Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-10-30
OVER THE SUNS FACE
ne Planet Mercury viii Look Like q
Small Black Spot.
PHENOMENON OF INTEREST,
rhs rrsnsit Will Occur on tho Tctnh Of
November AMI VIII DO Visible Through
Small Telescope.
CWashfngton Post.)

lay be clear, an opportunity VIII DE q"
hrded Of witnessing one OF NATURES
astronomical exhibitions--a transit OF '"e
planet Mercury across the suns iisH'
As seen from Washington and vicinity
the p,anet will make its first apparent
contact with the solar disk at ten hours
afty-ave and one half minutes a. NJ
and its last contact at four hours iou'
minutes two seconds i. NJ. s'ahua'u
lime. The point OF the suns hnS. al
which the first apparent contact VIII
AXE Mace. Is 9s,s degrees from the north
A., noInt mot the verteO OF the suns
imb toward the east. The planet passes
IN the north OF the suns centre
A small telescope. TO the eye-piece oil
which a piece of dark or smoked eiass
IS attached to protect the eye VIII pe
necessary 10 view the planet. wnich VIII
,,near az n beautiful round black spot.
moving slowly across the suns race from
light 10 left. or from east To west. ANA
,cur observers must not FORGET To put
niece OF smoked glass In the eye-pece
81 their telescope. otherwise they may
seriously iniure their eyes. III the tcle-
scope be powerful enough rant haio
81 ring Of light will De seen around the
planet This ring or halo Is portion OK
The illuminated disk Of the planet. SINCE
by reason Of the planets nearness 10 inc
sun. the latter shines over cOnsiuerap''
n ore than half Of his surface. MoreoVei,
tho planet appears 10 have very dense
atmosphere. which also increases the
magnitude OF the ring
A PHENOMENON OF RARE OCCUR
ENCE
is nlpnOmp
If tolerably rare occurrence. During 'he
,resent century there have taken place al
intervals Of 13. Z, 9 IL. IL, IL, ana IL |
years. and so on in this order during
period of about 2l7 years, after whiCn
1ew cycle of translts will begin. when |
hey Will occur in n slightly different or
Ter The following illustration explains |
low transit can take place at an: oh
,iece of thick paper or cardboard about |
DOT square describe a circle eight inches |
n diameter. This circle will represent |
he earth's orbit. the surface OF the paper
he plane Of the orbit, ana the cehtrs
II the circle will denote the posHioh Vi
he sun With a sharp knife cut uianle-
.or of the circle completely through the |
,aper. Through this slit or diameter pass
wire ring three inches in diameter.
20 that half of IL may be- above anu nan
4 if below the paper. and at the same |
limo forming with the surface OF the |
,,nor an angle OF seven degrees. Make
he centres Of the wire ring and the clrcle |
W IN. paper coincide ana secure the ring
n this position. The wire circle repre- |
cents the orbit of Mercury. the points |
vafrc il plcrCcs the paper the nodes ana
he line joining these points, or the cut
ait or diameter. passing Of course |
hrouph the sun. the lire of nodes. Both |
he earth and Mercury move in ther
orbits in a direction contrary TO that IN |
which the hands Of d clock or watch |
move.
BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THE |
Sun.
A transit can take place only when the
orth and Mercury are in or near the
inc of nodes, Mercury being. OF course,
between the earth and sun. The line OF
1Odes is not a fixed line in space, but mas
slow motion in a direction opposite to |
hat in which the planet moves. It's mo-
ton has not yet been satisfactorily ac-
counted for 1t is one Of the great diff
suites with which astronomV5 have To |
contend. The lOngitudoS of the nodes as |
seen from the sun are approximately ~ |
degrees and 227 degrees. and the earth |
arrives at these points early IN November
and May. respectively. Transits of Mer- |
Jury can. therefore. take place only in |
.hese months The November transits |
occur at the ascending node or when Mer-
Jury is passing from the southern to the |
northern side OF the earth's orbit or from |
the lower 10 the upper side OF our |
model and the May transits at the de- |
scendlng node or when Mercury is moving |
southwark.
KNOWN BY TWO NAMES TO THE |
ANCIENTS.
This planet was known to the ancients |
who. for long time, failed TO recognize |
L as the same body when seen on the |
EASTERN or western side of the sun, so |
hat the Greeks had two names for it
Apollo when 1t was morning star, and |
Mercury when II was an evening star. |
The Hindoos and Egyptians also had two |
lanes for II. The latter name the one
~ which 1t is now known, was after the |
Astrological parsonage Mercury the mes
ienger of the gods. and renowned in |
leathen mythology for his great activity.
lie is sometimes represented with wings
20 his heels. The name is very appro-
pirate one for both his angular and linear |
Velocity exceed those Of any other body
our solar system. He is rarely seen
With the naked eye. but when at his
greatest elOngation he IS sometimes visl-
Die as brilliant star Of the first tnagni-
Jude. celestial diamond sparkling on
he pale blue background Of the morning
Or evening twilight
THE YOUNGEST OF THE PLANETS.
If the nebular hypothesis is true. and
science points to 1T as the true cosmo-
gony Of our system, Mercury Is the
youngest of the family Of planets He pos
sesses also many other peculiarites. lie
Is the nearest to the sun, receives the
most light and heat, has the swifteft
motion, the most eccentric orbit, the
greatest inclination TO the eciptic, the
smallest diameter. the least mass. and
the greatest density of all the primary
planets, neglectng the asteroids, which
are very much smaller. His velocity in
his orbit varies from twenty-three to
thirty-ive miles per second, while his
eldest brother. Neptune, at distance OF
5.51S 400, 600 miles from the sun. rolls laZily
along at only three and n half miles per
second. Mercury's diameter is about three
thousand miles, with probable error or
about forty miles more or less: his sur
face is about one seventh of the earth's.
and his volume about one eighteenth. The
greatest popularity Of this planet is HIS
density. which is two and one fourth
times that Of the earth, or about twelve
and one half times that of water. or a
trfe less than that of the metal mercury.
He is made Of very heavy material If we
could be transported TO his surface, we
would weigh about four fifths Of what
we do here His peculiarities are unique,
and astronomers have little or nc use for
him. From a theoretical standpoint. his
transits. like those Of Venus could be
used to determine the solar paradox and
thence the suns distance but the results
would be very Enthusiastically. The de-
termination Of this great Astronomical
unit by transits of Venus. has not been
satisfactory; the results are so discord-
ant that the method will probably be
abandoned in future. The next two tran
Site OF Mercury will take place Novem-
Der "A. 1907, and November I. 1914
j. MORRISON.
CHARGE AGAINST SIMMONS,