Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-11-08
ASTRONOMICAL PHENOMENA.
The Stellar OcculERsiOD. and the
Transit OF Venus.

Possessors, in this country, of q telescope
Of moderate or higher power, win, II the
weather is clear, probably be able to OBJ
serve these phenomena, viz, an occulta-
ton Of star by the planet Jupiter. and
passage or transit Of Venus across the sun,
both of which will be visible throughout
the United States, aud both are Of such rare
| occurrence that the next, or sixth transit,
| will not take place until June z, 2OO4, and
| 1t Is not recollected when the last similar
| eclipse of a star actually took place
here, or until recently, when another
was indicated by the stellar and planet
airy tables. In March, 1881, It was stated
that an eclipse Of a star Of the fifth magni-
tude (B A. c., 1850, by the planet Mars,
would probably happen on the 18th, and It
| was carefully looked for, and in vain, as the
| lower edge of the planet passed about three
seconds TO the north OF the star; but the ap-
parent diameter of Mars is generally small,
| or only a fourth of that of Jupiter. On this
| 7th OF November, however, at 1871,
Greenwich time, that planet will, according
| to the tables. come into conjunction with
the star 1875 B. A. e., with a difference of
only four seconds IN their latitude, so that,
| IL the place of the star is correctly
given, It must be eelipsed. As the
apparent motion of the planet at
| that time will be retrograde, aud its
| longitude diminishing at the rate OF 9 6
seconds hourly, the duration OF the eclipse
will be about four hours, and the immersion
| or disappearance of the star will take place
| on the right or west side of the planet; at
San Francisco. mean time, November z,
about D. m; New Orleans about IL p. m,
| and here November 8, Oh. q. m, or soon
after midnight Of the 9TH.
The EMERSON or temperance OF the star
will not probably be visible, as the star is so
small and the light of Jupiter so much
brighter.
AS the orbits of Mercury and Venus are
included within that o. the earth, it is
evident that when either Of them Is in line
with and between the earth and the sun,
| and at the same time at or very near its
| node, that planet must appear to a spectator
on the Illuminated side of the earth as a
small, round spot, passing across the sun,
and from the east toward the west.
The trsnsits of Mercury occur in May or
November, on the average OF once In about
eight years, but actually atintervals varying
from three and a half to fifteen years. It's
two last passages were on May 8, 1873, aud
November z, 1881. The next will be on May
| TO- 1891. Three Of them have been seen
here within the last thirty-eight years.
They, however, are OF little Importance or
value. The transits OF Venus occur In June
| or December, on the average OF oae In about
sixty years, but at the very unequal yet
constantly returning intervals OF lSlH
years, eight years, 1851 years, eight years.
1914 years, eight years, etc. Only
four of them have ever been
| seen, the first on December 4 On. 81, 1889,
| by two young English astronomers, who
| had ascertained that an inferior conjunction
of the planet, and near the node, would
take place about the 4th, and they there
fore carefully watched the sun on the Sd
and 4sh, and had the great satisfaction of
| seeing the planet nearly entered on the sun
at 3:15 D. m. on the latter day; but as the
sun went down at $3.50 on that short De-
| cember afternoon, their observations were
soon ended. The whole OF this passage was
| Visible In this country, but 1t is doubtful
| whether there was here then q single as
| tronomer. Before the next or second
transit took place ION June 9, 176l), an
eminent English philosopher called the
attention of men of science to
these phenomena, because, in his opin.
| ion, they afforded the best means OF deter
| mining the psrallax or distance of the sun
| from the earth, and urged upon them to
observe that passage, and also the third,
| June 4, 1869, with the greatest care and the
| best instruments, wherever they could be
| seen; and they did so at the most distant
accessible parts of the earth, in several
49,
observers generally complained that the
times of the four contacts could not be
| ascertained with as much precision as was
| desired, as when either was just about to
take place black spot seemed to interpose
between the edges Of the sun and planet,
| and render the time of the contact less
| accurately determined. The same difficulty
was also experienced at the last transit,
| in December, 1874, so that this method is
no longer considered the only one, or the
best, but one or two others have been adopt
ed. Nevertheless, the last transit was well
observed, as will be the approaching one
| (the 5tb) not only by the astronomers of this
country but by scientific expeditions, sent
expressly tor the purpose to different parts
OF America, to Africa and Australia. The
whole Of this transit will be visible in the
United States, east OF the Mississippi,
throughout the West Indies and In all South
America the first and second contacts will
be seen In the west OF Europe and Africa
the third and fourth in the Western States,
and finally in California, where they take
| place about noon.