New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-04
THE TRANSIT OF VENUS,


FOR. . ~ -
rso observations of the transit of Venus on
ua5nesaav next will I've conducted on much more
offensive scale than in 1874. The following hs'
~ the expeditions sent out by the United States
c~orrneut with the scientists in charge; Profess
- simon Newcomb. L. :. n, at Cape TOWN.
Tr,fcssor Asaph Hail. U. 5. NJ at oan
tn,onio Texas: Professor John r. Eastman l. : y"
- Cedar KEYS Fla Professor Lewis Boss OF Al
hanv 1T Santiago de Chill Lieutenant :, W.
r. I. :. y. at Santa Cruz. Patagonia Ed"lh
smith. United states Coast Survey, at Ne"-Ae'''I'
.,d Professor q. Davidson, United ola'es C'"s'
60 AZ Port Sellen. " VI. Professor Hardness
- .,lc ol,serva lions Of the transit atWaSmng'oh'
II ohs,rvations will be made at Princeton New
u,ren and Cambridge by the professors Inc
V,glisb astronomers are stationed I'D Canala Natal
Madagascar. the West Indies, the Cape Oh zoo"
Uone New-Zealand. Australia. Mauritias ana ire
falkland Islands. France has observers J"
the West Indies. Florida, the Argentine me-
ppsuc AMI Patagonia The German
fists are Al Hartford Conn. IN the A1c"I."' "
rnblic Falkland Islands and at Aiaeh' = - =" ~
-, ohserve-s have stationed themselves az
20" - g. Thomas and Magellan Straits
1-biIe Denmark has sent scientists TO the N.s -"
- ~. Argentine Republic has two stalo"s'
81; hos one N santiago, and there WIZ Dc or
.or~or. from Austria, Belgium, Itay' fO'u-'''
Holland and Mexico. iii ro1r rpo7
Th, English and French VIII rely ~
,-orr.t.,, Of contacts ami the u.'-
- ,,oo the Use o! the heio'I''0,
,-,s~;caps depend upon photographs 49,
wing contacts. bat rs H''t -,
T. Tho mode Of photog1ohne alop'e" oS
- observers Of the transit OF venus l''e-
~ = nod nearly forty feet IN length. ms IS
- IN a borizontal position and the riyS OK thc
.t,,-r into II bva mirror. Iae scale OF inc
- j. determined by actually measuring t'e
r,.+apoe between Tn, obec g'oss aid ihs pu'.'-
NH Mate. By IN ans Of special apparatus 'n''
,.asurern,pt can BE- determined down 10 the one
trndre5fb Of an lnch. Then knowing the position
cal centre of the glass t Is clcHiate" no."
,rour inches any given angle VIII suo'end on I"'
photograph plate ,...,..,.
III hi to-y Of the trausits OF Neuusso FAR 2S theN
- l,ooD observed l. an interesting tale OF e2per-
,nn Of toll hardship and TOO often Of b;'eF d-'P
continent. On tlccstabl.,nmeut oi.A1 O'peih.''h
- T. vras per,eIved that transits OF the inferior
,Inot. across the sun must occur, and The r'cosni-
-, of the value OF the tTanslts OF Venus rs
mems If determining the solar paral'aN soon Ioi-
lo~ed The trausits of 1918 and 1876 passed I'M
ro,i,o3 Kerlsr predicted the transit of 1871. but
!, occurred m nicht-timcin Europ and vas also I'M
obsarve1. Owing 10 the inoccura"ie OF the ta'i's
then etnployed Kepler fixed the time oil Ihe next
transit in 1901 and the transit Oh 1903 ""a'd nave
,,.l r,-,-.e aI had II not been for tho skill or a
rorpg English curate jeremiah HoUocAs' VINO
r..iled Il. the north OF Eng and. Iy the U.s. oi
different "a les be found char transit might be eX-
n,ctel on December E. 1G39,and Therefore p:r}artH
10 ols4rve IL bv letting the Image OF the sun pass
,bronoh his telescope aud tal. on
s,reon behind IT, But the day Sunday aud MS
clerical duties prevented h.- seeing the insrf-s o.
the planat although h. took sn'ue valuable o'>eT-
va-ions toward the close of the transit Previous
10 tus. in 1881, Gassend lad made some o.s'rVa-
tioos Of the transit OF Mercury and had a'temFIei
,cs,ccesstnI,v IN observe tha, of Venus Cribtrce.
