VENUS ON THE SUN'S FACE. 355 



that have succeeded one another hitherto, the transformation now in 

 progress is but an advance from a lower form, no longer fit, to a higher 

 and fitter form ; and neither will this transformation, nor kindred trans- 

 formations to come hereafter, destroy that which is transformed any- 

 more than past transformations have destroyed it. 



VENUS ON THE SUN'S FACE. 



By E. A. PKOCTOK, B. A., 



ACJTHOB OF " OTHEB WORLDS THAN OUE9," ETC. 



EACH evening during the month of April the planet of Love could 

 be seen in the west for a few hours after sunset. She set earlier 

 and earlier each successive night overtaking the sun, as it were and 

 toward the end of April she could no longer be detected. On the 5th 

 of May she had overtaken the sun, passing him at a distance of about 

 three times his own breadth above or to the north of his disk. When 

 these lines appear she will be a morning star. This passage by the 

 sun is the last made by Venus (at least when on the hither side of, 

 him) before the long-desired and now famous transit of December 9, 

 1874, when, instead of passing by the sun, either above of below his 

 disk, as she usually does, she will pass right across his face. 



So much has been said of late respecting this approaching phe- 

 nomenon, and so much importance is deservedly attached to it, that 

 my readers will probably be interested by a brief and simple account 

 of the matter. In particular, some may desire to know what has been 

 the special aim of the controversy recently and still in progress. Be- 

 fore entering on these matters, I shall make a few remarks on the 

 history of former transits. 



The first occasion on which Venus was ever seen on the sun's face 

 was on November 24, 1639 (Old Style), corresponding to December 4th 

 (New Style). It is rather singular that then, somewhat as at present, 

 doubts had arisen, owing to a difference of opinion between an astron- 

 omer of established reputation and one less known to the scientific 

 world. The Belgian astronomer Lansberg had stated in his " Tables 

 of the Motion of Venus " that no transit would occur in 1639. Youngr 

 Horrox, while preparing himself for practical observation, undertook 

 (apparently from sheer love of science) the computation of Venus's 

 motions from the tables of Lansberg. These tables were so highly 

 valued by their author that he had spoken of them as superior to all 

 others " quantum lenta solent inter viburna cupressi." But Horrox 

 recognized many imperfections in them, and at length, as he says, 

 " broke off the useless computation, resolved for the future with my 

 own eyes to observe the positions of the stars in the heavens ; but, 



