The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-08-31
A GREAT ASTRONOMICAL EVENT.
mo Preparations for Observing she
Transit of Venice.

y preliminary meeting Of the commission
Crcaled by act Of Congress has been held Ia
arrange FOR and take the observation of the
transit Of Venice, which occurs on the 6th
OF next December, for the purpose OF as
cer'Mning the relative accuracy OF the diff
iercnt methods Of determining the solar
parallaN. Congress appropriated $4,000
10 coup the different parties. so that there
will be no lack of funds.
The commission is composed % Vice-A
mlral Rowan. superintendent oi The Naval
! Observatory; Professor Marsh, OF New
! Haven. who is president Of the National
! Academy oi Sciences; Professor Hilgard.
| superintendent OF the United state, Coast
/ Survey; Professor Ncwcomb, oi the navy.
who Is The present superintendent oi the
Nautical Almanac. and Professor Hall. of
the navy, also attached 10 the National OBJ
SerYatory. Washington, u. c., will Ice the
frthc>t station north. Thi, j, due 10
the fact that further north than this
/ the sky Is exceedingly cloudy. At Wash
ington il i about one half. while on the
/ Gun coast the percentage Of clouds
i smaller. Professor William Hars-
ness, oi the National Observatory. will
have charge OF the observations ut WASH
| incton. The other stations in the United
States will be at Cedar KEYS. Fla. san
Antonio, Texas. and Fort Thornc. New
/ Mexico. Professor John l.. Eastman. OF
| the navy, has been assigned TO the station
Al Cedar Keys; Professor ASaph Hall. OF
the navy, will have charge OF the san An
tonic station and Professor George DAVID
son that at : OFT Thorne, New Mexico. In
addition TO these therc Will bc four foreign
Station>-at Cape Of Good Hope, Santa
Cruz. santiago and in New zealand.
Professor Ncwconb, superintendent q
the NaUt -m Aimauar, : to have
charge of he Good Hope station.
lie VIII take With him Lieutenant
Casey. oi the army, aS assistant A.
tronomcr. Lieutenant :. W. Very, OF
the navy. Will have charge Of the Santa
| Cruz Patagonia station. Mr.. .. i.
| Wheeler. late Of the Lake SurVey. will be
assistant astronomer: Mr.. William Bel, %
| Philadelphia, will hc principal Photographic
er. and Mr. Irhin Stanley, OF Carmel. Ind,
assistant photographer. The station Al san
tiago, Chill. will hc IN charge OF Professor
( Lewis Boss. oi Dudley Observatory, Al
/ bany. Mr.. Miles Rock, Of the Naval OBJ
/ serYatOrv, will Dee the assistant astronomer.
/ The New Zealand station j. 10 be in
charge of Mr.. Edwin smith, Of the United
stat, Coast survey. lie viii have for
| assistant Professor Pritchett, OF Wash
| ipgton University. -. Louis. The party
/ for the Patagonia station viii leave about
| the 23d II this month. Tho New Zealand
party will start about the 1T. and the t"o
Others about the middle Of ScNcmbT.
+ The parties for the stations IN the uiteu
/ state, viii not leave before the middle OF
October. Tie importance Of the ohNerla-
tion> % De- made IN determining thc TcN'-
+ tive accuracy Of the solar paralaX Is rcco--
nized bl tie European governments %, wen
a, hv our own. In the beginning ol 'h'
/ ci-ltceulh century the uncertainty of The
solar varalaX wa, iullytwo seconds, Whlle
now il is about l-ljOO u minute. " 10
narrow II stiil further, says ITO
fe,.or IIarkncS~, "We require ut"'i
/ knowledge Of the MASSES oi Tie oaIth an"
moon, oi the lattcr'- pal1llaiic inclu.'it!
Of the lunar equation oi the rar'h' ol '"y
constant, ~ mutation and alteration. OF
l,. vrIocitv of light. and Of the light cqua-
tion. All these investigations can he car
rie5 on NJ any time. hut there are others
erually important which can only be- prose-
c,ited when the planets come into the rt-
o,i.ite Do.itions. Among these are ODscT-
,otion. ~ Mar, when in OPPOSITION al H.
Ilea.t distance from the earth, ana the lrai'i J.
- Vsnus. In 1874 all astronomers hoped
ond many believed that the transit OF
Vrnu, which occurred in December OF
INT wear. would give the solar laraii1N
vithin onc-hundreth OF second ho>'
nane. were not realized, and now, when ar
rancc,ncnts are making Tor lhe ''Co''u
tr9n.it. there is naturally among the best
informed scientific minds consiGerabI! le,>
enthusiasm and wild speculation than theI,
,vere in 1874. Observations ol CVHt"O
viii douhtless be made In abundance 'u'
there NAV always be doubt II 20 Tue 'N
oct mathematical phase Observed - pa.
49,, cloud may cause the loss OF the tllh>"
on the other hand. the Photographic Inc
itbod which our Government uscs' ~
p-ofaSsor UarkncsS, "Sceu> 10 ~ /,
from systematic errors, and = 80 acc,''" ~
tiot me result from a single negative NV
,'rohoIJe error OF only one h!ty-llth
.crond. more or less. II the sul
,i.ilJe for 80 much n niteeh mn
u,es during the whole transit 'hIt!
tuo NEGATIVES can be takeh' III, III,
J tbcv will give as accurate ,.,.a V.oi
- the observation OF DOtn l'!,'i -"
"ortarts. In view Of these lAct'' Io 11
marks Professor Harkne's' O"n -,
do,,lted that the photo3rAphic Hn, HIo''Iou ~, ~
t.r. =. much accuracy n tht VU'-''.O' .','- '-l'
tbod and many more chances W -;
IHTGi W%iic il +, not contcnded that the trans a
oarax. oa in it Is admitted that it will ,ri9n fon
lrlputT rico, ~ method, and indirectly throug
noihc.i h'c,,.av;tationai ~, methods with which IN
the eloS elaIut;on Nor, Of the problem must resi-
hNai tnoVvledre OF the earths ma
Asv "A T", re made to depend upon qaanll'fi qia,l
,mIi .rhycb continually increase with tiihe, .,
vii ultimately attain great eXacai'e,,, snow ",
i ,Snn w., the solar parallaX VIII DC A"0"
~ .o,,a axactnCSS.