Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-24
THE COMING ECLIPSE.
Who VIII Observe 1.-THE POssibilit,
Of Finding an er-Mercurial Planet.

The eclipse of the sun which will occur on
January l, 1889, is looked forward to with a
great deal OF interest as it will present another
opportunity for astronomers to establish by
observatiOnal proof the probable existence OF
an inter-mercurial planet. The line of totality
will pass through the northern portion of Cali
fornia, the point of greatest duration being a
short distance to the north of San Francisco.
Already active preparations are being made to
view the phenomena. Prof. Pickering, of Har-
ward college. will have charge Of one party.
The astronomers from the Lick Observatory
Will also be on hand, and it is understood that
Or Lewis swift. OF Warner observatory, will
be located within the limits of the line of to-
tality and be prepared to search for inter-mer-
curial planets.
THE TERM INTER-MERCURIAL
is one that has been coined. 1t defines q body
revolving between the orbit of Mercury and
the sun. and the positive determination of
which Is the aim Of several astronomers who
Will view the eclipse. In March. 1859, man
named Lescarbault, q physician residing in
France, made the statement that he had OBJ
served an object cross the suns disc which he
thought might be a small planet. Leverrier,
the great French mathematician. upon learn
ing OF this observation, determined to have q
personal conversation with Lescarbault, This
meeting took place, and the sequel of il was
that lie Nerrler came away convinced that an
lnter-mercurial planet had been observed.
The verification of this so-colled discovery has
never been made. An object as large as that
Claimed to have been seen by Lescarbault
would not have escaped the eyes Of astronomers
who have viewed eclipses of the sun SUBJ
sequent to 1889. An object large enough to
appear as black spot while crossing the sur
lace OF the sun would, during a total eclipse,
shine nearly as bright as Mercury.
THE RE-DIscoyHRY
OF TINS hypothetical planet, often called vul-
can, has been attempted at almost every eclipse
that has occurred since 1859. II this planet
Exists ~ never departs more than 81 from and
must Always be within the overpowering glare
OF the sun During the eclipse of 1878 the late
froi. watson and DIR. Swift, of Warner obserya.
tory, made a careful search for one or more of
tnese bodles- Both Of these astronomers found
"hat tney supposed were inter-mercurial plan
ets, pu, when IT Is remembered that the limit
OF sotahty OF an eclipse is only about two or
,nree minutes, often shorter than that il can
oe luaged what small interval of time ia al.
iowed the observer in which to determine the
Posiuon OF any object he may pick up. The
TWO ooleets round by DIR. Swift he describes AZ
two red stars with large discs, about a. sontb.
west OF the sun, and about n or 81 anart H.
has come to the conclusion that one Vas Thats
Cancri. a NTH magnitude star in the consteIlr.
ton called the Crab, and the other a planet
Possibly upon the photographs which win he
taken OF the space around the sun there vii
appear on the negatives q star point. which. or
comparison with q map of that region NJ Az
sky can not be found. II the point il rathe,
been found.