The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-10
A BLOT ON THE sun.
The Flying Trip Of the Wan
derer Mercury.
SOME SAN n AND SOME DIDN'T.



Wxny persons could pe seen yesterday
afternoon staring through pieces o. silioh -
1Ioes or peering through telescopes AZ inc
suns fiery globe, all endeavonng 20 per-
ceive the transit Of the planet Mercury
0vcf the suns disk. Some we're posiuve
tjs1t they could see nothing unusuai aDout
Tie Sun's face, while others were eguahy
poejtive that they could plainly discern :
dirk body between the earth ana tine
source Of light. This phenomenon Is
1nre one, as II has not occurred ior nearly
TN years, and will not occur again until
November 10, 1904.
According to the Scientific american OF
Iay 2, the moment OF contact between
the two heavenly bodies At Seattle was
3:t4 p. N. and not 1857, IS stated yester-
~, bat in either case residents on the
Pacific coast had better opportunity OF
ohssrving the transit than those OF any
Other pATt Of the country. and the iurtner
north the better II was. The transit con-
f1uued for four hours and fifty-six minutes,
ending At $50. 1t was thus visible here
1or three hours and twenty-five minutes,
- the sun sct at 1:l6. On the Atiantic
ceapt tho moment Of contact was o:o4, 80
e-ss-~r
t4Qft period before sunset Seattle also
hed the advantage OF cioudless SKY ana
cIe1r sir.
The planet appeared as = small black
pct. crescent-shaped, travelling slowly
ocroes tho lower half OF the suns disk. II
~ % small that It bad no perceptibie
ellect on the quantity Of light given form,
md thus, unless . person was forewarned.
y <fSYgv
wes gong on IN the SKY. Aitnousn ne IS
elohs, he appears to be crescent, because
ne y composer, like the earth and other
planets, OF material wnicn does not possess
tlle power OF scli-iliun,nation, ana thus,
- vtewed rom the earth, ms non-iiiumi-
nate0 side = not visible, ana me crescent
s1ue 20 the iorcshorteneu view obtained
q nisi Illuminated side.
re nsst view OF this planet obtained oy
mnn was on the morning OF the Egyptian
month 4 10th, answering to November u
g thc ycas 40 before the Christian era.
lne nrss observation o. = transit was made
1n Paris on tho morning OF November Z,
ldsls about o'clock, by an astronomer
named oasscndi- u had been predicted
y0uf years before by the great astronomer
.epler, ana uasscndi had prepared Tor hls
ousefvatio1 several DAYS before. HIS
economical outnt was OF the most print
save kind. Tor the telescope had only been
inventcn ~ years. ana the CLOCK was still
= a!s rudimcntery stages.
1nFougn noie IN window the light OF
We sun Was admitted INTO darkened
rpm: An image OF the sun was, with the
~ os tnc telescope, thrown upon white
csanang before MS crude appar-
atus uassendi Watcned ior the encroach-
NEW o. oiack OBJECT upon the suns
-
His hope Of beholding new celestial
eneAomenon was az low eDb. Ihe 9th OF
NovenDer was usncred In ny ram, which
contnuea 20 iaii all aay. On the 9TH the
Vas timex Win heavy clouds. Tn the
HoEn'ne g! the .tn' AZ about o'ciock there
sssnsed % &c cnance ior the astronomers
49, - iooA upon new Fcveiation, as the
~ 80 zen through breaks IN enc clouds.
8 aeout .. m. the SKY became clear ana
z sHo observer iookng ~ the image on the
ct:sn spied small black spot moving
ap'uay across .se suns disk. uassendi
- ....sc 'pcrcu"ious, as the preuicteu
sl.'.s u nrst cohtact nau not YET arrived,
Al'u ne was no. sure put that stray sun
49, 90 'anta'zins MN ny its presence.
= -. MOVE shc planet mercury, pass
ms oe.~ech the earth anu the sun. bring
ns Iresn reward 20 the mightysmind that
. sssu !e'u e'c ,ouhuauoi upon which Is
yu'is ena' krahu system tnat eAtehus from
sns sun 20 neptune.
my observer, Win ioretnought, had
osssaoi'su "n assistahI Ia lower room,
v0' "a's - WIS W ooscrVe the altituue
=. unc 81" WIN luaurant at the nrst III
sans =. ua"si'. uassehois signal was TO
stamp " the 1901 upon the toor
vac" the oPportuhc moment should ar
tive.
Inc name OF the assistant is unknown.
.iu wen may u De, ior ne, weary with
waning, haa deserted his post and Gas
senui s'gnas was lost with the echo. The
latter, howeser, hlied with rapture at the
ssght before him, made as careful notes as
ms means would allow. and then FASTENED
70 tell his feiIowmen OF sight never be-
lore witnessed by human eyes.
= year a. Mercury is lightweight days
IN length, or in other words, 1t takes that
.nany usys lot the planet To make
Journey around the sun. at mean dis
lance OF SoWp,Vp miles. When nearest
20 inc sun TINS number is decreased to
scuhuV, anu when fnrthest 20 100000.
Inc latest news from Mercnry-an item
recently announced BY the eminent Italian
astronomer Schaparelii--is that Mcrcuri-
ans day IS OF the same length as his year
that Is. the plane. revoivcs on It's own
AXIS IN The same time that il makes
Journey around the sun; analogous to the
motion OF the moon aroand the earth.
TINS statement has not heen confirmed.