Vororks's friend. was also unsuccessful III 1882
Burin1G77 Haley observed a transit Of Mercury
a. st. Helena. and from this formulated rules anu
method for observing transits which were pub
bhedin 171G AMI which show HIN TO have been
The inst 70 work out the idea OF utilizing tran-lt-,
A. tie transit Of 176l, generation
after Haleys death. expeditions were sent out
by tie chief European nations. one OF the f-siI5h
answers was Mason-he Of Mason and DIAon's
line-but he was prevented by the war from reach
ing his stinatiOl IN 81 atTa. Ihe results vi mes
expeditions varied from 80 found shorten Eng
land. TO lO5" found by Pingr6. of France he sole
dependence was on the observation Of contacts.
Tie results OF both expedition, wer finally woISeI
by Fucke and published in 1924. They gave
$50. As the parallax Of 1851 and $50 as tla Of
1863. Til results Of the observations Of 1874 are
too familiar 20 need repetition aulit may only be
said thaJ the results attained by European photo
graphers were practically nil.
WHAT Is BEING DONE IN THIS VICINITY.
It's expected that the N )st comp ctt ob,ervat ons
made in the vicinity of Ncw-York Will be those OF
Professor c. A. Young, at Princeton Colc2s. He
ha, secured splendid OUTFIT of Instruments and his
prrparauons have been made on the most
COMMUNICATIVE scale. He viii observe the
contacts take photographs and ma Sc spec roscopc
examin atoms, and from the uulon of his .arnlgg
skill enthus and per rct f3r'ltie5 VII p op1-
bly, come next Wednesday as tue results, rs 'r2n
Any of the toreIgn or, native com. Be-
tions in the country. hls VII be thc
only ezhqp~t'ye local o a2e r rs, II tl5y
mer whether profess Onal OF anat .ur. has been en-
COURAGE e. cOItTl ute Il S M te OF eAptl .uce 'J
the commission at ~ ASH gto3; ana as = j. ieii ma
r1nd NAV com. from even the humble Fl DTS,
there vi probably he q score OF re orl7 set nom
this ciry q Washington.
nomIca plant in he couutr, viii his time 10 o. 200
avail because of tn death OF Professor Henry
Draper. What he might have contributed . the
So ution of The prob EN- 70 winch the scientific
III eiec of lie world viii apply Itself for year %
c',o" Mn lis accurate kn,vlrdge # celestial
photography and his eXtTao binary ski with
the delicate apparatus OF his own Invention, IN the
observatory at hastings, can ONLY be- guessed Ills
death not only stopped the Observations which ue
would have made. but also c"seo tAe Cd
servatory. No one viii use IT, a. no one
probably could on short notice become sufi-
ciouilv skilfnl with bis instruments u &c, IRON
them results which wOuld have the ,cI'n-lIc value
thar IN ms hands taey would have yleldai. The
observatory, saws ms widow, VIII remain Locked
next rs edueslay Another prya.t observatory,
that of l. VI. Ku herto.d, sec
O.d-aye. a c Elcyenth-s'., viii ais, be UNI
used Here. however, tie reason is a different one.
Mir. RutheTiO has an excellent telescope o. ID
inch aperture but IL is mounted near the ground
and so low th4 the surrounding houses shui on. a
view of the su at the times when the coma IS arc
taking place Il will Therefore not be
u,ed FRO essCr J. X. kees, director
OF the observatory Of Columbia Col e,