at the third and fourth contacts much
better. and will be of great value. The plates
were taken at intervals OF five seconds Prof.
Compton who cO-OPerated with Prof. Draper,
o'clock, minutes and seconds, which was
about seconds late. The second contact
occurred at o'clock, 80 minutes. $40 seconds.
At 2:52 4.5, when the third contact occurred. it
was steady and very clear.
THE YALE COLLEGE OBSERVATORY
At the Yale observatory Prof Leonard Waldo
and Prof. J. E. Kirschner, professor of astro-
nomy In the Franklin and Marshall colleges. of
Lancaster, Pa, took photographs with the new
equatorial, which has Photographic lens of
about ten feet focus. Over $50 plates. showing
the whole sun with Venus on its disk were
secured. These photographs are about one
quarter the size OF the government photographs.
Prof. 0. I. Sherman, assistant astronomer at
Yale, and who acted as the chief astronomer In
the Howgate expedition. took observations in
the observatory of the Sheffield Scientific School
Prot. Lyman found, by the Yale time service.
that about nine minutes past nine o'clock there
was difference of 90 minutes Al seconds and
fraction between the inner and outer contact of
the planet with the suns disk.
HARVARD COLLEGE.
At the Harvard College observatory over 500
measures of the diameter of Venus were OBJ
tanned. Observations with the spectroscope
showed no perceptible absorption by the atmo-
sphere Of Venus. Pyrometrical observations
show that the disk of Venus was darker than
the sky surroundingrthe sun.
Trinity College, Hartford, secured five full sets
Of heliometrc measurements
COLUMBIA COLLEGE.
The result of Professor Rees' observations at
Columbia College. New York, show that at 9 O3
the sun was unsteady and 1t was cloudy. Four
minutes lateri it became clear, and the planet
was seen plainly through rift of clouds at
9:OS:4O. The notch was plain. and had been on
about I'm. 20s When the disk was fully on it
did not appear uniformly black. There were
faint patches of white On It, At the third con-
tact, at 2:52:O5 the edge was darker than the
center me secouu contact occurred at 9:2S:37.
The fourth and last occurred at 3:1l:42, and was
not good, the condition of the sky being un-
favorable.
THE PHELPS OBSERVATORY.
Professor Brooks, Of the Red House OBSERVE
tory, Phelps, New York, obtained good obser-
vstion. Drifting clouds obscured the external
contacts both at ingress and egress but the in
ternal contact was secured. Clouds also pre-
vented the photographing Of the transit. for
which extensive preparations were made. in
GLIDING the use of electricity, for controlling
the exposures. Professor Brooks dIscoyere6
several faint patches Of light on Venus which.
he believes, were caused BY the refractton Of the
planets atmosphere.
OBSERVATIONS AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY.
The oflcers and students of Harvard uniyer
sity got good view Of the transit yesterday.
The instrument used was . two-inch refractor.
end tho phenomenon was seen both By direct