The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-01-18
The Problem to be Solved.

4SAs xtObluoOAt Va 4s0OAOSeShs ~ sAS
New York Examiner, gives rough
outline of the problem sought to be solved
in the recent observations upon the tran
sit of Venus. He says: 1.-The apparent
motion of Venus across the sun in q
transit Is from east to west. 1t was
essential to the plan of the observers
that some of the stations should be in
the Northern and some in the Southern
Hemisphere. Let us look at the ques-
ton by means of an illustration. From
my study window 1 see gilt ball on
distant cupola. Let that represent the
sun. Suppose sparrow to fly between
the ball and my window from east to
west. The position of the path traced
across the ball will depend upon the
position of the observers eyes. III
look through the upper sash Of the win
dow, the passage Of the sparrow will be
projected upon the lower half of the
ball; if a friend looks through the lower
sash, to him it will be projected on tho
upper half of the ball. If now knew
that the bird passed at just one-third the
distance from my window to the ball,
and that my friends eyes were live
inches lower than mine at the time, it
would follow that the parallel paths
traced on the ball were ten inches apart,
Now by weii-known laws the relative
distances of Venus and the sun from the
earth can be found with great precision.
Thus we know that all the time of the
transit of 1874 the sun was 3,783 times
as far Is Venus. The distance of one
found. From these data it is an easy
10 Gv,1 he OF IN y,ailnc ho-
tween the two apparent paths OF Venus
across the sun as seen from the two
stations. If for instance the sun were
just three times as far from us as Venus,
and one observing station $500 miles
north of the other, the parallel paths
on the sun would be $4,000 miles apart.
Having found the distance between
the two paths, if we could in some way
locate them permanently on the disk Of
the sun, so that we could see how far
apart they would appear to be to single
observer, the problem of the SUMS dis.
tance would be solved. What we wan
to know is the rate of divergence of two
straight lines drawn from the same poinl
on the earth to these two paths. Thil
could be easily measured with an instru
ment If the positions of the paths were
known. A single case, in which the
suggestions do not differ much from thu
actual facts, will make the matter plain
If, on measuring the angle, we should
find that the lines are nine inches apar
at the distance of one mile from tn,
point of observation, it would be easy t.
tell how far we must go from the poin
to find them $4,000 miles apart. Thil
would give the SUMS distance 1,52O, OO'
miles.
The limits of this paper do not allow ,
statement even of the different modes o
determining the position of the path
traced by Venus across the sun as seel
at different stations. 1t has alread,
been stated that the Americans rel!
mainly on photography.
1.-The difficulties of the problem do no
| appear in the outline as indicated above
The actual angle which the astronomer
| are seeking to determine, known as tn
parallax Of the sun, would be repre-
sented by inverting the lines which W
have supposed, and letting them diverg
from point on the sun, so that the dis
tance between them here should b
equal to the radius of the eartf
This angle is SO small that tn
rate of divergence is only about tw
and one-half inches to the mile. Th
| distance to be found from this angle
so great that an error in the divergence
one-hundredth of an inch at the distanc
of mile would make an error in th
SUMS distance of over 100000 mile
The distance between the stations has t
be reckoned in straight line, and NJ
1 fha ~ tho or.ff, Tho nQrf
on which the observers stand is itse
revolving around the sun in a pat
slightly inclined to that of Venus; and
is also rotating on its axis. At eveI
station allowance must be made for tn
double motion. All these difficult,
could be overcome, however, by oil
magnificent instruments. and our math
mates, if it were not for others which
yet seem insurmountable. The gre
trouble is with the light, which, pr
ceeding from the sun, grazing the su
face of Venus in its course, and sufferir
refraction in our atmosphere, is so di
torted and so unsteady as it enters o'
instruments that the exact position
the planet on the suns disk at any tin
cannot be determined with absolute ce
tainty.
The effort made, Notwithstanding II
difficulties, to solve this great and inte
esting problem by means of this pair
transits is not unworthy of the scienti
spirit of the age. Whether the distan
to be hereafter adopted shall be foui
by this means or some other remain
be seen. Certain it is that neither "
nor our children will know anything
the modes of observing the next trans
1t is probable that before its occurrenc
in June of 1904, the distance to the 81
| will bo co puall known that eSnensi