The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-02-08
.The Problem to be. SolYed. {.

: Ts Z
srhfsPP The Problem S4 to9e y Solved. qllEpe1s9!.s.o rIs
Prof Robinson, of Rochester, in the
New York Examiner. gives a rough &
outline of the problem songlitAoibesolVe II
in the recent observations upon the tran
1sitIof Venus He SAYS: ss1f1e apparent i
motieo aof Venus across thezssliFo i'm al Z Z
transit is from east, to West,,rr 1t was
essential to the plan Of the Observers
thhSsomesoft tIeI stations ssimild be in III
the Northern, and some in the. Southern, 7
Hemisphere. Let as look sc the qJieszs :
honE by means Of sIan illhstnatiDns Erom 8
my stpdy window Igsee a. gilt ball on a J
distant cupola. Let that represent the r
sun. Suppose a sparrow to ilg lbetweenss !
the ball and-my window from east to {
west The position of the path traced
across the ball will depend upon. the s
posftiofi or the aobserveflsFeyes. al Ffa Ia
klopk through the upper sash, o., the win
dow, the passage OF the sparrow VIII Be !
protected upon the lower halfsof sthe 81
lbalnsif 2 friends looks Though the. lower {
sash, to him 1T will be pfojected on the
upper half ofithebal saA9 NO pwslFknew b.
that lthe. bird passed at Just one7third the
distance from my. window to the ball, 7
and that my frisddisseJest were stiTagl 4
inches lowerthan mine, at the times it
would follow that the PARALLEL paths
trseeil on tflehall were tenznche gapattsk q
Now by !. .WeAEs1noWn. laws, the. relative
distances Of Venus and the sun from the i !.
earth ran be- f5uhd Witfltgreatpre reeisi0ns35
tfafisit Of 1877 the sun was ), 783 times F.
as far lasIEents1 dlhe alIstaai Coz d ono =
tstation north from nother can also be
IL. Il, al =.
matter to find the distance Ia miles Be-
| tFeenithsstwos apparehb Paths sof. Vends Z
a1erasS the s ID syn Y : as seen from the two
tjhst three tinas as far from us as Venus,
| and one. observing. station $500 miles
north Of the other, tn" parallel paths Il,
on theisanE Ewouldohe 81. OGly riailesapaFtC k
|, '';:lHaEing ':lH5a found the distance between
\ the two paths, II we could In some wy y
lFSeabe them iperman entity on sthe Tdb sofdd
the suns sog that tge. eould sss, how far
fsapart they would appear TO ete asfngle
! observer }sthes probl9nnof tire suns dist
! thnce would be solved. What we want
| tp know is the rate Of divergence OF two II
Straight lines drawn from the same point
fdn the earth to these two patiis..~ This
3,coubd sbeieasilg gzmeasuredEwifA aninstfn iii
Ihent i tn the positions ST the paths were
tskn0wn. x Single case, IN Which the 3
lsssppositnns tlo mot differ much from thesst
actual facts, will make the matter plain.
l9f, on 1neasurfng the angle, we should
I,fnd that the lines aresnine il c hes apart,s
at the distance OF, one mile from the
point of observation, 1t Would be easy to
!, tell how far we must Hfrom the point
7 to find Them $4,000 miles apantg Ehis
would giFe tbe SUMS III distspGe m .l Sls52os sQQQ /
/ Fheli1nitssuf this paper do oeaotiallow06a
\ statement even Of heFdifGrent modes .ofgs
4 determining the position OF the paths II
! traced by Yeiftis licross1he sun as5seen b
/ at different statiols, ali has already i.
| been stated that the Americans rely Z
nainly on photography. .1a89 Ts1
4 'sThc difficulties0f 4heprobleHl do not
| appearin the outline assinaicated aboYe.
| The actual angle which the astronomers
/ are seeking to determine, known as the
parallaxss of the san would beiremes5
| sented BY. inyertipg the lines which we
have supposed, and letting. them diverges
from point onthe sIm,sso that the dis
| lance, between them here should be-
equal TO the radius Of the earth.
This angle is so small that the
rate of divergence fs&eafly about two
and ohe.half inchesls tor the zlniiesaThe
4 distance to be found from this angle is
J. SO great that an error IN the divefgence of
Ionesh shlIndredth of sHineh at the.distanee1
\ lof q mile would make an error IN the
lIsun'S distance of over 350,006 miles
Dheaiissnee eeshetWe nstlEesstatious haste
Ebe reekoned in a. straight line, and not
ion the surface of the earth. The eaftfi1
ion which. the observers stand is itself
revolving aroantI stFsel san sitra sP3th
Slightly inclined to that of Venus; aud its
is also rotating on its axis. At every
station allowance must bes1aads sfnrthisl
/ deRhle motion .All these ,diiieultiesAI
could be overcome, however, BY cur
fIagfiiEF0e At i1stfanIe ITS; ard oiusInatlle-
matics, if it were not for others which as
yet SEEM -insurmonntable TIE great
trouble il with the light. which, pro-
ceeding from the sun, grazing the Sur
face of Nenus Iii its course and stifbr1ng
reflactiaR in our atmosphere, is SC, dis.
| torted and so unsteady as it enters our H
Instruments that the iexaEt positmna0f /
the planet on the, SUMS disk. at, any time /
cannot be determined with absolute cer-
tainty. .aasM /
The effort made, Notwithstanding the |
difisWlties 70 solve. .tfiis great 1aullsfhter- |
.essipg pEoblem by means Qf tbis pair Of 1
4 transits IS not unworthy of the scientific /
H 'spiris of the age, WhetherltfIe distance
4 to- be hereafter ,adontsdr shah be .fQElpd
I by this means or some other remains TO
be seeii Certain It that snsilheR We
nor our children swillalsReW anything of
the modes ofohseFynlg the naxt tTgpsit.
/ It is. probable that before its occurrence,
iii Jtne-Uf 2,004,, the distance I'd the sanI,
lwdE be: 50 well skaoyD that esgaensiTel
expeditions for observation will not be.
7T1had dssf lthAfsA s0A1 80 rgF}E5g0Fg Il
AN Aiffateur performance of Ca.
mille,',' by a coTofef tirarnatic club I'M
MaryIand, MAS br0kenla1pisat th0sdeneE
E#here sAmand hdrlss theslaoneg ats tsa9
hmille real mhHy bdiRg pseds sana every
bmembgef+the company making a grand |