Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-11
THE LATE TRANSIT.
Five Years Required for Working Out
a Hesult-A Talk with Professor
Harkness-I'he Success Of the Ameri-
can Astronomer. &c.

"Can you tell me" asked a STAR reporter of
Prof Hardness, as he sat at his desk at the Naval
observatory, what has been the result of the
observations taken Of the recent transit of
Venusi"
In about five years." said the professor with
smile, twill be able to answer that question
providing sufficient force is put to work at
computing the observation. They have begun
to come In, as you see," continued the profess
sor, turning over pile of large envelopes.
These are filed with letters about the tram
sit from persons all over the country. The OBJ
seryations of contacts mainly"
Il suppose" remarked the reporter, ''that
everybody in the country that had telescope
las sent yon their qpsef v4ri0aaii
Well. d0uiff oW hhnalbdhat q" was the re-
ply, "butI have received q fhfge number OF
course there are nonerGf them complete obser-
yatlons. as only QUE parties We're properly
equipped for the PURPOSE ;, 1pt they give the
various contacts aist other inatteTs.I The obser-
Yatlons foedIimsnta1 cuba gAH&ain l,e'probably as
complete as frecioans l5f1oeur parties. Prof
Young was n member Of party In 1874 and
understands our methods, and the college pro-
xided him with a full apparatus similar to ours
Then. at the Lick Observatory ! expect very
full observations were obtained"
What will be your method after all the OBJ
seryatiOns for the several parties have been re-
ceiyed?" asked the reporter
" In reaching the results based upon the data
thus afforded We proceed by the method of
'Leasts squares-a very intricate mathematical
process. the details of which would not be gen
orally understood. 1t is sufficient to say that it
is based on the doctrine OF prObaf litieS and is
u scientific method of guessing
How were you satisfied with the results Of
the observations here, professor" asked the re-
porter.
We'll if man wanted to make million dol
nod
hundred thousand he wouldn't be apt to be
satisfied would he:' said the professor
The reporter intimated that such meager
result would be a most painful disappointment
Then continued the professor. II am disap-
pointed. i wanted to get 200 photographs, but
we only got - owing to the unfavorable condi-
ton fthe atmosphere The photographs taken
however. believe are all COED, and we also
obtained two Interval contacts so that we have
no reason TO complain. although from inforna-
ton received from other stations we had the
worse weather Of any Of the parties Those SO
photographs only occupied little over half an
hour in the taking. we were able to take
three per minute. During the six hours we
would have taken SEQ photographs, but it was
the intention To have taken only 200 that being
deemed sufficient for all practical purposes
"AEat Go you think CT the result at all the
stations" questioned the reporter.
We have heard from al the parties Xcept
tive ani they have all been much more success
iGi than We had reasons to expect. There were
taken i've or SIX times as many photographs as
at the last transit. In 1874. there were eight
stations and about 221 pictures taken, and this
tiIle there were ,o0O pictures taken. The sue
cess III observing this transit IS much greater
than al the last. The same methods and appa-
ratus were employed with the exception that
dry plates were substituted for wet plates, the
former having slight advantage in being more
accurate and rapid OF course I do not pretend
to say what the result Will be. but | am conf
dent that fifty years from now astronomers will
recognize our observations of the two transits
as more reliable than those of any other nation,
for the reason that the system which we in
vented and alone use, / believe to be the
best"